Ghostery is releasing new versions of its browsers for iOS and Android. In fact, Product Manager Jeremy Tillman said that this is the first major update of Ghostery's mobile browsers in several years.
Not that mobile was not a priority for the team before this, but Tillman said: "In our previous company, we did not have a ton of resources, we always had to choose what things to work with". Apparently that changed last year with the acquisition of Ghostery by the German browser company Cliqz.
The first major release after the acquisition was Ghostery 8, the latest version of the extension focused on desktop privacy for desktop browsers. The following: Take those features to the mobile.
Tillman said the goal was to create "a browser that can work hand-in-hand with Chrome" and at the same time incorporate the privacy protection capabilities of Ghostery . These capabilities include the ability to block different types of ad tracking per category (tracking for advertising, adult advertising and site analysis are enabled by default).
There is also a built-in ad blocker, and Ghost Search, a privacy-focused search engine based on Cliqz technology that does not store any personally identifiable information. (If you are not satisfied with the results of Phantom Search, you can also see the results of other search engines). The presentation is different from a standard search engine, with three "dynamic results cards" that show the content as soon as you start entering search terms. And there's Ghostery Tab, a home screen that highlights your favorite or most visited sites, as well as the latest news.
The Android version includes additional features, including anti-tracking and "smart blocking" driven by AI that is supposed to improve page performance.
Tillman described the result as "a cleaner, faster and safer mobile browsing experience." He also said that, from now on, Ghostery will work to provide "an ecosystem of products" that "protect our users wherever it is interacting with the Internet."
The launch occurs when the large Internet platforms They face increasing scrutiny on how they handle user data. "Tillman argued that by simply giving consumers a more privacy-friendly alternative," We are somehow collectively negotiating a better Internet for them "- and he hopes Ghostery can get more involved. as publishers try to find alternatives to advertising.
Our goal is not, for example, to overthrow Google and Facebook, but to offer that alternative to those who want it, both for the creators of content and for the users themselves ", He said.