Mozilla has announced that it is now offering a couple of new privacy- and security-focused features its web browser — Firefox. It is rolling out the new features with the early-adopter versions of the browser.
With the new features, the company is now blocking crypto mining and fingerprinting, which work pretty much like anti-tracking blocks in the current version of Firefox. The company has partnered with Disconnect to include scripts that prevent your browser from loading disingenuous content.
However, as of now, the crypto mining and fingerprinting blocks will be disabled by default but Mozilla says that these settings will be turned on by default in future nightly versions of Firefox 68.
How to enable these new features?
- Go to browser setting and select “Privacy & Security”
- Then go to “Content Blocking” and then “Custom”
- Now select the checkbox of both “Cryptominers” and “Fingerprinters” to enable them
What is “fingerprinting”?
Fingerprinting has become a popular mechanism for tracking web users as they move across the internet inside a browser. It works independently of cookies and allows companies as well as advertisers to build a profile of an individual over time through tracking a mixture of signals from their machine’s configuration, such as time zone, screen resolution, HTTP headers, and more.
This technique happens to be against Mozilla’s recently announced anti-tracking policy, which is why it is working with anti-tracking company Disconnect to compile a list of known domains that serve fingerprinting scripts.
What is “cryptojacking”?
Malicious cryptomining is also referred to as “cryptojacking,” which is when website operators surreptitiously leverage the power of a user’s computer to mine for the cryptocurrency. This not just slows down a machine, but it can also drain the battery and drive up electricity bills.
With each new feature introduction in Firebox, it’s clear that Mozilla is going all-in to make Firefox as the ultimate privacy- and security-focused browser. The company had previously launched a Facebook Container add-on that isolates all your web browsing activity from Facebook.
Apart from these, Mozilla has also launched a password management tool called Firefox Lockbox. It has also introduced a Firefox-branded tool that tells you if your email address has been part of an online breach anywhere.
