If you value your online privacy, this is the web browser for you

Brave is the web browser that we’ll teach you how to use. Websites can’t monitor you when you use this Chrome alternative. A number of popular browsers can help protect your data. However, securing browsers such as Chrome, Safari or Firefox takes installing addons or changing their privacy settings. Brave eliminates the need for these types of setup. 

Brave browser prevents trackers and third-party cookies that track your online activities. But you can control what’s blocked, from advertisements and cookies to Facebook and Google login buttons.

Its rigid blocking process has consequences for websites. You will not see any advertisements that support the creation of website content. Brave has a clever strategy to reward content creators by allowing them to donate anonymously to the websites they visit. In the event that publishers want to participate in the system, they will get their contributions in the form of cryptocurrencies. 

Brave is a cross-platform browser that runs on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. In fact, clicking “Locate extensions and themes” in Brave’s settings takes you to the Chrome Web Store to find browser extensions and themes.

Furthermore, just because Brave is built on a Google-developed foundation does not imply that you must use Google as your default search engine in order to utilise the browser. A public beta version of Brave Search, the company’s own privacy-focused search engine designed to compete with Google, has been made available to the public. Brave Search will eventually replace Google as the default search engine in the Brave browser later this year. You can give it a shot by downloading it right here.

You may have to wait till another Brave Browser update before Brave Search is activated by default in the mobile version of the browser, according to the developer. At this time, there is no way to manually add Brave Search to your account. While browsing on your mobile device, you may still change your default search engine by touching the three-dot icon to the right of the URL bar when you first launch Brave. When you select Settings from the drop-down menu, the first option you will see is to alter your default search engine. 

You have complete control over what Brave blocks

Third-party cookies (which follow you across the web via social buttons on a webpage) and third-party fingerprinters are all blocked by default in Brave. However, you have the option of customising how rigid Brave’s security works.The next steps will show you how to set up Brave. 

1. Select Preferences from the Brave menu bar. 

2. Tap Shields in the left-hand panel of Settings.

3. Make your choice regarding the level of security you want from the privacy settings on the right.

4. Once again, under the Settings panel, select Social media blocking to determine whether or not to enable Google and Facebook login buttons, embedded Twitter tweets, and LinkedIn integrated pins. 

5. Tap Privacy and security under Additional Settings on the left for even further control.6.

6. The Brave browser uses a prediction service to autocomplete searches and URLs, which you may configure here.

7. To test the Brave Search, which is focused on privacy, you can right-click on your URL bar and choose Manage Search Engines. Under Other search engines, hit the three-dot icon on the right and choose Brave Search as your default.

What sets Brave apart from other web browers?

Securing data has replaced speed. For both mobile and desktop, Brave is a fast browser for android and desktop. Compared with Chrome, the company claims it loads a webpage 3x faster than Google Chrome, has 33% less memory usage, and has up to one hour more battery life. “Brave is the browser that’s built to perform”.

Brave’s speed is based on its security and privacy features. Flashing banners, pop-ups, and advertising trackers can cause browsers to bog down as your device struggles to process the extra data. While Firefox and Chrome include ad-blocking and anti-tracking plugins, Brave has these features built-in.

Fingerprinting is one of the most ubiquitous online privacy concerns, and it is a particularly clever approach that advertisers employ to follow your activity across multiple websites, allowing them to develop a uniquely identifiable profile of you without the need for cookies. The majority of browsers are now actively combating this form of tracking, and Brave is no different. Brave’s Shields feature, in addition to fingerprinting, disables a broad range of tracking cookies and intrusive advertisements.