Yandex Browser Receives Enhanced Protection Against Online Surveillance

Yandex has released an update for the desktop and mobile versions of its proprietary browser with an additional function to protect the privacy of users’ information on the Internet.

According to the developer’s blog, Protect technology, integrated into Yandex Browser several years ago, protects users from potentially dangerous sites, malicious files, and theft of credentials and bank cards. The new version of the browser will also additionally restrict the transfer of cookies to third-party trackers.

The work of the new protection mechanism provides that websites that the user has not visited will not be able to receive and use personal data for targeted advertising, auto calls and sending spam. Previously, this function was available in Yandex Browser only in Incognito mode. The additional protection now extends to the normal Internet surfing mode.

In this case, the user will be given the opportunity to independently choose which sites can be trusted with their data. When you enter any Internet resource on which surveillance is installed, a special icon with a shield icon and a counter of filtered trackers will appear in the Yandex.Browser address bar. When you click on it, a list will be displayed in which you can mark which trackers are allowed or denied.

It is worth noting that this option is still missing in the most popular Google Chrome browser. In turn, Safari and Firefox browsers allow you to disable the cookie transfer function, but without the option to select trusted trackers.