Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
How safe is your browser? You’re probably using Chrome, right? Or maybe you’ve migrated to Opera, Firefox, Edge, Brave, or some other browser that you believe has your back. It probably doesn’t. At least not as well as you might think.
That’s why the EFF created Cover Your Tracks.
Also: I found the most private and secure way to browse the web – and it isn’t incognito mode
This site tests your browser to see how trackers view your browser. It’s a brilliant tool that gives you enough insight into the browser you use that you might want to think about switching or adding some plugins to strengthen the default offerings.
How does Cover Your Tracks work?
The site is simple to use:
- Open your browser.
- Point your browser to coveryourtracks.eff.org.
- Click Test Your Browser.
- Wait for the results.
As the site runs, it loads fake trackers. If your browser blocks a tracker, it passes that test and moves on to the next. The tests are:
- A fake ad.
- A tracker.
- A domain that respects the EFF’s Do Not Track policy.
It only collects anonymous data, so you don’t have to worry, and the EFF can be fully trusted.
Also: I’ve tried nearly every browser out there, and these are my top 6 (none are Chrome)
The results give you basic and detailed information, but the important thing is that it’s going to say something like: “Our tests indicate that you have some protection against Web tracking, but it has some gaps.” Or maybe: “Our tests indicate that you have strong protection against Web tracking.”
My results with Cover Your Tracks
I’m not gonna lie, the results caused me to switch browsers.
Here’s the deal: My default has been Zen Browser for some time. I love the UI and the ability to really customize it. However, Zen Browser fell under the “some protection” category. On the other hand, Opera fell under the “strong protection” category.
Needless to say, I went back to Opera.
Surprise, surprise
For me, the big surprise was Chrome. For the longest time, I’ve railed on Chrome for being one of the most insecure browsers available. Guess what? Cover Your Tracks flagged Chrome as having “strong protection” against trackers.
Also: 5 Firefox-based, privacy-first web browsers that improve on the original
That, of course, doesn’t mean Chrome is 100% safe to use, but if blocking trackers is your primary need, Chrome passed the test with flying colors.
How other browsers fared
Here’s the list of browsers I have installed:
- Tor – strong protection
- FireDragon – some protection
- Firefox – some protection
- Edge – no protection
- Brave – strong protection
- Yandex Browser – some protection
- Safari – strong protection
- Arc Browser – no protection
- Floorp – some protection
- LibreWolf – strong protection
The results are a mixed bag. You’d think that all Chrome-based browsers would have strong protection, but not Arc. You would also think that all Firefox-based browsers would have some protection, but LibreWolf proves that wrong.
Cover Your Tracks is a must-use
The important thing is that you should definitely use Cover Your Tracks to test your default browser. If that browser doesn’t come up listed as strong protection, either add plugins like uBlock Origin or switch to a browser that does meet the strong protection test.
Also: 5 great Chrome browser alternatives that put your privacy first
This is a site you should consider a must-use. Do not allow yourself to go unprotected from trackers, because your data is more valuable to you when it’s protected from those who would use it against you.
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