Engadget guide outlines Chrome privacy and security settings users can change

For privacy, Engadget recommends opening the three-dot menu in the top right of Chrome, scrolling to Settings and selecting Privacy and security. There, users should tap Third-party cookies and choose Block third-party cookies, then turn on Do Not Track. The guide notes that Do Not Track is only a request, so websites can acknowledge or ignore it at their discretion.

Engadget also points to settings outside the main Privacy and security menu. By clicking the Google profile icon instead of the three-dot menu and navigating to Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy, users can toggle off Web & App Activity, which the guide describes as a setting Google uses to extract more user data. The guide says users can also turn off Timeline, which tracks location history, and Personalize Search, which collects data to tailor search results and AI responses. To further depersonalize ads, Engadget says users can turn off personalized ads in My Ad Center. The guide adds that Chrome's privacy measures are flawed compared with a browser like Firefox, and that using Chrome for privacy may be starting off on the wrong foot, though it cites security upsides.

On security, Engadget describes Chrome as more robust than it is on privacy. The guide directs users back to Settings > Privacy and security and then to Go to Safety Check, which scans for security issues and tells users how to resolve them. The guide says Safety Check will also flag excessive password reuse and whether Chrome needs an update, and that it runs in the background to keep users alert to threats. In the same area, Engadget points to the Safe Browsing section, which has three types of protection. The default, Standard protection, watches for potentially dangerous websites, downloads and extensions. Users can turn on Enhanced protection to add an AI-powered layer of security to their searching, though the guide says it is fine to skip if users are not fond of AI-driven features. Just below that, Engadget says, users can turn on Always use secure connections, which gives an advance warning if a site does not support secure connections.

The guide also references Chrome's newer protections, including Gemini Nano scam protection and its fortnightly updates, but places the main emphasis on settings users can change themselves. Engadget's recommendations cover both limiting data collection by Google and enabling browser tools that warn about unsafe sites, downloads and connections.

Editor's Summary

Engadget published a guide on Oct. 13 advising Chrome users to block third-party cookies, disable Web & App Activity, Timeline, Personalize Search and personalized ads, and use Safety Check and Safe Browsing. The guide says Chrome's privacy protections are weaker than some alternatives but its security features can help flag password reuse, unsafe sites and insecure connections. The recommendations focus on settings users can adjust without leaving Google's ecosystem.