Preview: These docs are available early so you can start using them now. Some pages may still be incomplete, outdated, or change as WebLibre develops.

Who You’re Protecting Against

Privacy features solve different problems. Some hide what your network can see, some reduce tracking by websites, and some protect data stored on your phone.

This page helps you match the threat to the tool. It is not about maximum privacy at all times. It is about using the right protection for the situation you are actually in.

Start Here

Ask yourself which of these sounds most like your concern:

  • My internet provider or Wi-Fi network can see where I connect

  • Websites and advertisers follow me across sites

  • Someone might pick up my phone and open the browser

  • I need to browse more privately on a hostile or censored network

You may care about more than one. That is normal.

Your Internet Provider Or Local Network

Your internet provider, employer network, or public Wi-Fi operator can often see which domains you connect to. If a site uses insecure HTTP, they may also be able to read or modify the traffic itself.

What helps:

  • DNS over HTTPS — encrypts the site-name lookups your browser makes

  • HTTPS-Only Mode — in the app this appears as Block insecure HTTP connections and helps keep traffic encrypted

  • Tor Integration — hides your destinations from the network by routing traffic through Tor

What to expect:

  • DNS over HTTPS helps with DNS lookups, but it does not make you anonymous

  • Block insecure HTTP connections protects against plain HTTP, not against tracking by the site you visit

  • Tor gives much stronger network privacy, but it is slower

Best fit: everyday privacy from your ISP or safer browsing on networks you do not trust.

Websites, Trackers, And Ad Networks

Websites can track you directly. Advertising and analytics companies can also follow you across many different sites using cookies, embedded scripts, redirect links, and browser fingerprinting.

What helps:

  • Enhanced Tracking Protection — blocks many known trackers, tracking cookies, cryptominers, and known fingerprinters

  • Query Parameter Stripping — removes many link-based identifiers such as fbclid and gclid

  • Fingerprint Protection — reduces how uniquely your browser stands out

  • Containers — with Cookie Isolation enabled, keeps site data separate between activities such as social media, shopping, and work

  • uBlock Origin — optional extension that can block many ads and page elements more aggressively

What to expect:

  • Tracking protection reduces tracking, but it does not stop a site from knowing who you are if you sign in

  • Containers help separate identities when Cookie Isolation is enabled, but they do not hide your network connection from your ISP

  • Stronger fingerprint protections can break some sites

Best fit: reducing cross-site profiling, personalized ads, and unwanted tracking by large ad networks.

Someone With Your Phone

If someone can physically use your phone, network privacy features do not help much. The main risk is local access to tabs, history, cookies, and signed-in sessions.

What helps:

  • App Lock — in current WebLibre builds this is configured per profile through Require Authentication

  • Profiles — keeps different people or contexts in separate browser spaces

  • Incognito Mode — clears selected browser data after you close and reopen the app

  • Delete Browsing Data and auto-clear tools — useful if you want less data left on the device

What to expect:

  • Profile locking depends on device authentication being available on your phone

  • Incognito Mode in WebLibre is a browser-wide cleanup feature, not a separate private-tab mode

  • If someone unlocks the same profile you use, they can still see whatever that profile keeps

Best fit: shared devices, travel, or any situation where someone else may handle your phone.

Public Wi-Fi Operators

Coffee shops, hotels, airports, and other hotspot operators can observe network traffic that passes through their connection. Their visibility is similar to your ISP’s, and the risk is often higher on older or poorly managed networks.

What helps:

Best fit: browsing on networks you do not control.

Censorship Or Stronger Surveillance

In higher-risk situations, the goal is not just reducing ads or trackers. It is making it harder to connect your browsing to you, and in some places, getting connected at all.

What helps:

  • Tor Integration — hides your network destination and IP address from the site you visit

  • Tor bridge transports such as obfs4 or Snowflake — useful when direct Tor connections are blocked

  • Auto Configure Transport in Tor settings — lets WebLibre choose a transport automatically when needed

  • Resist Fingerprinting — makes browser-based identification harder

What to expect:

  • Tor is slower and some sites block Tor exits

  • If you log in to your normal accounts, those accounts can still identify you

  • Fingerprint protection helps, but it does not make you invisible against a strong attacker by itself

Best fit: sensitive research, hostile networks, or places where Tor access may need bridge transports.

Data Brokers And Search Providers

Some companies build profiles by combining browsing signals, ad-tech data, and search activity. The goal here is to leak less information over time.

What helps:

What to expect:

  • Local search is private because it is on-device, but web searches still go to the search engine you choose

  • If you enable external search suggestions, those suggestions use outside providers

Best fit: shrinking your overall data trail, especially during normal day-to-day browsing.

Feature Guide

Feature Network privacy Tracker reduction On-device privacy Trade-off

DNS over HTTPS

Strong for DNS lookups

Low

None

Relies on a DNS provider

Block insecure HTTP connections

Strong against plain HTTP

Low

None

Some old sites may fail

Enhanced Tracking Protection

None

Strong

None

Some sites may break in Strict

Fingerprint Protection

None

Medium to strong

None

Compatibility issues on some sites

Containers

None

Medium

Low

Needs setup and habits

Profiles with Require Authentication

None

None

Strong

Depends on device authentication

Incognito Mode

None

None

Medium to strong

Signs you out or clears tabs, depending on what you choose

Tor Integration

Strong

Low by itself

None

Much slower; some sites block it

Practical Setups

Most People

Start with:

You Want Less Tracking Without Major Hassle

Add:

You Need Stronger Local Privacy On Your Phone

Add:

You Need Stronger Network Anonymity

Add:

  • Tor Integration for the browsing that truly needs it

  • Request New Identity when you want a fresh Tor circuit

  • obfs4, Snowflake, or Auto Configure Transport if Tor is blocked where you are

Choose the smallest set of protections that matches your real risk. More protection can mean more friction, slower browsing, or more site breakage.