Your browser is your window to the internet. But what if your window is watching you & what does that mean?

What’s the Problem?

Imagine wandering around a city centre versus wandering around a shopping mall, which is personalised for you based on years of surveillance.

The mall may know your child’s birthday is coming up so upon entering it you’ll see a handy toy store along with advertising about toy discounts for your child’s favourite toys. After buying a present, the mall knows you have a sweet tooth & haven’t eaten for a while, so it can direct you to the donut stand at a food court, while letting the stand know they could put up their prices, because you’re hungry. You’ve finished your sugary donuts & are feeling a bit gross, which is the perfect time for the advertising screens to light up with diet clinic ads, as the mall knows you also worry about your weight.

Compare that to the more organic experience of a city centre where you’re free to find your own way to shops, parks & libraries without surveillance-fuelled coercion. You may get lost, you may end up in a dark alley, but you’ve got more agency to explore & discover.

Browser History

Since the dawn of the internet, we’ve had “browser wars”, where competing tech companies try to increase their browser market share over their competitors.

Browser wars have always been about control. Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominated the 1990s & Google Chrome took over in early 2010s. Today Chrome commands over two-thirds of the market. When one company controls how most people access the internet, they control what users see & can track everything they do.

It’s not an accident that the three most popular internet browsers - Chrome (Google), Safari (Apple) & Edge (Microsoft) - are built by large tech companies that make money through advertising, selling services & taking a cut from online sales. Owning people’s “window to the internet” allows control over & recording of how people use the internet.

Making a Switch

Changing your browser is easier than most people think. It’s generally a matter of downloading it to your device & going through the onboarding process to copy some of your bookmarks, settings & even passwords across from Chrome, Safari or Edge. The whole process takes under five minutes.

Here are two good options available for most computers & phones:

Brave Browser

Brave is my current choice for a personal browser. It's built on the same engine as Chrome but is very privacy-orientated, doesn't track users & actively blocks tracking by third parties such as Google, Microsoft or Meta (Facebook). Brave had 100 million users as of October 2025.

Because it shares Chrome's engine, Brave works with most Chrome extensions & operates very similarly, making the switch seamless.

Download Brave: https://brave.com/

Firefox Browser

Firefox is the grandfather of alternative browsers, launched in 2004 & the fourth most popular behind Chrome, Safari & Edge. While not as strict as Brave, Firefox still does a good job of blocking tracking & protecting your privacy. LibreWolf & Tor Browser are even more privacy-focused versions of Firefox.

Download Firefox: https://www.firefox.com/

These browsers are the top picks for a less coercive & more private online experience. Both browsers will work on 99+% of your favourite websites & Brave in particular operates very similarly to Chrome.

A Cleaner, Less Coercive Internet

When you switch to Brave, Firefox or another privacy-focused browser, you’ll see a number of changes to your internet experience, including:

• Fewer advertisements
• Less creepy coercion
• Faster page loads

What About AI Powered Browsers?

As of writing this in November 2025 a new crop of “AI powered” browsers have recently hit the market. Initial analysis suggests that these are even less private than mainstream browsers & can be hijacked by hidden prompts. So, at this point - avoid them.