Browsers
IceCat privacy rating
GNU's build of Firefox ESR containing only free software. Removes non-free components such as DRM and bundles LibreJS and JShelter to restrict JavaScript and fingerprinting.
Summary
IceCat scores 83 out of 100 (grade B) on the browsers criteria. It meets 6 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, blocks trackers by default, fingerprinting protection and no calls to big-tech services. It partly meets timely security updates. It does not meet independent audit.
Score 83 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Yes
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
Build scripts under GPL-3.0; the browser code is MPL-2.0 from Firefox.
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
Telemetry and health reports are disabled in the default settings.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
GNU volunteer project with no ads or data sales.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Yes
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
Tracking protection is enabled for all windows by default.
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Yes
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
Resist Fingerprinting is enabled by default, and JShelter is bundled.
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Yes
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
Google Safe Browsing and its update URLs are disabled.
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Partial
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Source updates follow Firefox ESR releases within days, but no official binaries are published, so updates come through GNU Guix or distribution packages.