Installing a browser is very simple, and companies have taken charge to keep it that way. The really complicated thing is to use it without all the extras that we don’t want and that hinder us when browsing the Internet, which is precisely its original purpose.
With that seemingly crazy idea of using a browser only for browsing, a developer has launched “Just the Browser”, a tool that allows you to disable artificial intelligence functions, sponsored content, telemetry and other features that many of us hate in the main browsers. I’ll tell you how it works, because you might be interested.
Browsers increasingly saturated with functions
The creator of this initiative is Corbin Davenport, software developer and technology writer. Davenport starts from a simple premise: modern browsers have moved away from their basic function to become feature-packed platforms that many users consider distractions.
And if you don’t want AI in your browser, it’s becoming increasingly difficult, since both Chrome, Edge and even Firefox They point towards a future full of AI generative, whether you like it or not. Luckily we have measures to solve thisand “Just the Browser” is one of them.
The key to Just the Browser: enterprise group policies
What’s ingenious about Just the Browser is its approach. And instead of creating a fork of another popular browser (as projects like LibreWolf, Waterfox or Pale Moon do), it uses the group policy settings that Google, Mozilla and Microsoft provide for companies and organizations.
These corporate policies allow IT departments to block certain functions on work or school computers. Davenport has taken advantage of this functionality to make it available to individual users who want a cleaner browser.
The process does not modify executable files or require additional extensions. It simply applies settings that browsers themselves are designed to honor permanently, something that doesn’t always happen with the settings that companies provide to home users.
What exactly does it remove?
Just the Browser disables several elements of your browser:
- Most generative AI features, both cloud and on-premises, with the exception of page translation in Firefox.
- Shopping integrations: price tracking, coupon codes, loan offers.
- Sponsored or Third Party Content: Suggested articles on new tab pages, suggested promoted sites.
- Reminders to set the browser as default.
- Experiences when launching the browser for the first time and automatic data import.
- Telemetry and data collection (maintaining crash reporting when the browser allows it as a separate option).
- Autostart functions with the operating system.
According to Davenport, these settings are limited in scope because each user has their own definition of what they consider bloatware. The project does not aim for extreme minimalism or install additional privacy extensions.
Simple installation using scripts
The tool is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. Your official website offers automated installation scripts that work by running a single command in the system terminal. Users can also download the configuration files directly from their GitHub page to apply them manually.
Active policies can be checked at any time by accessing ‘about:policies’ in Firefox or ‘chrome://policy’ in Chromium-based browsers. You may see a “Your browser is being managed by your organization” message, a common browser warning when group policies are applied, but nothing to raise suspicions.
The project is completely open source and Davenport hopes the community will help keep configurations up to date as browsers evolve.
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Limitations
At the moment, the tool only works on desktop computers. There is no support for mobile devices, although there are already users who have published requests on the GitHub page to add compatibility on Android and iOS systems.
Keep in mind that the effectiveness of Just the Browser depends on browsers continuing to respect these group policies. If Google, Mozilla, or Microsoft decide to remove or modify these business controls, the settings may stop working. However, since these policies are designed for corporate clients, they are unlikely to be removed without notice.
Cover image | Denny Muller
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was originally published in
Xataka
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Antonio Vallejo
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