tl:dr: The PRIVA SCORE of browsers can reach a maximum of 270 points. Brave, Mozilla Firefox, the TOR browser and Duck Duck Go (for Android) have the highest level of data protection. Google Chrome comes in last, while Opera and Apple Safari only perform moderately well. The Tor Browser can be inconvenient for "normal" users, therefore Brave, Mozilla Firefox, and
Duck Duck Go is recommended.
The PRIVA SCORE can receive a maximum of 270 points due to the calculation used to evaluate browsers.
As always, the PRIVA SCORE evaluates how well apps/services Data protection features fulfill.
When evaluating browsers Brave, Mozilla Firefox, the TOR browser and Duck Duck Go (for Android) perform best. They have the highest level of data protection (270 and 255 points respectively) of the browsers compared here. They are set up to be data protection friendly from the outset, offer good additional data protection tools, are open source, offer convenient cookie management and effective ad blocking.
While Brave and the TOR browser offer the possibility to surf privately via a VPN service or the TOR network, Duck Duck Go and Mozilla Firefox perform slightly worse.
However, it must be mentioned that the TOR Browser due to its sometimes complex settings options, it can be inconvenient for the average user. Therefore, Brave, Mozilla Firefox and Duck Duck Go the means of choice.
Google Chrome (85 points) is at the bottom of the rankings, as it is not data protection friendly from the outset and also performs poorly in the areas of data protection tools and ad blocking/tracking protection. Its other Data protection features perform mediocrely.
Microsoft Edge performs only slightly better (97 points), but there is the option to set the ad blocking or tracking protection to three strength levels.
Opera and Apple Safari score only moderately (180 and 119 points respectively) and are therefore not recommended. Opera Like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, it is based on the open source Chromium, but like Chrome and Edge, it adds extensive proprietary components. Apple Safari is not open source, but performs better than Opera because his remaining Data protection features can still be rated as mediocre.
Explanation of data protection features
“Privacy by default” Privacy by default means that the browser is pre-configured to best protect user privacy and data protection without requiring any additional settings. A browser that supports "Privacy by default" offers a range of privacy features and security measures that are enabled by default. When privacy is implemented as the default approach, users are better protected from third-party data collection without any extra effort.
This feature is particularly important and therefore listed first. Many users may not know how to optimally configure their privacy settings or lack the technical know-how to understand what the features mean and their implications. Therefore, "Privacy by default" significantly simplifies the protection of privacy and data privacy. These features include, for example, integrated tracking protection, automatic blocking of unwanted advertisements, use of encrypted connections (HTTPS), strict cookie policies, and a private browsing mode. Some of these features are evaluated separately because there are qualitative differences between browsers.
Data protection tools evaluates the extent to which a browser offers, for example, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or a proxy service to conceal online identity and protect data.
Open source or auditing: For this feature, a browser whose code is openly accessible or has been audited is the better browser because it can be independently verified how well the browser protects users' data.
Cookie Management: Allows you to manage, selectively block or delete cookies to better control your browsing activity and minimize unwanted tracking. Duck Duck Go, for example, offers a handy one-click option on Android that deletes all cookies.
Ad blocker / tracking protection: Blocks unwanted ads and pop-ups that can compromise privacy and slow down browsing. Often it is not easy to distinguish between tracking of online activities by third parties such as advertising networks and analytics companies, which is why these features have been grouped together.
Private browsing: Offers a private browsing mode that does not save history, does not keep cookies, and does not leave any information about your session on the device.
All tested browsers have the following functions, which is why they are not included separately in the calculation.
Encrypted connections: Ensures secure communication by supporting HTTPS and displaying security certificates for visited websites.
Automatic updates: Ensures that the browser is regularly updated to close security holes and introduce new privacy features.
Anti-phishing protection: Detects and blocks fraudulent websites that attempt to steal personal information such as passwords or credit card details.