The moment I realized we needed another browser
I was sitting in a coffee shop, mindlessly scrolling through my phone, when a friend asked me a simple question: "Do you actually read those privacy policies you accept?"
I laughed it off. Nobody does, right?
But that question stuck with me. That evening, I decided to actually read the privacy policy of the browser I'd been using for years. What I found was disturbing—pages and pages of legal jargon that essentially said: "We collect everything about you, and we can do whatever we want with it."
My browsing history. My search queries. My location. My device information. Even my typing patterns.
That's when I decided to build Lens Browser.
The Problem: Browsers Have Become Data Harvesting Tools
Let's be honest about what modern browsers have become.
They're no longer just tools to access the internet—they're sophisticated tracking systems designed to monetize your every click, search, and scroll. Even browsers that market themselves as "privacy-focused" often have asterisks in their promises.
Here's what bothers me most:
1. The Privacy Theater
Browsers offer "incognito mode" or "private browsing," but these features are misleading. Your ISP still sees everything. Websites still track you. Your device still stores data. It's privacy theater—giving users a false sense of security while the data harvesting continues.
2. The Feature Creep
Modern browsers have become bloated with features nobody asked for. Social sharing buttons, news feeds, shopping assistants, cryptocurrency wallets—all designed to keep you in their ecosystem and collect more data about you.
3. The Consent Illusion
"By continuing to use this app, you agree to our terms." It's not really consent when the alternative is not browsing the internet at all. We're forced to accept invasive tracking just to access basic functionality.
4. The Ad-Blocking Paradox
Some browsers built by advertising companies offer ad blockers. Think about that. The fox is guarding the henhouse, deciding which trackers to block and which to allow through.
The Vision: What If Privacy Was the Default?
I started thinking: What would a browser look like if privacy wasn't a feature—if it was the foundation?
Not privacy as a marketing gimmick. Not privacy with asterisks. Real privacy.
The Core Principles
I established three non-negotiable principles for Lens Browser:
1. Zero Data Collection
Not "minimal data collection." Not "anonymized analytics." Zero. If we don't collect it, we can't lose it, sell it, or misuse it.
2. Privacy by Design
Privacy shouldn't be hidden in settings menus or require technical knowledge to enable. It should be the default behavior—automatic, effortless, and impossible to accidentally disable.
3. Radical Simplicity
Every feature should serve the user, not the business model. If a feature requires data collection or compromises privacy, it doesn't belong in the browser.
The Reality Check: What Users Actually Need
I interviewed dozens of people about their browsing habits. The feedback was surprisingly consistent:
"I just want to browse websites without being tracked."
"I'm tired of ads following me everywhere."
"I don't need another social network built into my browser."
"I want something simple that just works."
This validated my approach. People don't need another feature-packed, data-hungry browser. They need a tool that does one thing exceptionally well: private, fast web browsing.
Building Lens Browser: The Technical Journey
Challenge #1: True Privacy Without Servers
Most "private" browsers still phone home to sync data, update filters, or collect analytics. I wanted Lens Browser to be completely self-contained.
The Solution:
- No backend servers collecting user data
- All processing happens locally on the device
- Auto-clean mechanism that wipes everything on app close
- No account creation, no login, no cloud sync
Challenge #2: Effective Ad Blocking Without Central Lists
Traditional ad blockers rely on constantly updated lists from central servers—another tracking vector.
The Solution:
- Built-in filter lists that update with the app
- Local processing of blocking rules
- No queries sent to external servers
- Toggle per-site for rare cases when blocking breaks functionality
Challenge #3: Anti-Fingerprinting That Actually Works
Browser fingerprinting is insidious. Websites collect dozens of data points—screen resolution, fonts, plugins, timezone—to create a unique identifier for you.
The Solution:
- Randomize identifying characteristics
- Block fingerprinting scripts at the source
- Minimize information exposed to websites
- All protection runs locally, no data sent out
Challenge #4: Threat Detection Without Surveillance
How do you warn users about dangerous sites without monitoring what they visit?
The Solution:
- Local threat detection database
- Pattern matching for suspicious URLs
- No browsing history sent for analysis
- Community-driven reporting system (coming soon)
The Features: What Made the Cut
🛡️ What Lens Browser Does
Privacy by Default
- Zero data collection—not minimal, zero
- Auto-clean history when you close the app
- No bookmarks (no permanent records)
- Block browser fingerprinting attempts
- No cookies stored between sessions
Built-in Security
- Ad blocker enabled by default
- Detect dangerous, gambling, and suspicious websites
- HTTPS priority
- Threat warnings before you visit risky sites
Performance Optimized
- Lightweight and fast
- Toggle image loading to save data
- Minimal resource usage
- Pages load up to 40% faster without ads
Essential Functionality
- Multiple search engines (Google, StartPage)
- Download manager integration
- Quick links to popular sites
- Share URLs easily
- Simple, intuitive interface
🚫 What Lens Browser Will Never Have
I made a commitment to users about features that will never be added:
- ❌ Analytics or tracking of any kind
- ❌ User accounts or login systems
- ❌ Data syncing across devices
- ❌ Social media integration
- ❌ Advertisements
- ❌ Cryptocurrency features
- ❌ News feeds or content recommendations
- ❌ Shopping assistants or price comparisons
If a feature requires data collection, it won't be in Lens Browser. Period.
The Business Model Question
Everyone asks: "If you're not collecting data or showing ads, how will you make money?"
My answer: I won't.
Lens Browser is free and will remain free forever. No ads. No in-app purchases. No premium tiers. No data monetization.
Why?
Because the moment I introduce a business model that requires user data, I compromise the core principle. The browser becomes about revenue, not privacy.
I built Lens Browser because it needed to exist, not because I saw a business opportunity.
That said, if the project grows, I'm exploring ethical sustainability options:
- Optional donations from users who want to support development
- Grants from privacy-focused organizations
- Sponsorships from companies that align with our values (no tracking companies, obviously)
But these would never compromise the zero-data-collection principle.
The Launch: What I Learned
I soft-launched Lens Browser three months ago with minimal marketing. The response has been humbling.
The Feedback
What users love:
- "Finally, a browser that respects my privacy!"
- "So fast without all the ads and bloat"
- "Love that it auto-cleans—no paranoia about history"
- "Simple and does exactly what it promises"
What surprised me:
- Many users don't trust it initially—they've been burned before
- Some people actually miss bookmarks (fair point)
- Power users want more customization options
- Enterprise users want to deploy it for their teams
What I'm working on:
- Improving threat detection accuracy
- Adding more search engine options
- Better documentation and transparency
- Performance optimizations for older devices
The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters
Lens Browser is a small project, but it represents something bigger: a rejection of surveillance capitalism.
Every time someone chooses a privacy-respecting tool over a data-harvesting alternative, it sends a message:
- We won't accept invasive tracking as the price of using the internet
- We don't want to be products
- We value privacy even when it's inconvenient
The Browser Wars Need a New Contender
The browser market is dominated by companies with business models built on data collection:
- Chrome: Built by an advertising company
- Edge: Integrated with Windows telemetry
- Safari: Better, but still tied to Apple's ecosystem
- Firefox: Improving, but facing pressure to monetize
We need alternatives. Not just one, but many. Different approaches, different philosophies, all competing to serve users—not advertisers.
Lens Browser is my contribution to that ecosystem.
The Philosophy: Privacy Is a Human Right
I don't believe privacy is a premium feature. It's not something you should have to pay for or have the technical knowledge to configure.
Privacy is a fundamental human right.
You shouldn't have to choose between convenience and privacy. You shouldn't need a computer science degree to protect yourself online. You shouldn't have to trust companies that profit from your data.
Lens Browser is built on the radical idea that your browsing activity is your business and yours alone.
Download Lens Browser
If this resonates with you, I invite you to try Lens Browser.
What you'll get:
- ✅ Zero data collection—guaranteed
- ✅ Built-in ad blocking and anti-tracking
- ✅ Auto-clean history
- ✅ Fast, lightweight performance
- ✅ Free forever, no strings attached
What you won't get:
- ❌ Tracking or analytics
- ❌ Data harvesting
- ❌ Ads or monetization
- ❌ Feature bloat
- ❌ Privacy compromises
Join the Movement
Lens Browser is just the beginning. I'm working on:
- Open-sourcing the code for transparency and community auditing
- Building a community of privacy-conscious users
- Developing educational resources about online privacy
- Collaborating with other privacy-focused projects
Stay Connected
- Website: https://flagodna-developer.github.io/lensbrowser-data/
- Email: flagodna.com@gmail.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/Flagodna-Developer/lensbrowser-data
A Personal Note
Building Lens Browser has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not because of downloads or revenue (there is none), but because of the messages I receive:
"Thank you for building something that actually respects users."
"I finally feel safe browsing on my phone."
"This is what browsers should have been all along."
These messages remind me why I started this project.
If you believe in privacy, if you're tired of being tracked, if you want a browser that serves you instead of advertisers—Lens Browser is for you.
Let's take back our privacy, one browse session at a time.
Final Thoughts
The internet wasn't supposed to be a surveillance network. It was supposed to be a tool for connection, creativity, and freedom.
Somewhere along the way, we lost that vision. Companies realized our attention—and our data—was worth billions. They optimized for engagement, not experience. For extraction, not empowerment.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
Every app we build with privacy as the foundation is an act of resistance. Every user who chooses privacy-respecting tools is a vote for a better internet.
Lens Browser is my vote.
What's yours?
P.S. — If you found this article valuable, please share it. The more people who know privacy-respecting tools exist, the stronger our collective stance against surveillance capitalism becomes.
And if you try Lens Browser, I'd love to hear your feedback. This is a project built for users, by a user. Your input shapes its future.
Browse freely. Browse privately. Browse with Lens.
Top comments (7)
That's an ambitious project for an honorable cause. I wonder if radical privacy will allow you to surf the web as it is today though. Randomizing fingerprintable data might look suspicious to heuristics trying to prevent fraud and bot activity, assessing if users seem human enough to enter a site. Some won't even let you in if you add arbitrary extra text to your browser's user agent string. So I'm curious how this is going to work.
Still, I wish you success, either by establishing another new browser (maybe not) or raising awareness that might lead to a shift both in browser development and in web design: less deceptive patterns, less popus, less targeted advertising.
Thanks a lot for the thoughtful comment — you’re absolutely right that “radical privacy” collides with today’s web heuristics. Many anti-bot systems don’t just look at fingerprint uniqueness, but inconsistencies. That’s why Lens doesn’t try to make you look like a ghost or a random device that changes every page load.
Instead, the approach is:
Device Spoofing, but Stable
Lens uses a consistent, real-world device profile (e.g., Pixel 4 with a realistic UA string). This keeps you from standing out while still hiding your actual hardware details. It’s similar to how some existing privacy browsers operate.
Reduce passive fingerprint surface, not destroy it
I don’t block everything — instead Lens smooths out the extremes:
Normalize values like canvas noise, fonts, WebGL vendor
Keep them stable, not randomized per request
Avoid the mismatches that trigger anti-fraud systems
It’s about looking “normal enough” rather than “unidentifiable.”
Compatibility over purity
You're right: being too strict breaks the modern web. So Lens aims for a balance:
privacy that still lets you actually use the internet, not just open-source docs 😄.
Long-term goal
Even if Lens doesn’t become a mainstream browser, I hope it pushes the conversation forward — fewer dark patterns, fewer trackers, and more privacy-respecting defaults.
Thanks again for raising the point — it’s exactly the kind of nuance that matters when building something like this.
That's a smart approach when the real-world profile matches the actual system good enough (normalized without mismatches). When I used to experiment with a user agent switcher, I found that disguising my PC as a Mac broke copy+paste keyboard shortcuts in Google Docs for example. Normalization sounds pragmatic in the sense of reducing complexity and mapping it to mainstream approximations.
Agreed, you can't even open a banking app on a device that has developer mode on. When 10,000 visitors an hour report standardized information and yours looks like a headless browser or some misconfigured home device, you'll get swatted by Cloudflare in no time.
Thanks for the thoughtful points — you’re absolutely right that modern websites rely on a lot of signals to distinguish real users from automation. And yes, if a browser looks even slightly “headless,” Cloudflare or Google’s bot systems will flag it instantly.
This is exactly why Lens doesn’t try to evade robot checks or break anti-fraud systems — and why I want to set a clear boundary about the browser’s purpose.
Lens is not built to replace your main browser.
It’s not meant for banking, enterprise logins, or heavy authentication.
It’s built for one thing:
👉 Open a site and browse with stronger privacy, without leaking unnecessary fingerprint data.
A “go in, get info, get out” privacy tool — not a full Chrome/Firefox replacement.
From a bot-check perspective, Lens just looks like a regular Android browser.
Lens takes the opposite route:
Stable → Realistic → Low-information, not zero-information.
Updates don’t require identifying your real machine
Lens only needs the profile you chose (e.g., “Pixel 4 Android 13”), not your actual OS, serial, or hardware.
The server sees only what any normal browser would send.
Practical privacy, not perfect anonymity
Real users want privacy as long as the web still works.
So Lens focuses on:
reducing passive tracking
staying compatible with robot checks and login flows
avoiding the “suspicious bot” fingerprint patterns
not breaking the modern web in the process
No dark patterns. No fingerprint overexposure.
Adoption realism
Firefox’s situation shows how hard it is to change the browser market.
Lens isn’t trying to be a top-5 browser — just a small tool pushing toward better privacy defaults.
Thanks again for raising these points — this kind of practical feedback shapes the direction of the project.
I believe receiving updates requires gathering information about your computer or the servers won't know which device you use (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.)
Not to mention many of these things exist today, and could be enabled for 0 cookie retention right now, but then you have to login every single time. This is a PEBKAC problem - the user says they want privacy but almost none of them actually practice it.
Unfortunately, look at Firefox. They exist because Google gives them tens of millions but the platform remains at about 5% adoption, at best.
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