Dolphin Zero, a New Mobile Browser That Automatically Shreds Your Browsing History

Image courtesy of Dolphin Zero

For the anti-surveillance and privacy-obsessed among us, the new mobile browser Dolphin Zero strives to make privacy the default for smartphones. Yesterday, MoboTap, the creators of the Dolphin mobile browser, introduced its pro-privacy alternative.

On the way to 80 million installations, the Dolphin browser won plaudits for its ease of use, compatibility with other devices apps (such as Evernote), and data security. MotoTap pitches Dolphin Zero as a “private browser,” which is pretty much the exact opposite of the dominant mobile browsers, Chrome and Safari. The app maker also seem to be positioning the browser for folks who dig Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging. For now, it’s only available on Android, but will soon be offered on iOS as well.

But, with a number of privacy products hitting the market, perhaps in an attempt to capture the ephemeral, anti-surveillance zeitgeist, what does Dolphin Zero actually do for those looking to duck the NSA and ubiquitous advertisers?

First of all, Dolphin Zero is free. Given that many app makers generate revenue by selling ads and user data, this would usually be cause for concern. But, targeted ads are apparently precluded because Dolphin Zero isn’t actually mining data. The company promises that it will “never collect, store or share” any of the following data: browser history, cookies, cache, location information, form data, input data, passwords, favicons, and user address book.

“With web security being such a salient issue right now, people are feeling less and less confident that companies are respecting user privacy,” said Dolphin’s VP Edith Yeung. “Even though it’s impossible to go completely untracked on the mobile web, we have done everything to make a new product that goes beyond anything that you will find in the market right now.”

Dolphin teamed with anonymous search engine DuckDuckGo, making it the private browser’s default method of search. And once users exit the browser, Dolphin Zero automatically deletes user data and information. This process is signaled by a nifty shred icon.

What Dolphin Zero doesn’t do is delete data if a user opens another app. Users have to physically tap the “Exit” button to trigger the shred function. This might be a problem for smartphone users who keep multiple apps open at any given time, or those who are absent-minded in their . But the users most likely to download Dolphin Zero in the first place will probably be the most stringent about remembering to shred data.

Do Not Track is the default setting on Dolphin Zero. This function is also available on Safari, Android, and Firefox browsers, but users are required to navigate through the phone’s settings to activate it. So it’s nice to see a mobile browser that starts with the assumption that user data should be private by default.

As more users download Dolphin Zero, especially after its iOS release, we’ll come to know just how private the app’s browsing experience truly is. The last thing that Dolphin wants is the bad press that Snapchat endured after it was proven that app’s “ephemeral,” deleted videos and images weren’t actually deleted at all.