You’ve probably heard of the Tor website, an ultra-anonymous website that goes beyond standard security precautions. In an unusual move, The Tor Project is teaming up with Mullvad VPN to debut a brand new browser called the Mullvad Browser. The Mullvad Browser provides a privacy-focused experience that does not require the Tor Network. It is comparable to the Brave and DuckDuckGo browsers in that it has several built-in tools to assist you in avoiding online tracking. (However, Mullvad Browser is built on Firefox, whereas Brave and DuckDuckGo use the Chromium framework.)
“We want to free the internet from mass surveillance and a VPN alone is not enough to achieve privacy. From our perspective there has been a gap in the market for those who want to run a privacy-focused browser as good as the Tor Project’s but with a VPN instead of the Tor Network.” Jan Jonsson, CEO at Mullvad VPN.
Of course, The Tor Project recommends using a VPN with Mullvad Browser. Any VPN service will work, and if you don’t feel like using a VPN, you will still receive several privacy protections through Mullvad Browser’s built-in extensions and pre-configured settings.
When paired with a VPN, Mullvad claims that its browser will match the privacy offered by the Tor Network. I doubt that this is truly the case, as the Tor Network is fundamentally different from a VPN. But I also believe that the Tor Network is overkill for most people (and slower than molasses); it’s made to protect the privacy of journalists, whistleblowers, and citizens under harsh regimes.
The Mullvad Browser is free and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux (it doesn’t come with a VPN). If you want to add these protections to Firefox (instead of downloading a new browser), you can simply download the Mullvad browser extension, which helps you reconfigure your privacy settings and install some privacy-focused tools.
