Perhaps the most widely used web browser worldwide is Google’s Chrome, with which only Mozilla’s Firefox can measure up. However, there are many more secure and private web surfing choices available.
Free and open-source browser Brave, which has grown in popularity recently, is undoubtedly superior to many popular ones, including the aforementioned Chrome, and it includes a ton of great features that Chrome does not have.
It might be an excellent idea to think about using Brave if you wish to browse the Internet safely and privately. Below are a few reasons why all Internet users ought to make the transition to Brave right now and stop using Chrome, along with some benefits and drawbacks of the Brave web browser.
Brave Will Immediately Discontinue All Advertising and Tracking
Compared to Chrome, Brave offers far greater privacy safeguards by default, barring advertisements (about that a bit later), multi-site cookies, and tracking. You can quickly see what the browser has blocked at any moment by hitting the “Brave Shields” symbol in the URL bar of every website you visit. Simply loading a random YouTube video and selecting the Shields symbol will cause Brave to block a minimum of a dozen trackers while simultaneously adding more to its blacklist.
Additionally, in the Shields pop-up menu, select “Advanced Controls” if you wish to experiment with the settings. You may turn on aggressive tracking and ad blocking, in addition to script and cookie blocking, right there. It should go without saying that this goes beyond privacy. Ads are frequently used by hackers to spread malware, so using Chrome without ad-blocking software when browsing even totally genuine websites puts you in unnecessary danger.
The Tor Browser Serves as a Built-In Extra Tier of Security for Brave
“The Onion Router”, or Tor, is a safe and secure system that conceals user data by sending it across a network of servers. Additionally, Brave features this browser, which offers an extra layer of security and privacy protection when using the Internet. Even better, Tor is included in Brave by default – it is embedded.
You may access this protocol using Brave in addition to the official Tor browser, which is how most people who use the “Dark Web” access it. Choose “New private window” with Tor from the Brave menu to access Tor. Alternatively, you can use your keyboard’s “Alt+Shift+N” combination.
Another Plus: Brave Safeguards You From “Fingerprinting”
The phrase “fingerprinting” on a browser is used to refer to a variety of methods that websites employ to recognize and monitor users. People frequently mistake website cookies for fingerprints and think that installing extensions and removing cookies will increase safety and privacy. Cookies and browser fingerprinting are actually two very separate concepts. User information is gathered through fingerprinting scripts. These scripts keep track of your device, browser, and operating system while they are running in the background. They also make it easier for outside parties to track your location, installed extensions, and web browsing activity.
Compared to Chrome, in what ways does Brave guard against fingerprinting? It immediately disables the fingerprint. Additionally, the Shields menu makes it simple for the user to enable aggressive blocking. Chrome does nothing, in contrast. Of course, you could look for an extension made to hide your online fingerprint, but downloading Brave and having it take care of things seems like a lot better and more practical choice.
No Wealthy “Big Tech” Company Owns Brave
The US Department of Justice identified Google as a technology behemoth with a monopoly over Internet search engines and advertisements that show in search results in 2020, according to “The New York Times”. The same arguments have been made for years by privacy groups and tech aficionados, who cite Google’s “data harvesting” methods as evidence. Even if you are not against “Big Tech” (the highest-earning and most significant technology companies in the IT industry) on principle, learning how much information Chrome knows about you should make you consider whether using Chrome is worthwhile or whether it might be preferable to migrate to a browser that does not collect as much information about you as a user. Chrome is a Google product, which should be enough to make any privacy-conscious person think twice about using it.
Brave is in many ways the exact antithesis of Chrome. It acts as a browser that is open-source with a main focus on privacy protection for users. Although there is a choice for this, only those who desire to watch adverts can receive them.
When it comes to ads, Brave has certain requirements advertisers must adhere to. Advertising must be of a high caliber and must not be sensational, false, deceptive, or misleading. Ad claims must be supported by relevant scientific data. Brave Ads classifies certain topics as sensitive, restricted, or prohibited. For instance, gambling and lotteries belong to the sensitive ad category. Even though operators are rated at TopCasinoExpert.com as the best online casinos, as advertisers they are responsible for clearly labeling any applicable sensitive topic in their advertising, abiding by any further restriction rules on those topics, and avoiding all prohibited topics altogether.
Brave does not gather data concerning its users and generates money from advertising. Additionally, by doing this, users can profit from Basic Attention Token (BAT).
Every Connection on Brave Will Be Upgraded to HTTPS Automatically; Brave Goes Beyond AMP
All HTTPS links are automatically updated by Brave, unlike Chrome. Because requests and replies are sent over the HTTP protocol, there is a significant security risk because anybody may access and read them because they are sent in plain text. Because HTTPS employs encryption, it is significantly safer because it makes it much harder for anyone to determine what you are doing and access your data without authorization.
Google automatically pre-caches and delivers AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) web pages from its servers. Google asserts that the AMP project’s primary goal is to enhance website performance, but it has other objectives as well. AMPs are not just dangerous for security and privacy, but they also provide Google access to more data. Another important factor in your decision to switch to Brave is the fact that it will automatically deactivate AMP for any website you access starting in April 2022.
But the Brave browser’s problems do not end there. Irrespective of whether or not you use Android or, especially, iPhone, Brave is a must-have solution for anybody who wants an additional level of privacy protection when accessing information on smartphones. This is particularly accurate if you possess an iPhone.
What advantages does using Brave on an iPhone offer? Is the iPhone version of the Brave browser superior to the Android one? Numerous features and advantages of Brave for iOS are crucial and may significantly enhance your surfing experience. Brave for iOS features a number of advantages, including playlists, PDF creation, and media content preservation. Let us mention these advantages:
The Possibility of Creating a Playlist
A playlist function is one thing the iOS version of the Brave app offers that the Android version does not.
Brave Playlist, which enables users to save media like music and films to playlists, became available to iOS users in 2021. So, you may utilize Brave Playlist as opposed to bookmarking a music or movie in Brave. For a little time after adding anything to your playlist, you can see it offline. Websites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch allow you to add audio or video. When you add stuff to your playlist, Brave stores it in a format that can only be seen on the device you stored it on and is only interoperable with Brave Media Player.
An Additional Layer of Security Is Guaranteed by Brave’s Security Lock
Our passwords, addresses, and browsing histories are all stored in our browsers, which serve as a kind of treasure trove for such data.
To safeguard them from prying eyes, we stay away from dubious websites and make use of solutions like VPNs and complex passwords to increase our online security and confidentiality. With Browser Lock, which enables you to open Brave using Face ID, Touch ID, or your iPhone’s passcode, Brave for iOS helps you take your security and privacy settings a step further. By doing this, only you have access to Brave on your phone.
It should be noted that this function is exclusive to Brave for iOS. Tap the three dots in the bottom menu and choose “Settings” to enable browser locking. Scroll down and activate the browser lock now. Brave will prompt you for your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode the next time you launch it. To safeguard Brave, you may also use a different approach to lock applications on your iPhone, such as Screen Time.
Sending Tabs to Connected Devices
You can share cards or tabs to your other devices using Brave for iOS.
Any synchronized device can get the web page you are now viewing. This might be helpful if you wish to visit a website on a different device, in particular, if you are sending a desktop-only webpage from your smartphone to your PC. Tap the three dots in the bottom-right part of the screen and pick “Send” to your devices in the Brave iOS app to use this function. Next, choose the recipient device and press Send to your smartphone. On the receiving device, you are going to get a notice that you may access it with a tap or click.
Creating PDF Files
Want to use Brave to make a PDF? You can, if you use Brave for iOS.
Another benefit associated with using the Brave browser on your iOS device is that you can use it to convert any online page into a PDF and then copy, share, or comment on it.
Choose Brave Browser, Use It Starting Right Now, and Protect Your Privacy
One of the greatest browsers for protecting your privacy is Brave. This is one of the main explanations for why Brave is a highly well-liked alternative to Chrome.
The Brave applications for iOS, Android, and Windows PCs offer a flawless surfing experience with a lot less risk and danger. They also contain a lot of helpful features.
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