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The landscape of internet privacy is constantly evolving and as technology progresses, there is an increasing demand for privacy-focused tools. The Mull browser, an open-source mobile browser available on the F-Droid store, is one such tool.

Mull is a privacy-oriented and deblobbed web browser that's based on Mozilla technology. With a focus on privacy, it employs several features from the Tor Uplift project and uses preferences from the arkenfox-user.js project. These features are designed to enhance the privacy of the user by preventing tracking and other forms of data collection that are common on the internet today.

Despite the privacy benefits offered by Mull, the browser isn't without its downsides. One of these so-called “Anti-Features” is that its upstream source code isn't entirely free, meaning that some parts of its code may not be open for the public to inspect or modify. However, it's worth noting that Mull is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, which allows for some degree of freedom in the use and modification of the software.

For the best user experience, it is recommended to install the Mull browser via the F-Droid client, rather than directly downloading and installing the APK file. This is because installing via the F-Droid client allows for secure downloading and update notifications.

Mull requires Android 5.0 or newer and comes with a suite of permissions that include full network access, ability to view network connections, read and write contents of shared storage, and access to location services, among others.

Mull is forked from Fenix, which is the Firefox (or more specifically, GeckoView) project for Android. It is primarily developed by DivestOS, who also develops other privacy-conscious applications and the unofficial fork of LineageOS by the same name. One of the standout features of the Mull browser is that it eliminates many proprietary blobs (read: closed-source source code) from its own source code. This is achieved using a script developed by Relan.

For the best privacy protection, it's highly recommended to install the uBlock Origin extension. uBlock Origin is a staple in the privacy community; it blocks wide-spectrum trackers, ads, and additional tracking methods on a webpage without compromising your privacy on its end.

Sources:

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/us.spotco.fennec_dos/ https://github.com/Divested-Mobile https://avoidthehack.com/blog/best-android-privacy-browsers