Circle icon with RED field and tiny exclamation (!) mark, sometimes indicates, that you need to stop the load of the web page, and reload / refresh the web page.
Sometimes, reload / refresh a couple times.
Sometimes, for a well-known (to you) website such as YouTube.com, you might proceed by clicking on a button in the window, that will allow you to proceed ‘At Your Own Risk’ -kind of thing.
AFTER that daring choice, suddenly the Circle icon with the RED field and tiny exclamation (!) mark, is replaced by a locked padlock.
You could than right-click on that padlock icon, and get a lengthy pop-down menu, in which, you may find that the digital certificate is good, and all is well.
Sometimes, the reason, in general terms, for the delayed access to a website, and having to reload the web page, is a mixed bag; but basically, the website has something it wants to know, before sending more info to the browser, and Brave Browser must in turn, also be satisfied by the sequence of things received from the website.
Now follows, my crash course in Brave Browser > Settings:
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In a Brave Browser > New Window, go to: brave://settings/clearBrowserData
For tab On exit - set:
- Enable:
Browsing history
- Enable:
Download history
- Enable:
Cookies and other site data
(Signs you out of most sites) - Enable:
Cached images and files
-
Disable:
Passwords and other sign-in data
(When Enabled DELETES PASSWORDS) -
Disable:
Autofill form data
-
Disable:
Site and Shields Settings
- Enable:
Hosted app data
Click on the “Save” button.
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Return to: brave://settings/clearBrowserData
For tab Basic - set:
Time range:All time
- Enable:
Browsing history
- Enable:
Cookies and other site data
(Signs you out of most sites) - Enable:
Cached images and files
Click on the “Clear data” button.
(The “Clear data” button also saves the selections.)
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Recommended Brave Shields version is v1
In a Brave Browser - New Window, go to: brave://flags
Search for: Enable Brave Shields
- DISABLE:
Enable Brave Shields v2
- ENABLE:
Enable Brave Shields v1
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Recommended GLOBAL SHIELDS settings:
In a Brave Browser - New Window, go to: brave://settings/shields
- Enable:
Show the number of blocked items on the Shields icon
If ‘Default view’ option is available, select: Advanced view
- Disable:
Auto-redirect AMP pages
(AMP - Google’s Accelerated Mobile Page) - (Alternate setting for older Brave Browser versions, try: Disable
Enable De-AMP
atbrave://flags
) - Enable:
Prevent sites from fingerprinting me based on my language preferences
- Trackers & ads blocking:
Agressive
- Enable:
Upgrade connections to HTTPS
- Enable:
Block scripts
- Block fingerprinting (aka Fingerprinting blocking):
Strict, may break sites
- Block cookies (aka Cookie blocking):
Only cross-site
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Recommended in order to reduce influence by websites:
In a Brave Browser - New Window, go to: brave://settings/content
Scroll down to “Additional permissions” . . . and set:
- Protocol handlers:
Don't allow sites to handle protocols
- File editing:
Don't allow sites to edit files or folders on your device
- Clipboard:
Don't allow sites to see text or images on your clipboard
- Window placement:
Don't allow sites use info about your screens to open and place windows
Scroll down to “Content” . . . and set:
- Pop-ups and redirects:
Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects
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In a Brave Browser - New Window, go to: brave://settings/cookies
- Enable:
Block third-party cookies
- Disable:
Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows
- Remove all:
Sites that clear cookies when you close them
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In a Brave Browser - New Window, go to: brave://settings/cookies
Scroll down that settings page, to Sites that can always use cookies
Click the Add button
Enter accounts.google.com:443
as the site . . . but Do Not Enable
- Current Private session only
- Including third-party cookies on this site
Click the Add button
Repeat those steps for:
https://[*.]firebaseapp.com:443
https://[*.]google.com:443
docs.google.com:443
www.google.com:443
www.youtube.com:443
youtube.com:443
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Next, go to: brave://settings/content/javascript
Scroll down that javascript settings page to Allowed to use javascript
Click the Add button
Enter accounts.google.com:443
as the site . . . but Do Not Enable
- Current Private session only
Click the Add button
Repeat those steps for:
accounts.youtube.com:443
apps.google.com:443
docs.google.com:443
meet.google.com:443
play.google.com:443
workspace.google.com:443
www.google.com:443
www.youtube.com:443
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