Privacy 3 min read
Browser privacy: a practical evening check-up
There is no single switch that makes everything private. Your browser, the websites you visit and the online services you enable receive different data. Checking those layers separately is more useful than turning on one mode and assuming the job is done.
Separate the browser from the websites
A browser can send no usage statistics while a website open inside it still runs analytics. Both can be true. Signing in, filling out a form or placing an order shares information with that website regardless of the browser’s telemetry settings.
Sverk does not sign the browser into a Google account or send usage statistics. Individual features can still contact external services. Security files and some connection-error checks also need the network. The privacy policy lists these separately, so you can judge a particular action rather than rely on a broad slogan.
Start with website permissions
- Open site settings and review notification permissions. Remove those you no longer need.
- Check camera, microphone and location access. Keep access only for familiar sites that need it for your task.
- Review stored data for unfamiliar sites. Remember that deleting site data can sign you out.
Denying a permission does not necessarily stop the site’s main purpose. A news page usually does not need notifications to show an article. A call may need your microphone. Decide based on what you are about to do.
Review extensions and online features
An extension with access to pages may see much more than its small toolbar button suggests. Open the extensions list, remove what you do not use and read the permissions of what remains. A familiar name is not a substitute for checking the publisher and installation source.
Look at AI and translation separately. In Sverk for Windows, the AI panel opens Google’s service directly, while page translation sends text to Yandex Translate. Avoid sharing confidential documents or someone else’s personal information without appropriate permission. Incognito does not turn these services into local processing.
Make the check repeatable
Repeat this short review after installing an extension or enabling a new service. Separate profiles or protected spaces help keep work and personal sign-ins apart, reducing the chance of opening a document with the wrong account.
The goal is to understand who gets data from a specific action. A blocker reduces some unwanted requests, Incognito limits local traces and separate profiles help keep sign-ins apart. Each solves a different part of the problem.