# Switch to Brave Browser Reason #23: Inspect what Shields blocks on each site

Tracking is easy to dismiss when it happens invisibly.

2026-08-29
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Switchboard Tech Services


![Switch to Brave Browser Reason #23: Inspect what Shields blocks on each site](https://switchboardtechservices.com/static/images/defaults/guides.webp)

## Why this matters

Tracking is easy to dismiss when it happens invisibly. Seeing blocked requests makes the risk concrete. Privacy is easier to defend before this information is collected than after it has spread.

## The protection

The Shields icon shows protections applied to the page you are viewing.

## Take action

Open the icon on sites you rely on and learn what gets blocked. A zero count does not prove that a site collects no data. Brave reduces common tracking, but a site you sign in to still knows what you do there. Ordinary browsing also reveals your IP address to the destination.

## Sources

[Brave Shields](https://brave.com/shields/).

- Categories:
  [Brave Browser](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/categories/brave-browser/)
- Tags:
  [#privacy](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/privacy/), [#Brave Browser](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/brave-browser/), [#Tracking](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/tracking/), [#Digital Self-Defense](https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tags/digital-self-defense/)

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Canonical URL: https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/switch-to-brave-browser-reason-23/

Language: en-us

Content type: guide

Author: Switchboard Tech Services

Published: 2026-08-30T00:12:40+00:00

Description: Why inspect what Shields blocks on each site matters for privacy and security.