3 Browser Extensions That Instantly Upgrade Your Privacy (No Tech Skills Required)
A short guide to boosting browser privacy beyond just settings
You open your browser and check your email.
Hit up your socials.
Do a little shopping.
Maybe watch a video.
By the time you close the tab, five trackers, three ad networks, and at least one data broker know exactly what you just did.
And no, incognito mode didn’t stop any of it.
The good news?
You can break most of this surveillance in under ten minutes.
This weekend, I’m giving your browser a backbone—with three extensions that quietly block the creep, scrub your trail, and give you back control.
No tech skills required. No break-your-browser drama.
The community has exploded over the last few months. As I approach 8,000 subscribers I’m offering an amazing discount for anyone looking to gain access to all the extras being a Firewall Insider has to offer.
What Most Users Miss
Most people think of their browser as just... a tool. A neutral window to the internet.
But under the hood, it’s often the leakiest part of your digital life.
Your browser knows:
Where you go
What you click
How long you hover
What you search
What you almost bought
And yes—what you typed and deleted
That information gets packaged, sold, and reused—across ad networks, data brokers, and algorithmic profiling systems that follow you from tab to tab and screen to screen.
Even “private” or “secure” browsers aren’t 100% airtight.
The defaults are built for convenience, not necessarily protection.
That’s where these three extensions come in.
They plug the holes, kill the noise, and give you a fighting chance to browse without being followed.
3 Browser Extensions That Make You 10x Harder to Track
These are in no particular order.
1. uBlock Origin: The Ad Blocker That Actually Blocks
→ Why You Need This in Your Browser Yesterday
Modern websites aren’t just bloated—they’re hostile. Auto-play videos, hidden tracking pixels, malicious ads pretending to be download buttons… it’s a minefield out there.
uBlock Origin puts up a shield and says “absolutely not.”
→ How It Quietly Saves Your Ass (Without Breaking Sites)
This isn’t your average ad blocker. It doesn’t just hide junk—it straight-up kills ad scripts, spyware, trackers, crypto miners, and known malware domains before they even load.
Most ad blockers still allow “acceptable ads” (aka corporate bribes). uBlock says no. To everything.
→ Pro Move: Set It and Forget It (Mostly)
Install it, open the dashboard, and turn on the extra privacy filter lists like EasyPrivacy, uBlock Annoyances, and Malware Domains. Then forget it exists—until you notice pages loading faster and no one following you around with the same pair of shoes you looked at once last week.
**Chrome users you will need to use uBlock Origin Lite. It does not have all of the same features but it does provide a basic ad blocking experience.**
I suggest stepping your browser game up all together and trying Firefox, Brave, or Vivaldi.
2. Cookie AutoDelete: The Janitor You Didn’t Know You Needed
→ Why You Need This in Your Browser Yesterday
Most websites drop cookies that track you long after you’ve left the page. Even if you never log in.
Cookie AutoDelete sweeps up the crumbs—every time you close a tab.
→ How It Quietly Saves Your Ass (Without Breaking Sites)
It automatically deletes cookies, local storage, IndexedDB, and other sneaky tracking tools as soon as you leave a site.
So you can browse normally without building a long-term behavioral dossier that ad networks drool over.
→ Pro Move: Whitelist What You Actually Use
It doesn’t nuke everything blindly. You can whitelist sites where you want to stay logged in—everything else gets scrubbed clean behind you.
Privacy without hassle. Cleanup without drama.
📌Want to clean up what’s floating around out there beyond your browser?
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3. LibRedirect: Watch What You Want, Without Being Watched
→ Why You Need This in Your Browser Yesterday
You shouldn't have to log into YouTube just to watch a public video. Or get tracked by Reddit because you clicked a link.
LibRedirect gives you access to the content—without the surveillance tax.
→ How It Quietly Saves Your Ass (Without Breaking Sites)
LibRedirect swaps out big platforms (YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, etc.) with lightweight, privacy-respecting alternatives like Invidious, Nitter, and Libreddit.
No ads. No popups. No tracking cookies trying to fingerprint your soul.
→ Pro Move: Choose Your Front-Ends
After you install it, pick your favorite alt front-ends in the settings. You can even self-host your own if you’re spicy. But the defaults are solid.
Instant upgrade for anyone still lurking on big platforms but sick of the surveillance.
What If You’re Using Safari or DuckDuckGo?
I know there will be 5 comments right after I post this asking so let’s just cut that right out.
You won’t be able to install all the extensions we just covered—but that doesn’t mean you’re out of options.
Here’s the deal:
Safari Users
Safari doesn’t support most of the hardcore privacy extensions, but it does have some options built in—if you know where to look.
Do this:
Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security
Enable Prevent Cross-Site Tracking
Turn on Hide IP Address > From Trackers and Websites
Block all cookies by default (or use "Allow from websites I visit" for balance)
Under Advanced set Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting protection to All Browsing
Want extra protection?
Try AdGuard for Safari it’s a lightweight blocker made to work within Apple's walled garden.
Just know: Safari’s privacy story is “fair” out of the box but nowhere near bulletproof.
DuckDuckGo Browser
No extensions here—but DDG actually bakes in some of the protections you’d want:
Built-in features you’re already getting:
Tracker blocking across every site
Automatic HTTPS upgrades
Link tracker stripping (like ClearURLs, but native)
Cookie clearance with the “Fireproofing” option
App Tracking Protection (Android only): blocks hidden background trackers in other apps, not just the browser
Bottom line?
DDG includes some decent options out of the box. If you don’t want to mess with extensions, it’s a low-maintenance option.
However I still recommend Brave or Vivaldi for ultimate protection.
Want to Go a Step Further? I’ve Got You.
These three extensions are a solid win—
But browser tracking is just one layer of the data mess most people are living in.
If you want to start cleaning up the rest—your search history, your email leaks, your sketchy app permissions—
I put together a free 5-day email mini-course that walks you through it, one step at a time.
No fluff. No guilt trips. Just tactical wins you can knock out each day in under 10 minutes.
You’ll learn:
How to stop giving away data through everyday habits
Where your biggest leaks are (and how to seal them)
Tools and settings that actually make a difference
and much more
👉 Sign up for the free mini course here
It’s the privacy reset you didn’t know you needed—and yes, it’s totally free.
Let’s Hear From You
Already using one of these tools? Got a privacy extension you swear by that more people should know about?
Drop it in the comments—I’m always looking to test new gear, and your tip might help someone else lock things down too.
And if this post helped you make your browser a little less creepy, do the internet a favor:
Restack it.
Someone in your network is still using Chrome with zero protection—and getting tracked like it’s 2012.
Let’s fix that.
As more people become aware of their ability to have more control over their data privacy, the bigger this community gets.
Until next time…
You do know that uBlock Origin no longer works on Chrome, right? uBlock Origin Lite still does, however.
The ublock extension appears not to have an extension for Firefox IOS. What other solutions do you recommend?
Thanks, New Subscriber