Lesson 4
Browsers and Blockers
Use your browser’s built-in protection first, add a blocker for a gap you can name, and know the two routes no browser tool can see.
Your browser already has a bouncer
Ravi installs a highly rated tracker blocker, then buys a jacket on his laptop, signed in to the shop. To see what the blocker can and can’t stop, start with what it does. Think of a bouncer with a list of names: as a page loads, the blocker checks each request against a filter list of known trackers and turns away the ones on it.
Your browser already has a bouncer built in, and it differs from browser to browser. As checked on 6 September 2026, Firefox describes partitioned cookie storage, Safari on Mac describes cross-site tracking prevention and Chrome provides third-party-cookie controls. Start there, keep the browser up to date and add a blocker only for a gap you can name.
The browser and the services you use are separate layers. The browser decides what a page’s code can do on your device; it can’t change what you hand straight to a site. On a work laptop, use what your organisation has set up rather than adding tools of your own.