TEST YOUR PRIVACY USING ONLINE TOOLS
Test the privacy of your web browser
Don’t assume that your browser’s own privacy settings – especially the notoriously ine ective ‘Do not track’ option – will prevent websites from identifying and tracking you. Instead, visit the privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation’s free tool Cover
Your Tracks (www.snipca.com/50173), tick the box ‘Test with a real tracking company’ and click Test Your Browser.
Within a few seconds, the site will tell you if your browser is blocking tracking ads, invisible trackers and fingerprinting, and how many bits of identifying info you’re leaking – scroll down to the Detailed Results section to learn what they are. In our tests, only Tor Browser and Brave (with its ‘aggressive’ fingerprinting enabled) o ered complete protection (see screenshot below).
Confirm your ad blocker and VPN are working
Although we recommend ublock Origin (see page 51) as the best way to block ads and trackers, there are lots of good alternatives – just make sure your chosen tool works as promised. Adblock Test (www.snipca. com/50176) tests the e ectiveness of your blocker against ads, tracking scripts, analytics tools, social-media trackers and other intrusive elements and gives it a protection percentage score. Try carrying out its test with your ad blocker enabled and disabled to compare the di erence. In our test, ublock Origin achieved 99-percent protection, blocking 139 out of 140 elements (see screenshot above), but without it Chrome scored only three per cent, blocking just four.
Similarly, you can check that your VPN or other anonymity tool is disguising your IP address by visiting Ipleak.net (https:// ipleak.net). If your real location and ISP are shown in the ‘IP address details’ box, your privacy isn’t being properly protected.
Check if your data has been breached
Mozilla Monitor (www.snipca. com/50168), formerly called Firefox Monitor, checks your email address against the Have I Been Pwned database to determine if it’s been involved in any data breaches. If so, it displays ‘Action needed’ warnings, tells you what info is a ected and lets you click ‘Fix all exposures’ (see screenshot right) to get advice on securing your accounts. Mozilla Monitor works in all browsers and is now integrated with Firefox’s password manager to alert you when your details have been compromised. You need a Mozilla account to use the free tool - a new paid-for Plus plan, which removes your personal info from data-broker sites, is currently limited to the US.