Articles about web browser

Every company with a web browser wants you to choose it as your default. Google is no different with Chrome than Microsoft is with Edge or Mozilla is with Firefox.

Microsoft has received a lot of flak for the heavy-handed way in which it has prompted Edge and attempted to get users to switch to it. More than this the company has made it more difficult to set other browsers as default, although this has changed in recent times. Now Google is taking steps to promote Chrome, pushing a one-click-to-switch capability.

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Microsoft has a new experiment for its web browser. Copilot Mode in Edge is an AI-powered mode which is perfect for anyone who wants to completely embrace artificial intelligence when browsing the web.

For anyone who feels that AI is already difficult to avoid, there is good news. Copilot Mode in Edge is optional, so you are not obliged to use it even if you have made Microsoft Edge your browser of choice.

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The Brave Privacy Team has announced that its web browser will block Microsoft Recall from taking screenshots.

The privacy measure comes after Microsoft started the rollout of the controversial feature, having been forced to make significant changes to the way it works. While Recall is now an opt-in feature, Brave’s announcement caters for those who would like not only more privacy, but more control.

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Across all platforms, Google Chrome remains one of the most popular – if not the most popular – web browser. But while the desktop version of the software is versatile, customizable and flexible, the same cannot be said of the mobile apps.

And this is why an announcement made by Google several weeks ago caused a flurry of excitement. On the face of things, the news that it would be possible to move the address bar from its familiar position at the top of the browser may not seem huge, but now that it is rolling out, it is becoming clear that it is actually pretty significant for Android users.

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Not all browser extensions are created equal, and just because one is available in a high-profile store doesn't mean it's safe. Stores may do simple verifications to check for obvious red flags, but it's not part of their workflow to investigate deeper indicators of suspicious or malicious behavior.

ExtensionPedia, a new database developed by LayerX, changes that by providing individuals and businesses with detailed risk analyses on over 200,000 extensions to distinguish between safe, risky and malicious tools.

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For those who like to live on the cutting edge, beta software, preview programs and the like are incredibly enticing. Just about every major software title -- operating systems, even -- has one or more preview builds available, and web browsers like Firefox are no different.

But Mozilla has a slightly different option for anyone who feels uncomfortable with the idea of installing alpha, canary, or beta builds of apps -- Firefox Labs. This is Mozilla’s way of giving users access to optional features which have not yet made it into the main version of the browser. Here are the unreleased features you can try out right now.

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Notifications are part and parcel of life, being both useful and interesting. But they can also be problematic. Google is aware that the notifications generated by websites can be “spammy or even deceptive”.

The worst offenders can attempt to trick people into sharing personal information or downloading dangerous software. Google is using machine learning to fight back, launching warnings about warnings of unwanted notifications.

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The browser space, like so many other areas of software design, is one filled with inspiration and plagiarism. When one browser adds a new feature, you know it’s probably not going to be long before its rivals follow suit. Firefox is no different, but it likes to take its sweet time.

Mozilla has just launched a tab grouping option to its web browser, finally catching up with every other major browser in existence. Quite why it took so long to introduce what is such a common feature is not clear, but Mozilla has an awful lot to say about it.

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In a decision that surprised few, a judge has ruled that Google is guilty of “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in advertising technology. Google (or its parent company, Alphabet, at least) is obviously unhappy with the ruling, but it’s not the only one.

Mozilla was one of the first companies to react to the ruling, and CEO Laura Chambers has expressed alarm about what it means for the future of its Firefox web browser. She also voices concerns about the implication of the rules for the open web and online industries.

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Oh, thank heaven. Mozilla is finally doing something about the horribly messy (and sometimes confusing) data consent experience in Firefox extensions. If you’ve ever installed a Firefox add-on and been hit with some clunky, homemade data collection prompt, you’re not alone. Now, Mozilla is stepping in to cure the insanity. You see, the organization will be adding a standardized data consent system into the installation process.

This new system, expected to arrive later this year, will thankfully eliminate the need for developers to write their own data consent screens. Instead, extension creators will just declare what data the add-on collects in the manifest file. And just like that, Firefox will handle the rest.

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Mozilla is pushing its new VPN extension for Firefox as a way of simplifying the often confusing world of VPNs. Whether users are turning to a VPN for security, privacy, or to access content that’s only available in other countries, the Mozilla VPN extension is touted as a hassle-free option.

At the moment, the extension is only available for users of Firefox on Windows, but there are plans to release versions for Linux and macOS as well. Product manager for Mozilla VPN, Santiago Andrigo, explains what makes this VPN tool stand out from the crowd.

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Mozilla has long positioned itself as a champion of privacy and open-source software, but its latest move really makes me worry that the organization could be drifting away from those values. You see, Mozilla has introduced Terms of Use for Firefox for the first time ever. Additionally, there is an updated Privacy Notice. And while Mozilla frames this as a move toward transparency, the actual terms are raising some major red flags for me.

Mozilla claims these new terms are necessary due to a changing “technology landscape,” yet the fine print tells a far different story. One of the most troubling aspects is that users must grant Mozilla all rights necessary to operate Firefox, including a “nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license” to use information entered through the browser. Mozilla insists this is meant to help users navigate the web, but the vague wording leaves a dangerous amount of room for interpretation. Could this include personal data, saved passwords, or browsing history? Mozilla simply fails to say.

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There are plenty of people who do not use Microsoft Edge -- it is a long way from being the most popular browser out there. And just like Internet Explorer before, there are also plenty of people who hate Edge so much that they want to uninstall it.

As there is no obvious way to do this if you take a look through the options in Windows, you might well search online for instructions. Search Bing (or the Start menu) for “how to uninstall Microsoft Edge” and there’s an entry at the top of the results that links to the office “Uninstall Microsoft Edge”. This really is an official Microsoft page, bearing the description: “Learn how to uninstall Microsoft Edge from your device”. But this is a blatant lie from Microsoft.

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Mozilla has removed support for Do Not Track from Firefox, with the company stating that it was a setting that was largely ignored by websites anyway.

More than this, Mozilla believes that Do Not Track sometimes served to reduce privacy, rather than increasing it. The suggestion for affected users is to start using options within Global Privacy Control (GPC) which are legally enforced in some countries, and far more widely respected by websites regardless of legislative requirements.

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It has been known for some time that Chrome's Incognito Mode is nowhere near as private as many people still believe it to be. Despite assumptions made -- largely due to strong suggestions -- Google was able to collect private browsing data and has faced lawsuits as a result.

As part of a class action settlement, the company has agreed to delete "billions of data points" despite having previously said that this was not possible. The change of heart means that Google should be able to avoid a damages payout in the billions of dollars.

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