Microsoft has turned Edge into the natural substitute for the mythical Internet Explorer to once again make it the most used browser and dethrone Google Chrome. This browser is also based on Chromium and has many improvements that have made it one of the most popular options today. Despite being a secure browser, there are many alternatives on the Internet to harm us because some extra guarantees never hurt.
Although Edge is a good browser based on Chromium, the truth is that it is not exempt from weaknesses when it comes to protecting privacy and security when browsing the Internet. Thanks to its extension store we will be able to install different add-ons that will help us with this task.
Adjust Edge privacy and security
If we’re concerned about our privacy when we’re online, Edge has its own dashboard from which we can manage websites’ use of trackers to collect information about our usage. This information is used to improve the content of these sites with personalized advertisements. However, some trackers collect and send information to sites that we have not visited. For this, Edge has its tracking prevention section.
To access these settings, click on the icon with three points in the upper right and click on the Settings section. In the new window, in the section on the left, click on Privacy, searches and services .
The Microsoft browser has protection against tracking that prevents them from collecting information from us, to activate it, in the panel we must select Balanced. We can also choose Strict, but this can interfere with some web pages.
Within the Privacy section, we can activate Send “Do Not Track” requests , which is nothing more than a signal that the browser sends to other websites when we browse the network so that they do not track us.
We can also manage the security of Edge from its corresponding section from where we can activate or deactivate Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, Block potentially unwanted applications, Typosquatting checker, Activate site security services to obtain more information about the sites we visit and Use secure DNS to specify how to look up the network address of websites.
Privacy plugins
When we browse the Internet we can find different elements that affect our privacy. Beyond the internal configuration of Edge, we can make use of these plugins.
DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, search engine based on privacy
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine with an Edge plugin that is equally focused on protecting our privacy online. In this way, it tries to keep our data safe from anyone who wants to see it, in different ways. For one thing, it automatically blocks any hidden third-party trackers that we might encounter when we visit any site on the Internet. This makes it more difficult for the companies behind those trackers to collect and consequently sell our data.
It also has an integrated search bar for the DuckDuckGo search engine, so that we can navigate quickly and easily in a safe way. The plugin also rates any page we visit so we can know how safe we are browsing. These grades are rated on an AF scale, so they are intuitive to understand and allow you to get a better idea of what websites are and are not safe to browse. Plus, it enables Global Privacy Control so you can automatically express legal opt-out rights, as well as more features like mandatory encryption wherever we browse. We can download it from the Microsoft store .
uBlock Origin, filters content and prevents invasion of privacy
It is a free and open source extension for content filtering, mainly aimed at neutralizing the invasion of privacy through an efficient and easy-to-use method. uBlock Origin’s default behavior when installed is to block malware sites and trackers , and is designed to work with custom rules and filters. Additionally, it has an advanced mode that allows uBlock Origin to work in default deny mode, which will cause all third-party network requests to be blocked by default, unless we allow it.
Once we install this extension we can easily deselect any of the pre-selected filter lists if you think uBlock Origin is blocking too much so that we can have it set to the desired privacy level. We can download this plugin for free .
Privacy Badger, blocks third-party trackers
This plugin is basically a tracker blocker. With its installation in the browser, it prevents advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking where we go and what pages we view on the web. If an advertiser appears to be tracking us across multiple websites without our permission, Privacy Badger will automatically block that advertiser from loading any more content in our browser. This extension offers excellent privacy features without breaking too many features of the website.
Privacy Badger takes care of taking note of the “third party” domains that are responsible for embedding images, scripts and advertising on the pages we visit. If the extension notices that a single third-party host is tracking you on three separate sites, it will automatically reject the content of that third-party tracker. Privacy Badger has three slider colors, red, yellow and green. Red means that the content of this third-party domain has been completely rejected. Yellow means the third party domain appears to be trying to track you. Green means “no action” and the plugin will leave the domain alone. Download this plugin from the Edge plugins page .
Extensions to keep the edge secure
When we browse the internet we can find many things that seek to harm us, so it never hurts to feel especially protected. Therefore, these extensions will help us maintain security when using Edge.
Norton Safe Web, tells us if a website is safe or not
This add-on has been developed by the creators of Norton Security Suite, whose goal is to make the Internet a safer place while we browse. To do this, it informs us if the website we are visiting is safe or not. This extension provides security information for every page we load by querying Norton’s Remote URL Reputation Service, which is regularly updated with the latest threat information. Norton Safe Web takes care of automatically blocking malicious pages and downloads so that we can enjoy a safe online experience.
For unknown websites, the plugin will show a grayed out question mark and for safe websites, it will show a green tick. For less secure websites, it will change to warn us of a potential danger. This allows us to exponentially avoid dangerous sites, online scams and identity theft while browsing. And, best of all, it’s simple and discreet, so we won’t notice it. Download it from the Microsoft website .
HTTPS Everywhere, forces sites to change the HTTP format
It is an extension created by EFF and the Tor Project that is responsible for forcing all websites to change the potentially insecure HTTP format to the more secure HTTPS format. It is therefore an ideal complement if we are looking for something that really changes the information that our browser sends and receives. Therefore, HTTPS Everywhere is an excellent way to keep our data safe , being an excellent function while we browse and that we can use constantly.
While the settings we have available for this plugin are relatively limited, they are not particularly complicated. The best thing is that simply by installing it we will forget that it is there while it protects us from possible threats. Download this extension from the Edge plugins page .
LastPass, manage passwords securely
This plugin is a free password manager that will allow us to store them securely without having to remember them by heart or write them down on paper or in Notepad. Keep in mind that weak passwords can cause them to end up being hacked and that’s where this extension comes into play, as it allows us to create passwords and store them securely and difficult to hack as they are unique to each website.
We will only need a master password to access our account. We can also store passports, cards and other numbers that we do not want to remember and that are difficult for hackers to access. And all this for free. Download LastPass for Edge from the Microsoft website.
