Anh Khoa

Apple ID: You can bypass the prompt to sign in to Apple ID, but it prevents you from using AppStore, iTunes, and iCloud,… It is NOT required to download & install system update, and install apps from outside the AppStore.
FileVault: This step is to apply full-disk encryption to your MacBook. You can keep the recovery key on iCloud, or let device display 24-digit which you will copy it, store on encrypted container.
AntiVirus: I personally don’t use AntiVirus, but I’m not against it.
HomeBrew: You can install homebrew follow instructions on their website. After that, enter this commands: brew analytics off
AntiMalware: I recommend you to use KnockKnock to scan your MacBook for malware.

After install, allow their permissions and “Start Scan”. If you see anything process that you don’t want it to run, just move it to Trash or rename it.

Firewall: I recommend you to use LuLu

The built-in firewall of MacOS only block incomming connections, it’s good, but it will not conver all cases.

Each time your applications which make an outgoing connections, it will prompt you like this image.

You will manually choose if it should connect to network. For example: You install a calculator and LuLu prompt you to allow outgoing connections? That’s weird.

Camera & Microphone: I recommend you to use OverSight

This app is simple, each time an app use your camera or microphone, it will prompt you like this image.

You can have options to allow or block it. Which I think pretty useful for online meeting too.

Verify the structure of the system files: You can use Onyx

Windows

Windows Defender: I recommend you to use Windows Defender which is pre-installed on Windows.
Please don’t use CCleaner, you can use BleachBit instead.
Disable Telemetry: You can disable telemetry by using O&O ShutUp10
Uninstall software: Using Bulk Crap Uninstaller.

Password

You can check if you’re vulnerable to password leakage by using HaveIBeenPwned.

I recommend you to use for online is 1Password, Bitwarden, and if you prefer offline, you can use KeePassXC. I strongly discourage you to use LastPass.

You only need to remember one password, which is your master password. And all other passwords should be generated by using built-in password generator, which is strong and unique.

For reading & Source code:

Two-Factor Authentication

For the best case, you should use hardware token, such as Yubikey, Nitrokey,…

If it is not possible, you can use software token, such as built-in password manager, Ente Auth, Aegis Authenticator.

You shouldn’t use SMS, Google Authenticator, Authy,…

This is an extra-step to protect your account from being hacked if your password is compromised.

A modern authentication is Passkeys, which is a combination of password and fingerprint.

Browser

By default, MacOS has Safari, and Windows has Edge. But seriously, you shouldn’t use them.

I recommend you to use Firefox, and follow my instruction from How I Configure Firefox.

Forks of Firefox: LibreWolf, Mullvad Browser

Another option is Brave. But it comes with a lot of cryptocurrency-things, so you have to modified it a lot.

Forks of Chrome: ungoogled-chromium

Extensions

uMatrix
uBlock Origin (less features than uMatrix but easy to use)
Filter lists:
- You need to read each filter list carefully, and you should know what it does.
- Recommended: DandelionSprout/LegitimateURLShortener
Decentraleyes

DNS

I will recommend you some DNS servers:

Email

Please avoid using Gmail.

Some name of providers:

I have a big question mark on ProtonMail, and Tuta, because those don’t allow you to use your own email client, which is potientially inject a JavaScript to steal your credentials.

For existing emails, you can use Mailvelope or set a forwarding email.

For masking emails, I currenly use SimpleLogin, or you can choose AnonAddy

Communication

Just use Signal, Telegram is considered as a popular one, but I’m not sure if it is really safe.

You can use Nextcloud or Send, another instance of Send is SkySend.

Note Taking

You can use Standard Notes or Notesnook

Check List

You can check and download my privacy checklist from PrivateBin or SourceHut’s Paste.

Git Explained: Versioning, Commits and Branching

2026-09-18T10:42:51+07:00

This article is part of the software engineering guide.

Semantic Versioning

The three-part version number MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH is used by the software versioning system known as Semantic Versioning (SemVer). The meaning of each component of the version number is distinct:

MAJOR version is used for incompatible API modifications.
MINOR version is used for backwards-compatible functionality additions.
PATCH version is used for backwards-compatible bug fixes.

Conventional Commits

A specification for creating consistent commit messages is called Conventional Commits. It offers a set of guidelines for crafting readable and intelligible commit messages. A standard commit message has the following structure:

<type>[optional scope]: <description>
[optional body]
[optional footer(s)]

The change type (e.g., feat, fix, chore, documentation, style, refactor, perf, test) is indicated by the type field.
optional scope: A scope can be anything that indicates where the commit modification was made, such as the file name or component.
description: A brief explanation of the modification.
optional body: If required, a more thorough explanation of the modification.

Additional information regarding the update, such as breaking changes or issues resolved, may be included in the optional footer or footers.

A commit message could resemble this, for instance:

optional footer: Additional information that may be relevant to the commit, such as links to related issues or pull requests.

Git Branching Model

A collection of rules for handling branches in a Git repository is known as the Git Branching Model. It offers an organized method for branching and merging, which facilitates the management of code updates and releases. There are various kinds of branches in the model:

The primary branch containing the code that is ready for production is called

master: This branch ought to be deployable and stable at all times.

The branch where development takes place is called
develop: Before being made public, features are merged into this branch.
feature: New features have their own branches. When finished, they are integrated back into develop.

The branches used to get ready for a new production release are referred to as release. They enable preparation and last-minute repairs.

hotfix: Branches made to promptly fix production-related problems. Both master and develop have been integrated back into them.
bugfix: Code bugs are fixed using branches. When finished, they are integrated back into develop.
chore: Branches for standard operations that don’t impact the operation of the application.

Tools

Git (of course?): Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.
petervanderdoes/gitflow-avh: AVH Edition of the git extensions to provide high-level repository operations for Vincent Driessen’s branching model.
lisawolderiksen/git-commit-template.md: A template for writing commit messages that follow the Conventional Commits specification.
semantic-release: Semantic-release automates the whole package release workflow including: determining the next version number, generating the release notes, and publishing the package.
actions/semantic-pull-request: This is a GitHub Action that ensures that your pull request titles match the Conventional Commits spec. Typically, this is used in combination with a tool like semantic-release to automate releases.

Resources

Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 - url

Conventional Commits - url

A successful Git branching model - url

Using git-flow to automate your git branching workflow - url

Gitflow workflow - url

Some Articles

2026-07-03T16:09:33+07:00

Blogs

You Are NOT Dumb, You Just Lack the Prerequisites - url

Building software to last forever - url

Principles of bad software design - url

Best practices for writing code comments - url

Start Here — Everyday Commentary - url

Videos

You Suck at Investing. - url

100+ Linux Things you Need to Know - url

Why Some Projects Use Multiple Programming Languages - url

10 Things I Regret About Node.js - Ryan Dahl - JSConf EU - url

Leatherman ARC Sheath Build - url

Now

2026-09-11T11:39:12+07:00

My name is Anh Khoa, a junior student majoring in Software Engineering at Ton Duc Thang University.

I am a fan of minimalism, stoicism, reading, programming, traveling, and adventure, and my philosophy of life is rooted in these principles. I strive to learn, grow, and improve in all aspects of my life, and I enjoy helping others and creating value for the community.

I believe that minimalism is a way of life that helps us focus on the most important things in life. It helps us to let go of the unnecessary and focus on what is truly important, such as time, health, and relationships. Stoicism is a philosophy of life that helps us to become stronger and overcome challenges. It teaches us how to accept what we cannot change and focus on what we can change.

I believe that reading is a great way to learn and expand our knowledge. It helps us to better understand the world around us and about ourselves. Programming is a great way to express our creativity. It helps us to create new and useful things. Traveling and adventure are a great way to experience new things and learn about different cultures.

I believe that we can all make a difference in the world. We can help others by giving our time, talent, and money. We can create value for the community by participating in volunteer activities and community projects.

I hope you find this website helpful. I will try to update it with new articles regularly. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact me.

What’s This Blog Doing?

I write blogs about personal life, privacy on Internet, some tips I’ve learnt, and some rules I’ve followed.

Useful macOS Apps for Productivity, Privacy and Developers

2026-09-12T10:12:33+07:00

This maintained list supports the software engineering guide with tools that fit a developer-oriented macOS workflow.

This is a collection of helpful macOS programs that I use every day. There are free, premium, and freemium options available. I’ll do my best to maintain this list current.

Terms

FOSS: Software that is both free (as in freedom) and open-source
Freemium: Business model and software licensing scheme in which the basic form of a product is free of charge, and access to additional features requires payment

Productivity

Alfred: (£59) Alfred is an award-winning app for macOS which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords, text expansion and more.
DropOver: ($6.99) Dropover is a macOS utility that makes Drag and Drop easier.
HazeOver: ($5.99) Turn distractions down and focus on your current task.
Rectangle Pro: ($9.99) Superior window management on macOS.
Stretchly: (FOSS) The break time reminder app.
Shottr: ($12) Shottr is a tiny and fast mac screenshot tool with annotations, beautiful backgrounds, scrolling screenshots and cloud upload capabilities.
Clop: ($15) Image, video, PDF and clipboard optimiser. Copy large, paste small, send fast.

Privacy & Security

LuLu: (FOSS) LuLu is the free open-source macOS firewall.
OverSight: (FOSS) OverSight monitors a mac’s mic and webcam, alerting the user when the internal mic is activated, or whenever a process accesses the webcam.
KnockKnock: (FOSS) Like AutoRuns …but for macOS!

Development

Podman: (FOSS) A tool for managing OCI containers and pods.
xh: (FOSS) Friendly and fast tool for sending HTTP requests.
Ghostty: (FOSS) 👻 Ghostty is a fast, feature-rich, and cross-platform terminal emulator that uses platform-native UI and GPU acceleration.
Visual Studio Code: (FOSS) Your code editor. Redefined with AI.
Cursor: (Freemium) AI-powered coding assistant.
SnippetLab: ($0) Keep Your Code At Your Fingertips.

Utilities

1Password: ($2.99/month) 1Password is so much more than a password manager.
OpenKey: (FOSS) Vietnamese Input for macOS, Windows and Linux - Bộ gõ Tiếng Việt nguồn mở đa nền tảng.
Keka: (FOSS) The macOS file archiver.
KeyboardCleanTool: ($0) KeyboardCleanTool is a super simple little tool which blocks all Keyboard and TouchBar input.
Mac Mouse Fix: ($2.99) Make Your $10 Mouse Better Than an Apple Trackpad!
AppCleaner: (Free) AppCleaner is a small application which allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps.
Ice: (FOSS) Ice is a powerful menu bar management tool.
Signal: (FOSS) Say “hello” to a different messaging experience.
Stremio: (FOSS) Stremio offers a secure, modern and seamless entertainment experience.

Casks

biome: A toolchain for web projects, aimed to provide functionalities to maintain them. Biome offers formatter and linter, usable via CLI and LSP.
btop: A monitor of resources
bun: A fast, all-in-one JavaScript runtime.

dotenv-linter:⚡️Lightning-fast linter for .env files. Written in Rust 🦀

eza: A modern alternative to ls
fastfetch: A maintained, feature-rich and performance oriented, neofetch like system information tool
fd: A simple, fast and user-friendly alternative to ‘find’
fnm: 🚀 Fast and simple Node.js version manager, built in Rust
folderify: A tool to convert a flat folder structure into a nested folder structure.
fzf: A command-line fuzzy finder written in Go
git: A free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.
git-delta: A syntax-highlighting pager for git, diff, grep, and blame output
git-toolbelt: A suite of useful Git commands that aid with scripting or every day command line usage
git-extras: GIT utilities – repo summary, repl, changelog population, author commit percentages and more
hugo: A fast and flexible static site generator that’s perfect for personal, organization, or business sites.
hyperfine: A command-line benchmarking tool.
jq: Command-line JSON processor
just: 🤖 Just a command runner
lazydocker: The lazier way to manage everything docker
markdownlint-cli: MarkdownLint Command Line Interface
minify: Go minifiers for web formats
neovim: Vim-fork focused on extensibility and usability
pandoc: A universal document converter
rclone: Rclone is a command-line program to manage files on cloud storage.
ripgrep: ripgrep recursively searches directories for a regex pattern while respecting your gitignore.
ruff: An extremely fast Python linter and code formatter, written in Rust.
shellcheck: ShellCheck, a static analysis tool for shell scripts
GNU Stow: GNU Stow is a symlink farm manager which takes distinct sets of software and/or data located in separate directories on the filesystem, and makes them all appear to be installed in a single directory tree.
taplo: A TOML toolkit written in Rust
tlrc: A tldr client written in Rust
zellij: A terminal workspace with batteries included
tree-sitter: An incremental parsing system for programming tools
uutils-coreutils: Cross-platform Rust rewrite of the GNU coreutils
uv: An extremely fast Python package and project manager, written in Rust.
yt-dlp: A feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader
zadark: ZaDark is an extension that helps you enable Dark Mode for Zalo PC and Web. ZaDark is available on Windows, macOS, Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.
zoxide: A smarter cd command. Supports all major shells.

Visual Studio Code Extensions

These are the extensions I keep coming back to in day-to-day work.

Javascript & Typescript

xabikos.JavaScriptSnippets: Code snippets for JavaScript in ES6 syntax.
wix.vscode-import-cost: Display import/require package size in the editor
biomejs.biome: Toolchain of the web

How I Configure Firefox for Privacy

2026-09-11T11:39:12+07:00

This is a supporting guide for the privacy topic and its security notes.

I’ve recommended to all of you [Browsers for Daily Using] (/blog/browsers-for-daily-using/).

This is not a tutorial; it’s just how I configure Firefox. You can find more information in the arkenfox wiki.

Step 1: Install Firefox

Download and install Firefox from Mozilla’s FTP website.

You can choose your OS and decide whether to include EME or not. You can also select the language, but I recommend using the en-US version. This version downloads Mozilla Firefox without a download token.

Don’t worry about outdated versions; Firefox will automatically update when you first run it.

Step 2: Obtaining User.js

You can configure Firefox yourself by entering about:config into the address bar, but I’ll make it easier for you.

Download a user.js. You can choose:
- Easy: Betterfox
- Medium: arkenfox
- Hard: Narsil

You can download it using git clone, curl -O, or by clicking the Download button. Downloading a single user.js file is sufficient, but downloading the entire project is recommended.

Turn off your network. You don’t want Firefox to make any connections when you first run it.
Start Firefox and enter about:profiles in the address bar.
Create a new profile and ensure it’s marked as Default Profile: yes.
Copy the Root Directory and exit Firefox.
Navigate to your profile directory and delete all contents from the new profile:
```
cd /path/to/your/profile && rm -rf *
```
Copy the user.js file into the profile folder:
```
cp /path/to/user.js /path/to/your/profile
```

Step 3: Customize User Overrides

A user.js file is like a uniform; it is made to fit everyone but may not fit you perfectly. You’ll need some configurations to make it work best for you.

You can customize it by editing the user.js file directly or creating a user-overrides.js file to override specific settings.

Here are some configurations I recommend for anyone using arkenfox:

extensions.pocket.enabled: False
identity.fxaccounts.enabled: False
browser.preferences.moreFromMozilla: False

I’m currently using arkenfox for ease of use. You can check out my user-overrides.js. However, as I mentioned, it will only fit my needs.

For more tutorials, please follow this guide.

Step 4: Install Updater Script

Install updater.sh by following these instructions. Download the required files:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arkenfox/user.js/master/prefsCleaner.sh
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arkenfox/user.js/master/updater.sh

Set permissions and execute:

chmod +x ./prefsCleaner.sh
chmod +x ./updater.sh
./updater.sh
./prefsCleaner.sh

Step 5: Restart Firefox

Restart Firefox now so the updated preferences and extensions load cleanly.

Step 6: Install Essential Extensions

Here are some essential extensions I recommend:

Check out additional extensions url.

Step 7: Choose a Search Engine

Consider using alternative search engines such as searx. Learn more about search engine options url.

Custom Version of Firefox

For a hassle-free alternative, explore Librewolf as a custom version of Firefox.

How to Improve Online Privacy on a Budget

2026-09-12T10:12:33+07:00

This article is part of the privacy guide, with practical steps that fit different budgets and threat models.

As a software engineering student, I love the beauty of tech, but I’m also afraid of it.

Technologies help us a lot in every aspect of life. But it also brings a data hunger from big tech companies.

But there is always a solution. You can get more privacy, so big companies can’t have information about you, or they have at least.

Web-Browser

You can opt out of Google Chrome by using Firefox and Ungoogled-chromium, I have a detailed review.

You have to separate your activities. Creating multiple profiles for multiple purposes is a good idea.

Email

I know that a lot of universities give Gmail accounts to their students. It’s an easy way for them.

You can’t switch email services when using school email, but you can choose an alternative for personal purposes.

You can check out Tuta, Proton.

They have an easy way to register.

If you want to have PGP by yourself, I strongly recommend it. You may look at Disroot, Cock.li, Autistici, or even G-Mail with Mailvelope

You can check out the E-mail providers - which one to choose? ¹ article from DigDeeper which can give you reviews and a lot of suggestions.

You have to notice that you never use school email for personal work, creating accounts,…

It’s something about privacy and security:

Some schools block emails outside the organization.
They can delete your email accounts when you leave the university.
An administrator can easily reset the password.
They can gain unauthorized access to your email account.

But you can choose the TrustNoOne plan by encrypting your email manually using PGP. The software you can use is The GNU Privacy Guard.

An email client would be nice: Claws Mail, NeoMutt, and ThunderBird (which should be hardened for privacy concerns). Email clients will help you:

Choose the program you like. Not depending on the provider’s JavaScript.
The mail client will remain constant. Prevent being served malicious JavaScript.
POP3 allows you to keep control of your data in your hands.
The variety of features.
Support PGP properly.

Real-Time Messaging

Although Facebook Messenger, Viber, and WhatsApp come with a lot of features. But they are data-hungers, no matter how encrypted they are.

Those encryptions can only protect you from attackers, not from those companies.

You can switch to Signal, it’s an encrypted messaging platform that has a good reputation, doesn’t store your messages, and is very easy to use.

Persuading friends to switch to Signal is hard work, but if you try, you will notice how the data that those companies get from you will decrease.

You can check out some alternatives like SimpleX Chat, Briar, Session, and Element.

Password Manager

I strongly recommend that you use a password manager. It’s again something about privacy and security. It can help you avoid using the same passwords for multiple platforms, which will reduce the chance of being hacked.

A password manager is good, but it’s something about the company that developed that service. You should never use the built-in password manager in browsers; it’s very easy to hack. The built-in password managers on Apple and Android devices are good, but they lack multi-platforms, which will lock you in their ecosystem.

I will recommend using Bitwarden, it’s free and open source. You can get their premium for only $10 a year.

Some alternatives like: ProtonPass, KeePass, 1Password.

Operating System

You can create a new user account that doesn’t have root permission.

Check out privacy.sexy, it’ll help you turn off telemetry from the OS.

You can also create multiple user accounts for multiple purposes, just like with a web browser.

An online sync platform, a hard drive partition, or a USB will help you transfer files and data.

Linux is the best for privacy, but not all of them. You can check out the Desktop/PC article and Operating Systems for more recommendations. Be aware of Ubuntu.

The operating systems you are using on your phone are mostly iOS or Android. You can check out Graphene OS. For iOS devices, you don’t have too many choices, but you can have some configurations.

It doesn’t matter which OS you’re using; make sure that you have strong encryption on your device.

For an external drive, like a self-host cloud, USB, or hard disk, you can use built-in encryption or third-party software like VeraCrypt.

Networking

You can use VPNs from Cloudflare (red flag), Proton, Mullvad (the best).

It will prevent network administrators from looking for what you’re doing by encrypting the data flow, creating a fake IP address, … But be cautious, because it will mark you as using a VPN.

Using cellular data is not a bad option if you can’t use a VPN; it will not replace a VPN, but it will protect you from hackers. But the service provider will know what you’re doing.

You can choose a DNS resolver from Mullvad or Quad9.

For anything on the internet, you should stay away from Cloudflare ². I’ll guide you on how to reduce the amount of Cloudflare in soon.

Software

Using school software for school work and personal software for personal work only.

Instead of using Office 365, you can check out LibreOffice.

For sync files, you can use encryption cloud storage from Proton, Tresorit, Filen, pCloud, IceDrive,… But for the most affordable, you can encrypt your files before uploading by using Cryptomator, 7-zip, rclone,…

You can also check FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) alternatives for every application you’re using. And should stay away from proprietary software ³.

For code development, you can check out VSCodium to replace VSCode although it lacks of some features.

Maybe it will get a long blog for software only.

For more information, you can check out: Open Source Alternative To Using https://alternativeto.net/software/YOURPRODUCTNAME/?license=opensource

E-mail providers - which one to choose?, https://digdeeper.club/articles/email.xhtml (last visited Jan. 13, 2024). ↩︎
deCloudflare, https://0xacab.org/dCF/deCloudflare (last visited Jan. 13, 2024). ↩︎
Proprietary Software Is Often Malware, https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html (last visited Jan. 13, 2024). ↩︎

Browsers for Privacy and Everyday Use

2026-09-12T10:12:33+07:00

This comparison supports the privacy guide and the security topic guide.

There are 4 browser engines that have active status: WebKit, Blink, Gecko, and Goanna ¹. In this blog, I’ll delve into the two most popular: Gecko (Firefox-based) and Blink (Chromium-based).

Gecko Engine

This section covers the Firefox-based browsers I trust most for privacy.

Firefox, but Hardened

This is my first choice when it comes to a browser for privacy. I love the Firefox browser, but I don’t really like the way Mozilla develops it.

You can download Firefox on Mozilla’s website. But I don’t recommend it because of the download token ².

Firefox includes a unique download token in downloads from Mozilla’s website .

You can download it from Mozilla’s FTP website, by this way, you can choose any version of Firefox and download it without the token. You can decide whether the latest, extended support release, or EME-free version.

The default Mozilla Firefox will come with a large amount of telemetry and add-ons, which you don’t really love to use.

For better privacy, you can config in about:config or use the user.js file, but it takes knowledge, time, and effort to review and make changes. So you will need a template to configure the browser.

There are three levels of hardening Firefox:

Easy: Betterfox
Medium: arkenfox
Hard: Narsil

It depends on you to select which one is appropriate. Betterfox provides a slight change to Firefox, which doesn’t affect the your experience too much.

On the other hand, Narsil provides the maximum privacy and security on Firefox, but it will change the way you use Firefox.

If you want balance, choose arkenfox, it’s the gold standard for Firefox.

For comparison, you can use the PowerShell script Compare-UserJS to pick the most appropriate for yourself.

And because they’re templates, they are not fit for your use case. So you’ll need a user-overrides.js to have your own modifications; you can check out the documentation for this one at the Arkenfox Wiki.

LibreWolf

Home page: LibreWolf

Modifications: librewolf.cfg

This project brings a mindless way to use Firefox without worrying about how to configure it. It looks like Ungoogled Chromium to Google Chrome.

But I have had some bad experiences when using it:

It’s not able to use 1Password biometrics because it lacks a code signature ³. But it can work well with Bitwarden or KeePassXC.
- I have the solution at: Extending support for trusted web browsers ⁴.
Lacking of auto-update capacities raises a concern about security and zero-day vulnerability ⁵. But it can be fixed by using packet manager or using LibreWolf WinUpdater.

So if you want a mindless way to use Firefox, don’t use 1Password, and don’t need a built-in updater, LibreWolf will be the best for you.

Mullvad Browser

Home page: Mullvad Browser

Modifications: Hard facts.

Mullvad Browser is a collaboration between Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project.

This is the new one; I have not tried it yet, but it makes 0 connections in the initial. This should be a strong competitor to LibreWolf, comes with strong privacy and anti-fingerprinting features.

It has 3 extensions built-in: uBlock Origin, NoScript, and Mullvad Browser Extension. It includes auto-updates and creating new identity features.

Blink Engine

This section covers Chromium-based options and where they fit in my setup.

Ungoogled Chromium

Home page: ungoogled-chromium

Modifications: Configuration Files

A lightweight approach to removing Google web service dependency

This is Chromium, so it will provide you with a bunch of extensions that will make your life easier.

It seems like this is the only browser based on chromiu, and I will recommend my friends use it. You just need to make some modifications, and it will work like Brave.

You’ll have to install chromium-web-store extension to be able to install extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

Here are some chrome://flags I use:

#extension-mime-request-handling: Always prompt for install
#chrome-labs: Disabled

Brave Browser

This is the most popular browser when you know the word privacy, and choose an alternative to Google Chrome.

But it has a lot of issues and features that make me don’t want to use it anymore:

It has 7 connections when you first install it ⁶.
It adds a “referral code” to the file name in downloads from the Brave website ⁷.
They have sponsored ads on browsers.
Brave Rewards needs a KYC account to use it.

I used the Brave browser, but I’m not happy with it anymore. Anything it provides is just a cut-off of some extensions. And if you have an extension, it will do better.

However, anything is better than Chrome, and you can have some configurations to make Brave more private.

Throium

Throium is the last browser in this roundup, and it is included for completeness.

Extensions

uBlock Origin (Blocking Mode: Medium; AdGuard URL Tracking Protection; ➗ Actually Legitimate URL Shortener Tool)
CanvasBlocker (If you disable resistfingeprinting)
Skip Redirect
1Password or BitWarden
SimpleLogin
Firefox Multi-Account Containers
LibRedirect
Dark Reader
Greasemonkey
Omnivore
Linguist
LanguageTool

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is absolutely no such thing as the best browser for anything. It depends on you; it will only have a less bad browser. You can base your decision on my article; it is just something I gathered from the Internet. In my case, I’ll recommend using Firefox hardened and Ungoogled chromium because they fit my needs. However, the ideal choice varies for each user, and the goal is to find a browser that meets their unique criteria.

Comparison of browser engines, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comparison_of_browser_engines&oldid=1251699906 (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎
[meta] Support download token, https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1677497#c0 (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎
1Password and the LibreWolf browser, https://1password.community/discussion/comment/633723/#Comment_633723 (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎
Extending support for trusted web browsers, https://1password.community/discussion/140735/extending-support-for-trusted-web-browsers#latest (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎
Zero-day vulnerability,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zero-day_vulnerability&lang=en, (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎
Web Browser telemetry - 2021 edition, Brave, https://sizeof.cat/post/web-browser-telemetry/#brave (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎
Brave’s Use of Referral Codes, https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/wiki/Brave%E2%80%99s-Use-of-Referral-Codes (last visited Jan. 11, 2024). ↩︎

Why Email Cannot Provide Strong Privacy by Default

2026-09-11T11:39:12+07:00

This article belongs with the privacy guide and security topic guide.

After reading blogs and watching videos, I’ve come to realize that email lacks inherent privacy and security features.

Even if you host a personal OpenBSD email server in an undisclosed nuclear bunker with a crypto domain connected to Tor, your emails still traverse ISP networks and reside on third-party servers.

While it’s crucial to prioritize privacy and move away from mainstream providers like Google, achieving secure communication requires alternatives to traditional email protocols.

Signal, Matrix, and similar platforms offer better options for long-term privacy and security compared to standard email services like Gmail and Outlook.

It’s important to acknowledge that trusting any company, regardless of claims about zero trust, encryption, or adherence to privacy laws, carries risks.

Even with end-to-end encryption, companies can potentially compromise your security, making it essential to explore options beyond conventional email.

For enhanced privacy, consider using Signal or exploring alternatives.

However, always exercise caution and, if needed, encrypt your emails using PGP and mail client add-ons like Enigmail.

Remember, the cloud is essentially someone else’s computer, emphasizing the need for personal responsibility in securing your communications.

In conclusion, don’t blindly trust any email provider’s assurances of robust encryption or privacy.

Consider employing Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) for email encryption or opt for messaging apps specifically designed for secure communication, such as Signal or Briar.

Why Metadata Matters

Michael Hayden Gleefully Admits: We Kill People Based On Metadata

Anh Khoa

Services

AI

Text Paste

Send Files

Draw

Meeting

Digital Privacy: A Practical Checklist

Operating System

MacOS

Windows

Password

Two-Factor Authentication

Browser

Extensions

DNS

Email

Communication

File Sharing

Note Taking

Check List

Git Explained: Versioning, Commits and Branching

Semantic Versioning

Conventional Commits

Git Branching Model

Tools

Resources

Some Articles

Blogs

Videos

Now

What’s This Blog Doing?

Useful macOS Apps for Productivity, Privacy and Developers

Terms

Productivity

Privacy & Security

Development

Utilities

Casks

Visual Studio Code Extensions

Javascript & Typescript

How I Configure Firefox for Privacy

Step 1: Install Firefox

Step 2: Obtaining User.js

Step 3: Customize User Overrides

Step 4: Install Updater Script

Step 5: Restart Firefox

Step 6: Install Essential Extensions

Step 7: Choose a Search Engine

Custom Version of Firefox

How to Improve Online Privacy on a Budget

Web-Browser

Email

Real-Time Messaging

Password Manager

Operating System

Networking

Software

Browsers for Privacy and Everyday Use

Gecko Engine

Firefox, but Hardened

LibreWolf

Mullvad Browser

Blink Engine

Ungoogled Chromium

Brave Browser

Throium

Extensions

Conclusion

Why Email Cannot Provide Strong Privacy by Default