Although there's an app for pretty much everything these days (including MakeUseOf!) a mobile Web browser is still an essential tool for anyone who owns a smartphone. There are plenty of browsers out there to try, but which do you currently use for browsing on the go? Welcome to this week's MakeUseOf Poll.

Pointless Privacy Policies

To answer this week’s question please scroll down the page until you see the poll staring back at you. But first, we need to look at the results from a fortnight ago, when we asked, "Do You Ever Actually Read Privacy Policies?"

Out of a total of 278 votes, 45% chose No, ain't nobody got time for that, 27.7% chose Yes, but I only scan for the basic facts, 9.7% chose No, what's the worse that can happen?, 9% chose Yes, I make sure I'm not signing my life away, 4.3% chose No, I trust tech companies intently, 1.4% chose Yes, I pore over them with a fine-tooth comb, and 2.9% chose Other.

These results are rather worrying, as they suggest that the majority of people don't bother reading privacy policies. And this is mostly down to sheer laziness, coupled with a laissez-faire attitude to the whole thing. Which is a dangerous mindset to adopt when tech companies are slowly but surely seeking to erode the very idea of the right to online privacy.

privacy-policies-poll

Comment of the Week

We received a lot of great comments, including those from Darren Forster, Mark Major, and Peter Fitzsimmons. Comment Of The Week goes to Cutler Cox, who earns our admiration and affection for this comment:

Honestly, I don’t give a damn about my privacy. I won’t give you bullshit about “nothing to hide” or “I’m an open book”, I simply just don’t care. I make a little cash selling my browsing data to google through Screenwise Trends, and call that good. Beyond that, I’m cool with them getting my data. Yes, they could probably track me. I only ensure that I don’t have my identity stolen and report spam to gmail. If I like the convenience of something, I pay for it with privacy. I won’t go off the grid, be worried about anything, or any other action.

I don’t care if a company sells my data. OH NO, THEY KNOW I LISTEN TO THIS MUSIC. I also don’t block ads or cookies, because I like my ads to get more and more targeted to me. There is no reason for me to worry because I just don’t care.

Maybe I’m just lazy. Maybe I need to care. But, I don’t.

So, who wants to buy some of my data?

We chose this comment not because we agree with the sentiments being expressed but because it was by far the most revealing comment posted by a reader. This is the kind of attitude that tech companies and others are relying on becoming the default position amongst the general populace. And when that happens, privacy will mean something very different than it does right now.

Mobile Browsing Made Better

Mozilla is currently testing Firefox for iOS, launching a new version of its Web browser for Apple's mobile operating system in, of all places, New Zealand. Why New Zealand? We don't know, but we do know it adds another solid option for smartphone users keen to browse the Web on the go.

There are a surprising number of mobile Web browsers available to use, across all of the various operating systems. However, most people will use either the built-in Android Browser, Chrome, Safari, or Opera. So much so that if one of these four doesn't top this poll then we'll literally eat our figurative hats.

We're simply asking, "Which Mobile Browser Do You Currently Use?"

Update: Unfortunately, Opera was missing from the poll for the first 12 hours. While it's now there, we regret the oversight, and apologize to all Opera users unable to register their vote.

Once you have voted in the poll above, please explain in the comments section below why you voted that way. What made you choose the mobile browser you're currently using? Have you always used that particular browser? Would you consider switching in the future? If so, why?

The more information you can provide with your comment, the more accurate our conclusions can be based on the results. The best comment of the week will win our everlasting admiration and affection. At least until we all meet back here again this time next week with a new question.

Image Credits: Sham Hardy via Flickr