DEV Community

Cover image for Which Browser Is Actually Safe for Privacy? (Test Results)
WhoerIP.com
WhoerIP.com

Posted on

Which Browser Is Actually Safe for Privacy? (Test Results)

#whoerip #browser #security #programming

🛡️ Not all browsers are created equal — especially when it comes to online privacy.

Most users think a VPN is enough. It’s not.

Browsers can leak your real IP, device fingerprint, and other metadata — even with a VPN enabled.

🧪 What We Tested

At WhoerIP.com, we ran controlled browser tests to check for:

  • WebRTC leaks (IP exposure)
  • Canvas fingerprinting
  • Tracker blocking
  • Default privacy configuration

🌐 Browsers in the Test

We tested the following browsers on Ubuntu 22.04 and Windows 11 behind a VPN (WireGuard):

  • Google Chrome (stable)
  • Mozilla Firefox (default + hardened)
  • Brave (out of the box)
  • LibreWolf (a hardened Firefox fork)
  • Tor Browser

📊 Test Results

Browser WebRTC Leak Fingerprint Score Tracker Blocking Verdict
Tor ❌ No 🔒 Very Low ✅ Yes 🔥 Best privacy
Brave ❌ No 🔒 Low ✅ Yes 👍 Recommended
Firefox ⚠️ Maybe* ⚠️ Medium ⚠️ Partial 🛠 Needs tuning
LibreWolf ❌ No 🔒 Very Low ✅ Yes 💪 Excellent
Chrome ✅ Yes 😱 High ❌ None 🚨 Avoid for privacy

* Firefox needs manual configuration to block WebRTC and fingerprinting.

🛠️ How to Harden Firefox

If you prefer Firefox, here are two must-change settings:

1. Disable WebRTC

Open about:config and set:

media.peerconnection.enabled = false
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

2. Enable Anti-Fingerprinting 

privacy.resistFingerprinting = true
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Or just use LibreWolf — it’s Firefox with better defaults.

🔍 Test Your Own Browser

Want to check what your browser reveals?

👉 Run a full privacy test at WhoerIP.com

It will detect:

  • Real vs VPN IP address
  • DNS leaks
  • WebRTC exposure
  • Canvas, fonts, language fingerprinting

No installs, no registration, works in any browser.

💬 Conclusion

There is no single perfect browser, but some are far better than others:

  • 🥇 Tor for maximum anonymity
  • 🥈 LibreWolf and Brave for everyday privacy
  • ❌ Chrome if you value your data — just don’t

🧪 Want the most detailed comparison of secure browsers?

We’ve just published our full research here:

👉 https://whoerip.com/blog/what-is-the-most-secure-browser/

It goes far beyond "use Brave or Tor" advice.

In this article, we break down real privacy and security features by category:

🔐 1. Data Isolation & Anti-Tracking

  • Blocking third-party cookies and trackers
  • Partitioning or isolating storage (cookies, localStorage, cache, IndexedDB)
  • Blocking ad and analytics scripts

🔒 2. Secure Connections

  • Enforcing HTTPS connections
  • Warning about insecure (HTTP) sites
  • Preventing IP address leaks

🕵️ 3. Fingerprinting Protection

  • Hiding unique device/browser parameters
  • Restricting access to system fonts, screen size, and other identifying APIs

🧹 4. Data Cleanup

  • Automatically deleting history, cookies, and site data after each session
  • Private/incognito browsing modes

✂️ 5. Stripping Tracking Parameters

  • Removing tracking tags like gclid, fbclid, utm_*, and others from URLs

✅ Bottom line

A secure browser should:

  • Block trackers
  • Isolate site data
  • Enforce HTTPS
  • Resist fingerprinting
  • Clean up your traces automatically

👉 Read the full breakdown, test results, and our top browser picks:

https://whoerip.com/blog/what-is-the-most-secure-browser/

Top comments (0)