5 ms·
This is not the way. If we relegate privacy to fringe browsers like this, we'll lose in the long run. It's not possible to have 0.05% percent of the market, a
by preommr 6y ago
This is not the way.
If we relegate privacy to fringe browsers like this, we'll lose in the long run.
It's not possible to have 0.05% percent of the market, and try and compete with goliaths like Google. So it creates a feedback loop of a browser that people don't really use because it lacks features/popularity. Or/and these companies are also forced to do things like Brave and their in-browser ads.
Meanwhile there'll be a group of people that'll say things like 'if you really want privacy don't use chrome, use these private browsers'. Completely taking off the pressure on the bigger browsers.
Also, catering specifically to privacy is always weird. It makes people think that you have something to hide. Everybody wants privacy, but someone really goes out of their way, it makes you think they have something very serious (i.e. illegal) to hide. It's sketchy.
There needs to be a collective awareness and greater pressure put on browser companies.
- hedora 6y agoIf you want a more private browser, then switch to a more private browser. There’s no reason these browsers have to remain niche, and the more market share they have, the more pressure they will apply to mainstream web browsers and websites. Also, these niche browsers test out advanced features that can feed back upstream, and improve privacy for all users. (For instance, many of the Tor Browser features have been upstreamed and enabled by default in Firefox.)
- fastball 6y agoSeems like Brave is best of both worlds in this case. It's a Chromium browser with a focus on privacy.
- bejelentkezni 6y agoBrave is spyware[1][2]. 1. https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/brave.html https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/brave.html 2. https://digdeeper.neocities.org/ghost/browsers.html#brave https://digdeeper.neocities.org/ghost/browsers.html#brave
- fastball 6y agoThose references seem a bit circular. And the author of those sites and I have very different views of what Spyware is. To me, spyware is software that spies on you without your knowledge. The only thing that would even begin to qualify that is mentioned by [1] is telemetry, which Brave explicitly asks you about and which you can easily disable.
- skinnymuch 6y agoHow can I vouch for the child comment to your comment that is dead? Does any one know? I would like to know if their comment is wrong or not. I’ve been able to vouch for comments once or twice before.
- dang 6y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html#cvouch https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html#cvouch
- skinnymuch 6y agoThanks dang! Honored to have you respond to me at all :)
- dunefox 6y agoChromium still gives google market share. Firefox is the only option.
- ignoramous 6y ago> If we relegate privacy to fringe browsers like this, we'll lose in the long run. Disruptions and innovations happen on the fringes (classic Clay Christensen). If the disruption is large enough, it'd fast become the norm and upend the incumbents. These developments seem promising when viewed from those lenses? I work in privacy-tech, and I get told often that the one true answer to privacy is regulations, but at the same time, I also believe privacy-tech like content blockers would continue to be indispensable no matter regulations for one simple reason: As decades pass us by, people become more tech savvy, not less; and as a result, the number of folks who desire more control over tech they use would keep rising.