In the last few months I've adopted a web browsing habit that I quite like. It helps me to separate two different behaviors:

1. Casually browsing the web and following links to unknown websites
2. Going to specific websites for their services

For each behavior, I use a different internet browser.

A browser for casual browsing

The first browser is for casual browsing. It has the following settings:

• All cookies are blocked
• JavaScript is blocked
• Microphone, camera, notifications, locations, etc. is all blocked
• All other junk is blocked
• All privacy settings are on and set to their strictest possible setting
• Adblocker is always on
• Block sites that don't load correctly with these settings (optional)

This is my default browser. If a website does not load, I evaluate if I really need to visit it or not. If I do, I open the website in the second browser. If I don't, which is 95% of the cases, I close the tab and move on.

A browser for web services

The second browser is for specific services. It has the following settings:

• Delete all browsing data when the application is closed

I use it for shopping, banking, checking e-mails, etc. When I open this browser, I have a specific website in mind that I need to visit, and I stay on this site. When I'm done with the site, I close the browser.

Thoughts

The two-browser strategy may or may not improve your privacy on the internet, but that is not my primary concern. These settings allow me to focus, and spend time on sites and content that are worth spending time on. If the site does not load without JavaScript or cookies, it's most likely a waste of my time.

I think this approach is also different from using incognito or private browser windows, since they don't automatically block JavaScript or cookies. Plus, in most browsers, the incognito mode is not the default. I'd like my default browser to have the strictest possible settings.

The idea of using multiple browsers for different things, with different privacy settings, is not new. I found a few articles that were written between 2020 and 2022, that discuss the use of multiple browsers, or browser compartmentalization, as a way to separate work-related activities from private activities on the internet. With home-office work being on the rise during the international incident that should not be named, it makes sense that these kinds of articles would pop up.

If you like the idea, give it a try.