Initially I only tested a couple of browsers, but people soon began to request others. Today, I’d like to cover the results as a whole, as well as talk a bit about how you can do a similar review.

I reviewed several web browsers’ network activity on their first-run, and shared some commentary and explanation for what was found via Twitter. I decided to explore this topic more thoroughly a couple of weeks ago. But what happens between the moment you open your browser, and when you finally have it configured and augmented to your liking? Revelations from a short, informal exercise

Many users have developed something of a ritual of downloading their preferred browser, then beginning the sometimes arduous process of hunting through web stores for security and privacy extensions to enhance their experience.

These aren’t always features offered by other browsers out of the box. It also prevents fingerprinting, auto-play of media, crypto-mining, and access to media input devices. By default, Brave blocks third-party trackers (and the ads that rely on them). What this post explores today is how browsers behave by default, on their first-run, with no preexisting user profile. All of this information is part of your Profile in the browser. Browsers also record and adhere to user configurations, such as blocking popup windows, preventing fingerprinting, or blocking trackers and privacy-invasive ads that depend on those trackers. It may even be storing (if you agreed) your passwords, payment details, and other highly sensitive bits of information. The browser already has your history, bookmarks, open tabs, and more. As such, we’re picking up where we left off. By and large, we’re usually re-launching a browser that we were using hours before. One of the first things most of us do when sitting down at our computer is launch a web browser. What does a browser do when you first launch it?

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