Cromite browser notes

Last updated : 5/8/2024 (introducing Marginalia & version bump)

Introduction

My personal notes on Cromite; the second coming of Bromite. Or the phoenix rising from the ashes of Bromite? Either way, at the moment of writing / last update (5/8/2024), I've tested the latest Cromite (127.0.6533.94) of the time.

Default connections

These default connections are found using NetGuard on 1st open (PCAPDroid is overkill for this one, even though I really liked that one). Originally tested on 123.0.6312.122 & remained as such even on 127.0.6533.94.

• www.bromite.org (legacy adblock)
• easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org (adblock)
• github.com (auto updates)
• Additional notes : The new tab shortcuts doesn't seem to auto-connect, unlike Bromite (which means deleting them to "mitigate" automatic connections are optional this time). Also unlike Bromite, default connections can actually be disabled.

Mitigating default connections

These mitigations should be done at 1st launch after installing Cromite, preferably while not connected to the internet.

Automatic updates :

• Untick "automatic checks for Cromite app updates" tickbox on 1st run, which will appear once you open the browser for the 1st time.
• If auto-update checkbox is not unticked on 1st run, go to Settings > About Cromite & untoggle "allow checking for updates".

Ad-blocking (optional - I don't need it since ad-blocking is enabled systemwide via AdAway) :

• Legacy Adblock settings
• Enter Settings > Legacy Adblock settings.
• Tap on the Autoupdate toggle to disable it. It's not like Bromite's seeing any updates, so there's no point for this one.
• Empty out the Filters URL. Optional at this point, but just to be really sure.
• AdBlock Plus settings
• Enter Settings > AdBlock Plus settings, and disable by tapping the "on" toggle. AdBlock Plus might be more up-to-date, but I'm not sure on trusting ABP since they're known to whitelist "acceptable" ads.

Personal configurations

• Search Engine : 4get.ca / Marginalia / Mojeek (Marginalia / Mojeek for independent & neutral results (relevant for sensitive topics), 4get.ca for more pragmatic results, albeit relying on one of the Big Data's proxies at a time); I start with "Bookmarks" as "default" search engine until I use either of those aforementioned search engines (I could have used the old guide but since they return search queries...).
• Password Manager : All settings not touched - native autofill remains enabled
• Payment methods : All settings not touched (disabled by default)
• Addresses and more : All settings not touched (disabled by default)
• Privacy and security :
• Clear browsing data set to all time, with everything ticked in Advanced (to ensure complete cleanup when I need to wipe out browsing history). At Startup set to automatically wipe cached image & files.
• Always use secure connections enabled (can be disabled according to user preference)
• Expire history days threshold set to 15 days or lower, following user preference.
• Preload pages set to No preloading (enforced by Cromite - can't be changed)
• "Use secure DNS" set to Off (systemwide Private DNS can be used in lieu of this option if needed)
• Stock Incognito mode settings
• Other settings are disabled and/or kept untouched unless explicitly mentioned
• Theme : System default; more on dark theme for sites in Site settings
• Homepage : Enabled
• Used for new tabs
• NewTabPage at startup disabled (just to be really sure, enable & re-launch following prompt; then re-disable & re-launch following prompt once again)
• Page opened : chrome://dino if you want to play Chromium's hidden dino game (that only appears when there's "no internet" for Chromium) or about:blank if you just wanted a blank white page. If you don't mind showing off your browser history you can stick with default homepage.
• Accessibility and UI : Untouched; change it according to your preference.
• Site settings
• Allowed : images, sound, viewport size protection
• Ask first : automatic downloads
• Blocked : 3rd-party cookies, location, camera, microphone, embedded content, motion sensors, notifications, Javascript JIT, Pop-ups and redirects (block all - Cromite defaults to "Block some popups"), Protected content, background sync, NFC devices, USB, Virtual reality, Augmented reality, Your device use, third party sign-in, Webgl, WebRTC
• Others :
• JavaScript : Disabled by default, but exceptions are made for some sites (of course, following user preference - for example, as soon as a video pop-up appears (such as those .fandom.com sites), I'm never enabling JS for that site).
• Ads : Enable / disable at your own preference; disabled by default ("Blocked on some sites"). Not relevant in most cases for me as I have AdAway to block ads (among other things).
• Autoplay : Maybe enable if you're really watching videos in an Android browser.
• Clipboard : Enable / disable at your own preference / use case.
• Desktop sites : Enable / disable at your own preference / use case.
• Dark theme for sites : Enable / disable at your own preference / use case. Stylus + some custom CSS would've been nicer, especially if the site you're applying those CSS to supports it.
• On-device site data : Enable / disable at your own preference / use case. Some sites require this for file downloads.
• Timezone override : Random (for each page)
• 1st-party cookies : Can no longer be disabled anymore. Here's hoping Cromite gets uMatrix support of any kind...
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