I feel sorry for people who use the bundled browser which comes with their operating system. The bundled type must be designed to leave the user at the mercy of advertising agencies and give away so much information about the user.
Well, theophile while your statement above has some credibility, it has been in my observation & experience for yrs., that most folks (from the many machines brought to me by friends) are ignorant, sloppy, & or lazy & can`t seem to be be bothered to initially spend the time to explore & "delve deeply" into looking into all their OS` security & privacy settings, that are always wide open by default when they first set up their computer to switch them them to higher level, or maximize privacy which can stop a lot of the issues I see reported on these type threads.
I use Win 11 Pro on this internet laptop, and "Microslop`s" EDGE browser & DDG as my selected search engine and also use it as a second browser for specifically watching YT ad free videos as a "visitor" (non registered/subscribed) on YT`s site.
The only advertisements that I`ve ever encountered on A/K (my only social network ever) as a non subscriber is the upper right hand of the page`s cyclic non annoying ad banner, and that`s it, while logged in.
I run all my multiple open internet pages, but YT, with EDE`s security & privacy settings fully maxed out & use EDGE`s InPrivate function/option for all my internet uses through EDGE.
No third party ad blockers, or VPN, and since running my computer with Win 11 & using the EDGE browser I have never had any issues going to any internet site with denying/refusing to access to their site, if anything pops up on the page, it is only some kind of cookie permission request, which I always deny, and the site allows me full access.
My lack of internet issues might also stem from having zero MS accounts ever of any and all types, & all my computers are configured for local account (no cloud, Mydrive, 365 crap, and all MS bloatware was uninstalled before I even initially connected each Win 11 machine to the internet to initially digitally register and has stayed that way, with the only 3rd party software on all of my computers is Spybot`s Anti Beaconing, and a excellent fully complete registry level uninstaller (Revo)
If my totally (very, very little YT help) self taught computer knowledge lame ass old fart (soon to be 72 yrs. old) can figure how to thwart all this ever increasing privacy invasive internet crap, I find it hard to understand why other younger computer schooled/experienced folks can`t achieve the same or even better results.
I`m doggedly determined to have my machines always operate in the manner acceptable to my crap free desired use, until MS decides to disable software brick them, then I`ll fully wipe the drive with Dband drive DOD level format and go with something like Linux, etc.
