- Mullvad VPN and Tor launch a browser
- This adopts the privacy features of the Tor browser, but uses a VPN instead of the Tor network
- It is a sort of intermediate browser (between the Tor browser and a classic browser) which notably provides default protection against fingerprinting
Generally, when a browser wants to compete with Google Chrome, it promotes better privacy protection. And precisely, if you are looking for an alternative, you can now turn to the new browser offered by Tor (the organization behind the anonymous Tor browser) and Mullvad VPN. It is a browser designed to minimize the tracking of your online activities, which is halfway between the Tor browser and a traditional browser.
It’s like using the Tor browser, but without the Tor network. In a way, it’s an intermediate browser that includes the privacy features of the Tor browser, but bypasses the anonymous Tor network. Instead, this new browser, called Mole Browser, is designed to protect your IP address through a VPN. It is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Mullvad Browser: Privacy friendly browser launched (based on Firefox ESR / Tor, privacy first, no data collecting, uBlock Origin included)@mole #browser #privacy pic.twitter.com/ngJrRRN6YU
— ghacksnews (@ghacks) April 3, 2023
If the Tor browser offers maximum protection against mass surveillance, and a way to circumvent online censorship, Mullvad Browser is an intermediate solution that mainly attacks tracking via third-party cookies and fingerpriting.
Cookies, fingerprinting
Blocking third-party cookies is relatively easy, and it’s already offered by default on many modern browsers (but not Chrome). On the other hand, for fingerprinting, it is more complicated. This practice consists of tracking Internet users using the fingerprint of their browsers. A fingerprint that is created by exploiting the various parameters such as the operating system, the font, the installed extensions, etc. By the way, in an FAQ, Mullvad VPN admits that using a VPN is not enough to protect your privacy.
“Big tech companies, law enforcement and data brokers can use your IP address, cookies, scripts and browser fingerprints to identify and track you online”says the company.
And this is the reason why it now offers to use its VPN (or another trusted VPN) with a browser capable of covering its tracks, but not as sophisticated and as slow as Tor Browser (which is still recommended for whistleblowers, for example).
According to the Tor Project, to prevent tracking via fingerprinting, Mullvad Browser applies a technique that gives the same digital fingerprint to all users. And the advantage of this browser is that this solution is provided by default. The user therefore does not need to install a plug-in, or configure anything.
But although Mullvad Browser does not use the Tor network, which is more convenient for the general public, it still has some disadvantages. Privacy has a price. Features are missing, precisely to reduce the possibility of using them to generate fingerprints. In addition, you will have to regularly reconnect to online services, due to the deletion of cookies.
