I run Firefox, but I also added several security plugins:
Ghostery -- allows you to block the services that track you and report where you visit
Adblock Plus -- blocks many many advertisements that would otherwise appear.
BetterPrivacy -- removes the Flash "cookies" that do not save under Firefox directly, will prompt you to delete them when exiting FireFox
WOT (Web of Trust) -- tells you the "reputation" of websites
Flagfox -- shows a flag of the contry where the site is hosted
Tracker Blocker -- blocks trackers of your travels in internet
NoScript -- blocks Javascript from running inless you allow the site.
Ghostery will show you what services "see" you -- let you select the ones to block
AdBlock Plus -- select "EasyList" for a good general list of adsites to block
NoScript -- blocks javascript by default, so you must choose to allow "forever" or "temporarily" the javascript sites ... annoying to select the ones to allow, but at least you see them
These add several colorful status bars to Firefox but I think it is worth the effort.