All posts tagged: browsing

Firefox for Android just got 3 useful browsing features – including an ad block tracker

Firefox for Android just got 3 useful browsing features – including an ad block tracker

Published by skeptic

Lance Whitney/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways The latest version of Firefox for Android now supports tab groups. The settings screen is simpler, and you can see any blocked trackers. Other features on the way include a VPN and a power-saving mode. Do you use Firefox on your Android device? If so, you’ll want to grab the latest update for some cool and helpful new features. In a Tuesday blog post, the folks at Mozilla unveiled three new and improved features for the Android version of their browser and revealed what’s in store for future editions. Tab groups First on the list is tab groups. Accessible in the desktop flavor of Firefox for the past year, tab groups are now rolling out to the mobile edition via version 152. With this feature, you can organize your related tabbed pages into specific groups to help cut down on the clutter. After assigning a name and color to your group, just close it to save space and reopen it when you …

Your VPN might be leaking your entire browsing history right now

Your VPN might be leaking your entire browsing history right now

Published by skeptic

VPNs are marketed as a one-click privacy solution, which is probably why most people never think about double-checking after setting them up. As long as it says “Connected,” most of us just assume our browsing activity is completely hidden and secure. But that’s not always true. There are several things that can still affect your privacy, and one of them is DNS leaks. It’s something that can expose your entire browsing activity to your ISP, network admin, or someone monitoring your network, even while your VPN appears to be working normally. The good thing is that it’s quite easy to detect and prevent DNS leaks and protect your privacy. Related 4 easy ways to instantly change your IP address Your IP address isn’t permanent. DNS leaks defeat the purpose of using a VPN Your VPN may not be as private as you think Amir Bohlooli / MUO Most people think turning on a VPN is like pulling down a privacy curtain. Your IP changes, your traffic gets encrypted, and suddenly you’re invisible online. That’s what …

I changed one hidden Google Chrome setting and web browsing became instant

I changed one hidden Google Chrome setting and web browsing became instant

Published by skeptic

Websites are not what they used to be. There’s a lot more scripting now, and with full-on web apps running directly inside the browser, the web is a very different place from what it was 20 years ago. Duh. But all of this comes at a cost: speed. Web pages are heavier, and our network speeds, browsers, and servers all have to work harder to make browsing feel as instant as it was always supposed to feel. There’s a lot of work going into that, though I admit most of it seems to be in the “make loading faster” camp rather than the “maybe stop making websites weigh as much as an operating system” camp. Caching, CDNs, compression, lazy loading, smarter JavaScript delivery, and now… prerendering. Related Google’s 8.8.8.8 wasn’t even in the top two in this DNS test The only way to find the fastest DNS is to test it yourself. The Chrome flag that loads websites before you click It can make web browsing feel instant Image by Amir Bohlooli. NAN. So. There’s …

Your ISP has been watching your browsing this whole time — here’s the Windows 11 fix

Your ISP has been watching your browsing this whole time — here’s the Windows 11 fix

Published by skeptic

I’ve always considered myself reasonably privacy-conscious. I use a password manager, I’ve got two-factor authentication set up on everything that matters, and I gave up on using my ISP’s default DNS servers years ago. But it wasn’t until a few months ago, while digging around in Windows 11’s network settings for an entirely different reason, that I stumbled onto something that made me feel like I’d been leaving a window cracked open the entire time. There’s a native encryption setting buried in Windows 11 that seals one of the most overlooked privacy gaps on any internet-connected PC, called DNS over HTTPS. It takes a few minutes to turn on, it’s completely free, and, given how rarely anyone talks about it, most people have no idea it exists. Your router has been narrating your browsing habits this whole time Consider it your ISP’s favorite reading material Pankil Shah / MakeUseOfCredit: Pankil Shah / MakeUseOf Before getting into the fix, it helps that you understand what’s actually happening every time you visit a website. You type in an …

Google Claims Android Is Now Faster Than iPhone for Web Browsing

Google Claims Android Is Now Faster Than iPhone for Web Browsing

Published by skeptic

Google today said that Android has set a new record for mobile web performance, making it the fastest mobile platform for web browsing. The newest Android devices have set new records on web performance benchmarks like Speedometer and LoadLine, which Google attributes to “deep vertical integration across hardware, the Android OS, and the Chrome engine.” Speedometer simulates real-world user actions to measure interaction latency when using a web browser, and it’s a metric that major browser engine developers use to determine responsiveness. According to Google, a high Speedometer score correlates to a “more fluid, snappy feeling when you tap, scroll, or type on a website.” In charts published by Google, three unnamed Android devices earned higher Speedometer 3.1 scores than an unnamed “competing mobile phone platform,” which is likely iOS. LoadLine is an emerging benchmark test developed by the Chrome and Android teams that simulates the complete process of loading a website to determine how fast a webpage appears after a link is clicked. Android phones score up to 47 percent higher on the LoadLine …

Windows 11 HDR looks bad for browsing and gaming, so I fixed it with these tweaks

Windows 11 HDR looks bad for browsing and gaming, so I fixed it with these tweaks

Published by skeptic

High Dynamic Range: the pinnacle of pristine display formatting. Unless you’re using a PC, of course. Whether you’re on a low-end Windows laptop or own an RTX 5090-powered desktop, HDR continues to disappoint on Microsoft devices. I’ve been using Windows 11 since day one. In all that time, I’ve never been sure whether HDR was supposed to make things look better or not. That’s because questions surrounding how Microsoft handles HDR content have always remained in my mind. The wide-gamut color mapping of true HDR content is incredibly hit-or-miss on my rig. While the best Steam games can look spectacular if the format is working properly, when you’re navigating your desktop or browser of choice, Windows can have a massive problem with trying to make SDR images look half-decent on an HDR screen. Windows HDR is subpar, so here’s how to make it better Make your OS more dynamic with this one app Credit: Dave Meikleham \ MakeUseOf Thankfully, there are ways to make Microsoft’s latest OS play ball when it comes to displaying HDR images. …

4 reasons why you should not be browsing the internet without the Disconnect app

4 reasons why you should not be browsing the internet without the Disconnect app

Published by Sam Flores

In a time when cyber-attackers are becoming more sophisticated every day and net neutrality regulations are constantly under fire, it’s a good idea to invest in some web-surfing safeguards. And when it comes to Internet security, Disconnect is second to none. Read on to discover why The New York Times, LifeHacker, PCMag, TechCrunch, and Ars Technica have all featured this all-in-one app. 1. It improves browser speed Under normal circumstances, your everyday web browsing is subject to infiltration by various trackers and malware, which can drastically slow down your devices. Disconnect blocks tracking requests from connecting to your devices, which increases website loading speed and decreases battery drain. 2. It secures your dataWhile some web tracking exists merely to serve you more specifically targeted ads, there are more nefarious forms of tracking that aim to harvest your private data without your consent. Disconnect hides this data from companies, government agencies, and cybercriminals, allowing you to browse in peace. 3. It cloaks your identityWherever you roam on the web, you leave behind a trail that your …