Librewolf for Security and Privacy

If you become more concerned with privacy and surveillance regarding your online activities, moving to a more secure browser is a definite step in the right direction, along with using a reputable VPN, a privacy focused DNS setup and good ad and tracker blocking extensions. The ultimate in privacy for most users is probably using the TOR browser and network. That comes with a significant performance hit. If you are looking for more privacy without the usability issues of TOR, Librewolf is most likely your best option for a daily driver.

LibreWolf is a privacy-focused fork of Firefox. Its primary benefits include:

Tracking Protection

• Strict default settings protecting against trackers, ads and scripts
• uBlock Origin included by default
• Fingerprinting resistance, including protection against canvas, font, and WebGL fingerprinting.
• Encrypted SNI:preventing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from seeing which websites you visit.

Privacy

• No telemetry or data collection
• Privacy-focused search engine, DuckDuckGo enabled by default, although you can change it to Kagi or the engine of your choice:
• Cookie AutoDelete to automatically purge tracking cookies after each browsing session
• HTTPS-Only Mode on by default

Security

• Blocks known malware sites through disconnect.me's list of over 5000 tracking and malicious domains
• WebRTC disabled by default to prevent IP address leakage
• Strict default settings for website permissions for your location, camera, and microphone

Open Source

• Open Source
• Ethical community members
• Removes sponsored content, distracting elements on the home page, and search suggestions
• Wide range of customization options

The most important element in your security setup is you. No amount of consumer technology can protect you as much as limiting what you share online. Making use of encryption technology to share highly sensitive data can be a necessary step if you are engaged in conduct that hostile actors could intercept.

The recommended way to install Librewolf is using Homebrew. You can download a DMG, but you will lose access to automatic updates.

brew install --cask librewolf

Download site.