What “anonymous browsing” can mean in practice

Many people use “anonymous browsing” to mean reducing how easily sites and trackers can connect your visits to you. In real-world terms, you can usually reduce tracking and linkability, but you generally can’t eliminate all identification signals.

A good mental model is: browsers send information to websites, and websites may also receive data via trackers, cookies, and network metadata. Browser privacy settings mainly target cookies and tracking scripts, and they can isolate or limit where identifiers are stored.

How Firefox privacy settings work (and how to configure them)

Firefox privacy typically relies on a combination of cookie controls, tracking protection, and optional isolation modes.

Start with these concepts:

  • Tracking protection / blocking trackers: Helps limit third-party tracking behavior during browsing.
  • Cookie policies: Control whether cookies are accepted, especially third-party cookies, and whether they are cleared.
  • Private browsing: Uses an isolated session so data collected during that session is not retained the same way as in normal windows.

Practical configuration approach for Firefox:

  1. Enable Tracking Protection in the browser’s privacy settings (wording can vary by version). Choose a mode that blocks trackers rather than merely warning about them.
  2. Adjust cookie settings to restrict third-party cookies where possible.
  3. Use Private Browsing when you want the session state to be less persistent.

How it works:

  • When trackers can’t set or read identifying cookies as easily, websites have fewer direct mechanisms to link your activity across sites.
  • When you use private browsing, persistent storage is reduced, so identifiers stored by the session should not remain after you close the window.

Limitations to keep in mind:

  • Some websites still identify you via site login, URL-based mechanisms, or content that doesn’t rely on third-party cookies.
  • Even with cookies blocked, browsers and devices still expose technical signals that can contribute to fingerprinting.

How Safari privacy settings work (and how to configure them)

Safari privacy focuses heavily on cookie and tracking controls, along with session isolation features.

Key ideas:

  • Preventing cross-site tracking: Helps reduce how third-party services follow you across different websites.
  • Cookie handling: Restricts how cookies are stored and used.
  • Private windows: Provide session isolation while the private window is open.

Practical configuration approach for Safari:

  1. Turn on relevant tracking prevention options in Safari’s privacy settings.
  2. Check cookie-related preferences to ensure third-party cookies are limited according to your goals.
  3. Use a Private Window for isolated sessions.

How it works:

  • Tracking prevention reduces the effectiveness of third-party tracking systems that rely on cookies and cross-site request patterns.
  • Private windows isolate browsing session data so it’s not kept as readily after closing.

Limitations to keep in mind:

  • If you sign in to accounts, that identity can still be used even if tracking is reduced.
  • Fingerprinting-style signals (from browser/OS characteristics and consistent request behavior) may still exist.

Differences you should expect between Firefox and Safari

Because Firefox and Safari implement privacy features differently (names, defaults, and scope), your results will vary.

Common differences to look for:

  • Where controls live: Firefox may emphasize tracking protection modes; Safari may emphasize tracking prevention and cookie handling.
  • What gets blocked vs. merely limited: Some settings block more aggressively, while others reduce tracking but allow some functionality.
  • Session isolation behavior: Private/isolated modes can differ in what they clear and when.

A practical way to compare:

  • Change one setting at a time.
  • Visit a couple of sites that show cookie/tracker prompts or site behavior changes.
  • Observe whether cookies are set, whether trackers are blocked, and whether you remain logged in.

Practical checks to confirm your browser is behaving more privately

Instead of assuming the setting “works,” verify with a few quick, non-technical checks.

  1. Look at cookie prompts and banners If you see fewer third-party cookie prompts after enabling stricter settings, that’s a sign cookies are being restricted more than before.

  2. Check whether you stay logged in If you want less identity persistence, sign out before testing and then open a private window. If you remain logged in, that’s expected for some sites and account mechanisms, not necessarily a failure of browser privacy.

  3. Inspect session persistence after closing Use a private window, perform a few actions, then close it. Reopen normally and see what persists (e.g., whether certain local data or sessions remain).

  4. Watch for site functionality trade-offs Stricter blocking can break features like embedded content, site preferences, or account flows. If a key site breaks, you may need to adjust within privacy controls (for example, allowing first-party cookies for that site) rather than disabling all privacy protections.

  5. Use browser developer tools cautiously If you’re comfortable, you can check network requests and storage to see which cookies are being set or blocked. Don’t treat this as “proof of anonymity,” but as evidence of how settings are affecting identifiers.

Bottom line

For more private browsing in Firefox and Safari, focus on tracking protection/prevention, cookie restrictions, and private/isolated sessions. Then validate with simple checks: cookie prompts, persistence after closing, and whether site identity (like logins) remains.

Accept the limitation: privacy settings typically reduce tracking and linkability; they rarely deliver true, complete anonymity. If your goal depends on removing all identifying signals, you’ll need a broader threat-model discussion beyond browser settings alone.