I needed to add an extra browser

mr. ed wrote:

Irover wrote:
I like Opera with VPN and browser with Duck-Duck-Go search engine. had this for about four years now! :)

Opera seems nice, but I have concerns over Chinese involvement (possibly unfounded). I do use Duck Duck Go as a search engine on both browsers I use. I'm now using Brave and Edge (mainly Brave, as I've used it in the past and feel it's quite secure and has generally good reviews). I use a separate VPN, Proton VPN, based in Switzerland.

I get a chuckle out of the lengths folks goes to..

You ARE on the Internet, NOTHING, REPEAT NOTHING IS SECURE LET ALONE "PRIVATE".

Edge is as secure and private as "swiss cheese", it is a Chromium based browser and leaks information back to MS and who knows where else.. You may as well count out the "middleman" and use Chrome strait up, most likely will work better than MS hacked up version and I don't like how slow Chrome is..

VPNs are no more "secure" than running barebones browser, yes you might have encryption between your PC and the other end where the third party server is, but once it leaves that third party server, your information is no longer "secure" by any means.. All you are doing is adding a third party to the mix and shoveling information along many more server paths..

Not to mention, now you are fully trusting a THIRD PARTY with your supposed sensitive information, they can store and archive every single event/data with your connection.. Who's to say that that third party is not digging and mining through your information that was sent on that supposed safe VPN connection?

To make a VPN truly work, the termination point MUST be at the same point as the website you are contacting, you VPN service does not do that..

For instance, you connect to your bank website in the US, Your data encrypted and is routed via the VPN out of US to other servers around the world to Switzerland.. Now the VPN server in Switzerland decodes your data and now must push your now UNSECURE OPEN decoded data through servers from outside US to your bank in the US.. Now, tell me just how does that make your "data" safe?

A real secure VPN service with your bank would mean the BANK has a DEDICATED INTERNAL VPN connection for you to connect with. Only your PC and the banks own VPN server has the keys to decode the data exchange.

You are putting a lot of trust into a faceless third party in another country with different rules, you have considerably more faith than I do..

You are wasting your time and money on a VPN.

Firefox is most likely one of the better browsers although with the newer versions it is using Chromium under the hood but it does work well and you do have a lot of very good addons which helps with security, privacy and unwanted intrusive ads.

But to believe anything with computer data being sent on the open wobbly web is "secure" is folly.. If it can be encrypted, someone will figure out a way to decrypt it..