Manifest V3, Google Chrome’s soon-to-be definitive basket of changes to the world of web browser extensions, has been framed by its authors as “a step in the direction of privacy, security, and performance.” But we think these changes are a raw deal for users. We’ve said that since Manifest V3 was...
  • Zerush
    1029·
    3 years ago

    I use Vivaldi as the main browser and this one from the beginning will not include APIs that compromise privacy, such as FLoC. Other Google APIs, which are in Chromium, are optional and can be disabled in the privacy settings. By far the largest number of extensions are in the Chrome Store, although it is not a problem to install extensions from other sources in Vivaldi. Many extensions, such as ad and tracker blocker, are inbuild as own functions, as well as other functions that make it unnecessary to use many extensions.

    Firefox is certainly a valid alternative, with reasonable privacy, despite the fact that, like other browsers in the US, it is financed by surveillance advertising, that is, it sends user data to Alphabet inc, NEST and other Google advertising companies. And just like Chromium, it contains APIs from Google, which the user cannot easily deactivate. Not even Tor is secure against fingerprinting and surveillance.

    The underlying problem is the very bad and even dangerous habit of the big oligopolies, mainly the United States, of putting the privacy of users at risk for commercial reasons and, until now, among many companies that are active against the practices of surveillance advertising. , Vivaldi is the only browser manufacturer, in the list there is no other in this campaign, not even Mozilla, which is very sad and leaves few options to the user, in view of having little to choose between Blink, Gecko and WebKit, apart of some unstable and compatible exotics. To choose, use a browser that lets the tracking used by web pages pass and / or track the user directly. Among those who do not, there are not many and none are from the United States.

    This is reality, although I know that many will not like it.

    • vin047
      421·
      3 years ago

      Firefox … sends user data to Alphabet inc, NEST and other Google advertising companies

      I don’t think this is true. The Mozilla FAQ states that they only use telemetry data for product improvement.

      Also, you’re probably aware of this already, but Vivaldi is not open source.

      • Zerush
        531·
        3 years ago

        Blacklight analyse Mozilla

        Blacklight detected this website sending user data to Alphabet, the technology conglomerate that encompasses Google and associated companies like Nest. The Silicon Valley giant collects data from twice the number of websites as its closest competitor, Facebook. An Alphabet spokesperson told The Markup that internet users can go here if they want to opt out of the company showing them targeted ads based on their browsing history.

        The site sent information to the following domains google-analytics.com, google.com, googletagmanager.com.

        Company description accurate on Sept. 3, 2020 Read Google’s Privacy Policy

        You like or not, Mozilla make money with surveillance advertising, that is, with the user data. You only can oopt out from Alphabet request it in this same company which already has your data, but you are still tracked by Nest and by Google itself, as they say for “product improvement”, Vivaldi ask the community and the user to do this, voting new features, there is nothing tracking you and selling your data., not even googleanaylytics. That is the difference betwen a US soft and a European soft.

        Vivaldi make money with sponsored links and search engines, which include by default, but which the user can delete without problems if he don’t use or wan’t these. Apart with a little merchandising store. You can sync in the own Vivaldi server, encrypted end to end, Vivaldi itself can’t access to your data, not even can restore data and password, if you lost your password.

        In the beginning also Firefox was centered in the needs of the user, but nowaday it makes decisions in own interests, that is the reason because a lot of users leaved this browser and even the Linux communities pass more and more to Vivaldi, there are already two distros that include Vivaldi as the default browser, FerenOS and Manjaro, others will follow, if Firefox does not return to its roots.

              • Zerush
                1·
                1 year ago

                If you read my comments you will see that I have not said that Firefox passes your data to Google (at least not if you rule out Google, which is the default search engine). But if you need to synchronize your data and also if you download to Firefox from Mozilla, this data does go straight to Google. Firefox is a good and private browser, I myself use it as a second one, but not so much if you need to sync your data, then it is necessary to use your own host and not Mozilla if you want to avoid Google, this is the problem. I am not misleading, because I know that this putting all Chromium in the same drawer is deeply false, it is true that Vivaldi uses Chromium (Blink) as its base, but it is largely de-googled, leaving the rest of the Google APIs as an option for the user in the security and privacy settings. If I disable everything, I can’t even download extensions from the Chrome Store, since it’s not recognized as Chromium Browser, so it’s the only API I have active. It is not a simple Chromium fork with a logo, like others, no data is sent to Google apart from queries about Chromium updates that goes through Vivaldi, where the devs gut it and then make it available in the Vivaldi update itself, neither by the browser nor by the Vivaldi sync server in Iceland, encrypted data where not even the Vivaldi team itself has access (if you lose your password, you lose your data , no recovery possible), no ads and no tracking, surveillance advertising, , like US Browser companies do, isn’t the business model of Vivaldi

                Vivaldi is owned by its employees. And we plan to keep it that way. Having no external investors gives us the freedom to listen to our users and, together with them, build the browser they deserve. Every idea counts and is taken seriously.

        • joojmachineOP
          3·
          3 years ago

          there are already two distros that include Vivaldi as the default browser, FerenOS and Manjaro

          small reminder that only one of the many community editions of Manjaro has done so, no need to be disingenuous

          • Zerush
            23·
            3 years ago

            More will follow, especially if Mozilla continues to develop Firefox against the interests of users, much of the majority distros already include Vivaldi as an alternative in the repositories. You look at it as like, Vivaldi is the best alternative to Firefox, in view of the others on the network.

            Brave? well, is a good browser, but for it’s incoming it has a reward system, that is, it stops blocking trackers of its sponsors, including Facebook.

            Opera? the worst of all, Chinese companies and privacy is a oximoron.

            Some fork of Firefox? alll the conect to Mozilla, apart most are outdated or not very stable.

            Cent Browser? very customizable, but somthing disatended and outdated

            UR? The french browser may be a good privacy oriented browser, better than Brave, but it’s something outdated and closed source as Chrome itself

            Some minority browsers with other engine than Blink, Gecko or WebKit’ I use Otter and Pale Moon, but only for test reasons, because they lacks of some incompatibilities.

            KDE tried it with browsers with WebKit and Qt engines, like Falcon or QupZilla, but without a big result.

            Min Browser, very fast and lightweight, maybe good for old PC with few resources, but lacks of any settings posibilities, it’s a window with search engine (DDG) and little more.

            There are also some other browsers for enterprise use, with own engines, but paid and closed source.

            Maybe Beaker Browser can be used as second (experimental P2P browser), with interestings features, but very special, good for webmasters.

            Some text based browsers, like Lynx? Maybe only usefull for some tasks

            A lot of others discontinued, like the Tri-engine Avant and more than 70 others.

            All of these i’ve tested, also Firefox, and I know why I say that Vivaldi currently is the only alternative.

      • Zerush
        22·
        3 years ago

        1 https://vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi-gets-more-private-delivers-an-all-new-capture-pwa-support/

        2 Because of Mv3, already incorporated in v.3 an ad-y trackerblocker of its own, expandable with filters from uBO, AB+ and others

        It also skips other possible limitations in extensions with its own functions.

        3 Blink is the only thing related to Chrome, Vivaldi is very different to all other Chromium browser.

        4 Yes, 5% is proprietary code, but only related to the UI and full auditable, in the same community they even show how the user can modify it for his likes and needs (at own risk). Vivaldi hides nothing.

        Performance currently v.5 is good, better as the other browser I have Otter and Palemoon, even faster than Edge. Security is relative in every browser, Chrome and Edge are not private, but secure, Firefox and Vivaldi are a lot more privat and secure, all they protect against fishing, fraudulent webs and all of them use a sandbox system currently.

        I’ve tested nearly all browsers and Vivaldi is the best and most advanced of all I’ve used, at least for the moment. I don’t know what Google do in the future in the store, but novaday most extensions in the store in Vivaldi are redundant and not really needed. But yes, it’s almost a full online suite and not for someone who needs only a browser to consult the mail or to post in a social network.

        It is made also for this, including a mail client and feed reader, but it also have a notepad with Markdownm which works also as multiclipboardfrom the context menu, inbuild translater not from Google, multilevel tab-stacking, splitscreen, ideal for study and video conferences, clock and pomodore timer, screenshot, web-panel to ad websites in mobile view, History panel with calendar, graphics and stadistics, mouse gesture, fast-keys and key chains, Calendendar, QR code, …etc. Apart an UI fully customizable, even with a panel for insert CSS files, you can put the icons, tabs, adress - and .other bars everywher you want, or hide them.

        There is no other who can do this.

          • Zerush
            2·
            3 years ago

            Yes, it’s a harsh world, since large companies distorted the meaning of OSS, infiltrating this world with their own OSS. There is no longer this trust, when OSS includes APIs and scripts from Google, Facebook, M$, Amazon and dozens more, all using OSS for this. Now they even talk about hoarding with Web 3 decentralized nodes. Facebook has already been present in the .onion for years. It is the war where one can no longer trust his own shadow, the result of a savage capitalism that uses the most abject tricks so that the user is left as a commodity.