New Web Browser Leaves No Footprints

eastbayted writes "InfoWorld reports a new web browser designed to protect users privacy is available for download. Called Browzar, it 'automatically deletes Internet caches, histories, cookies and auto-complete forms.' It also boasts a search engine, which the company will use to generate income. The 264KB application is the brainchild of Ajaz Ahmen, known for creating the U.K.'s first ISP Freeserve. The forthcoming version is for Windows only, but Mac and Linux versions will be available eventually."

Comments

Safari has similar capabilitites

[stego]

Safari has a 'Private Browsing' mode that creates no history, cookies, cache.

Not-a-fact!

[TheRaven64]

Ajaz Ahmen, known for creating the U.K.'s first ISP Freeserve

Freeserve was far from the UK's first ISP. There were hundreds of ISPs, including large players like Pipex, Demon, Compuserve and AOL in the UK, along with much smaller ones like Eclipse before Freeserve came along.

Freeserve was the first ISP not to charge a monthly fee, but not the first to exist.

Re:Not-a-fact!

[phreakv6]

From TFA

"..Freeserve, the first U.K. Internet service provider (ISP) to offer free Internet access to customers in the late 1990s."

I dont know how that became..

"..Ajaz Ahmen, known for creating the U.K.'s first ISP Freeserve."

hats off to the /. editors

Re:Not-a-fact!

[MooUK]

It still wasn't free.

In this country, local rate (0845) calls are not free.

Browser with more honest PR department

[sznupi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heatseek

At least they are more upfront with their mission... ;P

Nothing new

[davidbrit2]

I'm not trying to be an OSS zealot here (honestly), but how does this do anything that Firefox doesn't do already? Preferences/Options, Privacy, Clear Private Data tool settings button. (The way to get there might be different in the Windows version, but you get the idea.) You can have it blow away history, forms, passwords, download history, cookies, cache data, and authenticated HTTP sessions automatically when you quit. And a few of those can be disabled outright from the start. And of course, Safari has a similar option too.

Re:Browzar is based on IE?

[El_Muerte_TDS]

Well, it does require at least MSIE 5.5 in order to run.
So yes, this is only a new frontend.

Firefox plugin

[a_nonamiss]

There's a Firefox plugin that does the same thing. Stealther claims to do the same thing, but what I don't know is how well it really covers its tracks. A forensic investigation into a hard drive can easily reveal browsing history, even if one cleans his or her history and deletes cookies, etc. I have heard of a browser that actually "shreds" this information (similar to Eraser but I can't seem to find any information on this browser.

Re:Browzar is based on IE?

[hclyff]

Quick check with process explorer shows that it uses mshtml.dll as well as MFC.

"Coming soon" to linux indeed.

Re:It sounded good until...

[multipartmixed]

Smells like it's using the IE engine to render the pages.

There's no way you could pack a full graphical browser into 264K on a windows box.

And, without graphics, a porn browser is hardly useful.

Re:Browzar is based on IE?

[bendy]

Given that the acid2 standards compliance test http://www.webstandards.org/action/acid2/ produces identical results in Browzar and IE (well, the version 6 I have installed anyway) I'd say it's a pretty good bet. It will be interesting to see how they go about producing a Mac or Linux version if they're just wrapping the IE renderer in some way.

Re:and Opera too.

[phooka.de]

Not the same: In Safari, you don't create a footprint of what you don't want recorded frst, just to later erase it together with the rest of your browsing history, it just doesn't write anything about your web-surfing onto the disk while in "private surfing" mode.

Re:Knoppix?

[phreakv6]

Regarding this "Browsar", does it delete all caches/cookies, or not save them at all?
From the browzar FAQ

Does Browzar store cookies? If so, why?

Browzar only ever stores cookies temporarily, automatically deleting them when you close the programme. For many sites, such as internet banking or shopping sites, it is necessary to store cookies to keep you logged into the site or hold shopping cart contents while you perform your transactions. If you visit a site using Browzar where a cookie for that site already existed on the computer prior to you using Browzar - the cookie will not be deleted. However the cookie's 'Last Accessed' date and time stamp may be updated to the date and time you visited the site associated with the cookie using Browzar.

but I already have one...

[pointbeing]

I already have a browser that leaves no footprints - Firefox Portable. Loaded on my 1GB Swiss Army knife the only thing it leaves on the host machine is a pluginreg.dat - which contains nothing about my internet use.

Strange privacy protection

[foggy]

1. Enter IE, go google.com, logoff if necessary, close IE
2. open browzar, go google.com, autheticate with your gmail account
3. close browzer
4. open IE, go google.com.... still authenticated!!!

perhaps it needs some more debugging.

hth

Re:Best idea I've heard all decade

[ignatus]

If you got root at your pc at work, I suggest creating an additional account for you "personal recreation". An if you're really don't want anybody to see it, encrypt the home directory. I think that's a good protection against accidentally revealing uncomfortable information on your pc.

However, You have to take into account that all your internet traffic passes through IT-departments gateway. So you better check wich policy they got on non-workrelated internet traffic. Best thing you can do is set-up an encrypted tunnel to some server outside your network (use HTTP-encapsulation if you can only use HTTP).

I fail to see the benefit of using a supposedly secure browser. Any reasonably competent IT guy will see right trough it.