Move 3C of 4 · about 9 minutes
STEP 3C — LOCK DOWN PRIVACY AND SECURITY
This is the move that protects everything else. Work through it with your browser open beside you and change each setting as you read.
Update Automatically, Restart Promptly
Start with the single most effective habit. Browser makers patch security holes constantly, and attackers move fast once a flaw is public.
Open your browser's About page now. It will check for updates and show a Relaunch or Restart button if one is waiting. Click it.
From today, when you see that button, restart within the day. Leaving a browser open for weeks means running old code with known weaknesses.
Understand How Tracking Works
Next, learn what you're defending against. Most tracking relies on two techniques.
Third-party cookies
Small files set by companies other than the site you're visiting, often ad networks, letting them recognise you across many sites.
Fingerprinting
Combining details such as screen size, fonts and hardware to create an identifier that works even without cookies.
Browsers respond differently. Safari uses Intelligent Tracking Prevention. Firefox isolates cookies per site with Total Cookie Protection. Brave blocks many trackers by default. Chrome has kept third-party cookies, after Google stepped back from its earlier plan to phase them out, and offers controls in its settings instead.
Tune Five Settings Today
Open Settings, then Privacy and Security. Make these five changes, one at a time.
Block third-party cookies
Most sites still work; the few that break can be allowed individually.
Turn on HTTPS-only or "always use secure connections"
You'll be warned before any unencrypted page loads.
Enable secure DNS (DNS over HTTPS)
Stops your address lookups from travelling in plain text.
Review site permissions
Set camera, microphone, location and notifications to "ask first". Remove sites you don't recognise.
Keep safe browsing on
Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warn you about known malicious sites.
Choose Extensions Like a Bouncer
Extensions can read the pages you visit, so treat each one as someone you hand your keys to. Install only from the official store, check the publisher and recent reviews, and read the permissions request.
A reputable content blocker is the best privacy upgrade for most people. uBlock Origin is the well-known open-source choice on Firefox. On Chrome, Google's move to the Manifest V3 extension system led its developer to release uBlock Origin Lite instead.
Then do a quick audit. Open your extensions page and remove anything you haven't used in a month. Fewer extensions means a smaller attack surface and a faster browser.
Secure Your Logins and Check the Result
Use a password manager, either your browser's built-in one or a dedicated app, and let it generate a unique password for every site. Where sites offer passkeys, try them; they resist phishing because there is no password to steal.
Then test your setup. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's free tool Cover Your Tracks (coveryourtracks.eff.org) shows how well your browser resists tracking and fingerprinting. Run it now and note the result.
Celebrate briefly. You've just done more for your online safety than most people ever do.
Your Next Move
Safe and private. Now make it fast and pleasant to use.
Go to Step 3D