If you use Google Chrome as your default browser on Windows or Mac, check out these top ten browser extensions from the Chrome Web Store that can improve your online privacy.

The following Chrome privacy extensions are also available in Mozilla Firefox and Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Brave.

Privacy Badger is a Chrome extension from the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) aimed at thwarting tracking scripts and invisible cookies. Sends Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals to websites and blocks trackers if they do not comply. It also disables link prefetching (a mechanism used by sites to preload the pages you’re likely to visit in advance), stops Google from monitoring the web addresses you visit, and even replaces social media widgets with placeholders to activate with one click. .

Top 10 Privacy Extensions for Chrome

Privacy Badger lives next to Chrome’s address bar and displays a live count of blocked trackers for every web page you load. You can select the privacy badger for more information and select the icon Choice icon to manage your preferences. For example, you can whitelist sites you trust, allow or disallow domain tracking, export your preferences to a JSON file, and more.

Privacy Badger is not strictly an ad blocker, but you will see a marked reduction in ads due to tracker blocking. If the extension breaks a site, add it to the exceptions list or manually re-enable blocked trackers.

ClearURLs is a simple extension that removes tracking items directly from web addresses. Just install it and it will work passively in the background while preventing URL-based trackers from reporting your online activity. It also adds a context menu option that you can use to copy URLs without trackers.

ClearURLs offers a limited number of customization options. Open the clear URLs expansion menu and select the Settings and you can choose to allow referral markup trackers, disable hyperlink auditing (a form of tracking that will allow sites to determine which pages have been clicked on), filter E-Tags, and more.

PixelBlock is essential if you use Gmail in Google Chrome. If you don’t already know, emails can include tracking pixels that can alert senders each time you open and read them (similar to read receipts in email apps).

PixelBlock not only blocks these tracking pixels, but you’ll also see an eye icon below the subject line of any email that includes them.

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials replaces Google with the extremely privacy-focused DuckDuckGo as the default search engine. It also rates websites based on the number of trackers they use and their general privacy practices on a scale of FOR (safer) than F. It even comes with a site privacy protection module that blocks trackers to enforce privacy.

The problem? You cannot use DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials without automatically changing your search engine to DuckDuckGo. This can cause issues if you rely on Google’s top results for your workflow. Otherwise, it’s a great extension for privacy-conscious Chrome users.

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure protocol that transfers information between a website and the browser in an encrypted format. Chrome says that with the Lock symbol in the address bar. However, although most sites support HTTPS, you will always find a fair share that does not.

Another extension from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, HTTPS Everywhere, helps Chrome force-load unencrypted site content into an encrypted format. It’s not a foolproof solution, but it does significantly improve privacy and security when browsing the farthest corners of the Internet.

Super Agent is for you if you’re tired of specifying your cookie preferences for every site you visit. Not only does the extension remember your preferences and apply them automatically every time, but it also saves a lot of time in the long run.

To manage your cookie preferences, open the great agent expansion menu and choose Settings > Cookie preferences. Then choose between accepting or refusing advertising cookies, functional cookies, performance cookies and other forms of cookies.

You never know where a shortened URL might take you, so you need to have Unshorten.link active in Chrome. The extension automatically loads all shortened URLs on a separate page and provides a safe rating with the option to continue.

Another alternative extension is Unshorten It! which you can use to scan shortened links for malicious intent via a context menu entry.

If you hate digging through Chrome’s internet settings to clear your browsing history, cache, and cookies, Click&Clean is a must. Just install it and you can quickly delete private data and safely close the browser.

It also provides instant access to additional privacy and security enhancing options like quick access to windows in incognito mode, built-in privacy scanner, password generator, and more.

Panic Button is the best extension to deal with sudden invasions of privacy…offline. Just install it and pin it next to the Chrome address bar, and you can select the panic button icon to instantly close all open tabs. You can also select the icon again to restore the tabs once the coast is clear.

Also, you can create a shortcut that can hide everything faster and even specify a “safe page” that loads instead of closed tabs. To access the panic button options, right-click or Control-click on the panic button icon and select Choice.

Avast Online Security & Privacy is an all-in-one extension. Maintain your privacy by blocking trackers, ad networks and social media widgets.

But what stands out the most about the extension is its ability to analyze search engine results in real time. It’s a great way to make sure you’re visiting a reputable site and not a domain impersonating another.

You can always do more

The extensions above are not an exhaustive list. You can always use a dedicated ad blocker like uBlock Origin to block more trackers, invest in a password manager to improve security (Lastpass, Dashlane, and 1Password are all great options), and set up a virtual private network ( VPN) for more privacy. . Also, be sure to check out our list of the best security extensions for Chrome.