A

Ad blocker

An ad blocker is a browser feature, or a browser extension, that prevents your Web browser from showing ads on webpages, videos, streams, podcasts, or apps. Ad blockers often improve your browsing experience, but can bring security risks.

AMP

AMP is a non-standard form of HTML developed and pushed by Google. AMP pages look like they’re coming from the original publisher’s site, but in fact are cached versions of these pages that live on Google’s servers. This makes AMP harmful to privacy, security, and the openness of the Web. AMP pages are often slower than the original publisher versions, too.

Anonymity

When browsing the Web, anonymity means that a website can't distinguish you from other site visitors. This is related to, but distinct from, "pseudonymity" (which refers to a site being able to recognize that you visited previously, but not know you who you are individually).

B

Big Tech

Big tech generally refers to any large technology company that makes widely-used software and hardware.

Bounce tracking

Bounce tracking is a technique used by Web trackers. It involves inserting an intermediary link between you and the website you want to visit, allowing a tracker to know you and / or your interests, and thus use this data to sell more targeted ads. This technique is also sometimes known as “redirect tracking.”

Browser

A browser (or Web browser) is an app for your computer, tablet, or smartphone that lets you look at and interact with websites. The browser “calls” the server on which a website is hosted, and then renders that site for you in an intelligible way. Note that a browser is different than a search engine.

C

Cache

Cache (also known as “browser cache” or “Web cache”) is a temporary storage area on your device that holds copies of frequently accessed webpages, images, and other online content. Allowing your browser to store some data about previously visited websites prevents the need for future requests, and helps those sites / pages load faster the next time you visit.

Client

A client is the hardware or software that accesses a service on a server. Your phone, tablet, or computer—and in some cases the software on those devices, like your browser—will be considered a client.

Cookie

A cookie is a small piece of data that a website (the server) places on your device (the client). The exact meaning of cookie contents is specific to each website. In some cases these are benign, and required for the site or app to function (e.g. to know you put an item in a shopping cart). In other cases, cookies can be used to track your browsing activity, search history, and to follow you across the Web. Note that the term “cookie” is used in two different ways: to describe a specific way of setting values on browsers; and as a general term for all ways sites can store values on clients.

E

Encryption

Encryption is a cryptography term that means a message or data is indecipherable to outside observers. In Web browsing, this can mean data is unreadable as it moves across the Internet. If the data is also only readable by the site or app you want to view, it would be “end-to-end” (E2E) encrypted. Note that E2E encryption has very specific technical requirements, and most services that claim to offer it actually don’t. Also note that in some cases the parties on the website you’re viewing can see your message content (e.g. Facebook can see what you post in the WhatsApp client).

Extension

A browser extension (usually just “extension”) is a mini-app that can be downloaded and added to a Web browser to augment it’s out-of-the-box functionality or to add a new feature. Common browser extensions include ad blockers, spell-checkers, dark-mode / visual altering tools, and crypto wallets. Extensions are usually made by third parties (i.e. not the browser), and not always policed or vetted for security / privacy risks.

F

Filter list

A filter list is a list of criteria that ad blockers and tracker blockers use to determine which content to block. This can include ads, trackers, pop-ups, cookie consent notifications, or other website annoyances.

Fingerprinting

A fingerprint is a combination of many characteristics of your browser and device that uniquely identify you to a website. Fingerprinting is a tracking technique that doesn’t rely on cookies, which more browsers are blocking by default.

First party

With a website or app, first-party means the data or resources (which can include things like trackers, cookies, scripts, etc.) loaded directly from the service itself. First-party is contrasted with third-party, where some (or all) code, images, or ads load from a source other than the site or app you're using.

First-party ad

A first-party ad is a Web ad whose content is loaded from the same domain as the page showing the ad. The domain is the part of the URL after the “://” and before the next slash. For example, the domain of this page’s URL is “brave.com.” The opposite of a first-party ad is a third-party ad, which is loaded from a different domain than the page showing the ad.

H

HTML

HTML (short for “HyperText Markup Language”) is a system of special notations that specify what a webpage should look like and how it should work. HTML is how webpages—including their text, images, tables, links, forms, and so on—are transmitted over the Internet to your device. HTML is the standard coding (or “markup”) language used to build pages that render in a Web browser.

HTTPS

HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol, Secure) is a secure version of HTTP, the standardized method by which Web browsers and Web servers talk to each other over a network. HTTPS generally protects data in transit between a server (where a website or app “lives”) and the client (the phone or computer) you’re browsing from. Some browsers now automatically upgrade sites to HTTPS, or will warn you if HTTPS isn’t available; sites where HTTPS is not available should be visited with caution.

I

IP address

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label (like 203.0.113.43) that identifies a device on a network, and allows computers to talk to each other. Any device on any network will need an IP address so it can receive data from other devices; the IP address is how the network gets data to the right place. Some IP addresses are public, while others are private. Sometimes, your IP address can be used to identify and track you across sites and apps.

ISP

An Internet service provider (ISP) can provide home or work access to the Web, along with things like domain name registration and Web hosting. For many home Internet users, being online means all data must go through some sort of ISP (and this ISP can see all your traffic and online activity unless you take steps to prevent it). Some examples of ISPs include Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon.

M

Malware

Malware is a synonym for malicious software that's designed to disrupt, damage, or steal information from a computer, server, network, or other computing device. Examples of malware include viruses, trojans, ransomware, and spyware. When browsing the Web, it’s important to take adequate steps to protect yourself from malware.

O

Open source

Open source is a classification for software that's published with publicly available source code so that anybody can inspect, use, copy, distribute, or enhance it. Open-source software is often developed in a collaborative manner, and considered a public good, free for anybody to use. The Brave Browser, Linux operating system, and OpenOffice are examples of open-source software.

P

Phishing

Phishing refers to sending fraudulent communications that appear authentic to trick users into submitting personal information or installing malware. Phishing often takes place via email, with the sender pretending to be a well known person or company. Phishing messages typically invoke a sense of urgency or panic, and compel readers to take immediate action—often clicking a link or navigating to a fake version of a website.

Privacy

In the context of computing, privacy refers to keeping personal, financial, and browsing data free from observation and not letting unauthorized parties access it. Protecting one's privacy when browsing the Web entails blocking trackers, blocking or partitioning third-party cookies, and blocking fingerprinting and other means of identifying a person and monitoring their online activity.

Private (incognito) window

A private window (or incognito window), is a browser window that forgets everything you did in it when you close it. Different browsers use different names for the same feature. Brave, Safari, and Firefox use “private window,” while Chrome uses “incognito window” and Edge uses “InPrivate window.” Note that this “forgetting” only refers to data stored on your device.

R

Randomness

Randomness is the quality of lacking organization or structure, or otherwise being unpredictable. In the context of digital security, randomness plays an important role in cryptography and encryption—often used to generate random strings of characters and numbers known as “keys.”

Retargeting

Retargeting is a specific type of ad targeting, in which you’re shown ads for something that you’ve shown interest in buying. For example, if you put an item in your shopping cart on an e-commerce site, but you don’t check out, you might start seeing ads for that item all over the Web. Those ads are retargeted.

S

Safe Browsing

Safe Browsing is a service, run by Google, that catalogs fraudulent or malicious websites. It’s integrated into several major browsers—including Brave, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox—so that they can warn you if you’re about to visit such a site. Edge uses a similar (though slightly different) service that’s run by Microsoft.

Search engine

A search engine is a type of software that enables users to search for content on the Web. Search engines produce results in the form of links to Web pages, images, videos, and more. Most web browsers have address bars that can both navigate to specific URLs, and carry out Web searches.

Security

In computer systems, security refers to the protection of data and information from theft, damage, or disclosure. For example, HTTPS is a necessary (but not sufficient) way your security is protected on the web.

Server

A server is a device or software that performs services for other devices or programs, known as clients. Servers can be physical machines, virtual machines, or software that performs server-like functions. The client-server model is the traditional and most common method for deploying apps on the Web. In the new Web3 model, nodes take the place of servers, providing more distributed and decentralized architecture.

Storage

Generally, storage refers to the process of housing digital data on a virtual or physical device, like a hard drive. It’s also common for websites to use “client-side storage,” where they store info on your device (often via cookies) that can be retrieved as needed. This is what makes it possible, for example, for you to revisit a website and see that the items you left in your shopping cart are still there.

Surveillance economy

The surveillance economy describes the business of collecting and monetizing people’s personal information at scale, and the companies that are involved in this business.

T

Third party

When visiting a website, third-party refers to the other websites and sources of code, images, and ads a website loads resources from to create the page you see. Contrast this with first-party, where the site will load resources directly from the site you're viewing. Users generally do not know which third-party resources are being loaded on a page, which can include things like trackers, cookies, scripts, and more.

Third-party ad

A third-party ad is a Web ad whose content is loaded from a different domain than the page showing the ad. The domain is the part of the URL after the “://” and before the next slash. For example, the domain of this page’s URL is “brave.com.” The opposite of a third-party ad is a first-party ad, which is loaded from the same domain as the page showing the ad.

Tracker

A tracker is a small piece of software, embedded in a website, that records your activity on the site. Trackers send information about the activity they’ve recorded to a tracking server, owned by the company that made the tracker. Web ads usually include trackers, though you couldn’t tell just by looking at an ad. Social media buttons on other sites (such as “Like” buttons) also include trackers. Most trackers are invisible.

U

URL

A URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator) is a string of letters, numbers, and special characters that identifies a place on the Internet, such as a website, and provides a method for reaching it. When browsing the Web, URLs appear in the address bar of your browser, as with https://www.brave.com/glossary. For this reason URLs are sometimes called “addresses.”

V

VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) enables data to be sent from your device over the Internet (e.g. to a website) via an encrypted tunnel. VPNs can be used to remotely access private networks, or to shield personal info like your IP address, and generally allow for added privacy and security. But note that not all VPNs are created equal.