Latest Firefox Brings Privacy Protections Front and Center

TAIPEI, Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, Mozilla's Firefox has been pushing to build privacy-centric features in products that are on by default. With this move, Firefox is taking the guesswork out of how to give users more privacy online thanks to always-on features like blocking third-party tracking cookies and cryptominers also known as Enhanced Tracking Protection. Since July 2, Firefox has blocked more than 450 billion tracking requests that attempt to follow users around the web.

Much of this work has been behind the scenes -- practically invisible to users -- making it so that whenever they use Firefox, the privacy protections are working for them in the background.

But now with growing threats to privacy, it's clear that users need more visibility into how they're being tracked online so they can better combat it. That's why today Firefox is introducing a new feature that offers users a free report outlining the number of third-party and social media trackers blocked automatically by the Firefox browser with Enhanced Tracking Protection.

In some ways a browser is like a car, where the engine drives people to the places they want to go and a dashboard tells the basics like how fast they're going or whether they need gas. Nowadays, most cars go beyond the basics, and dashboards tell people much more than ever, like when they need to brake or when a car is in their blind spot, essentially taking extra steps to protect drivers. Similar to a car's dashboard, Firefox created an easy-to-view report within browser that shows users the extra steps it takes to protect them when they're online. So users can enjoy their time without worrying who's tracking them, potentially using their data or browsing history without their knowledge.

The Firefox Privacy Protections report includes:

• See how many times Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks an attempt to tag users with cookies - One of the many unseen ways that Firefox keeps users safe is to block third-party tracking cookies. It's part of the Enhanced Tracking Protection that Firefox launched by default in September. It prevents third-party trackers from building a profile of users based on their online activity. Now, users will see the number of cross-site and social media trackers, fingerprinters and cryptominers we blocked on their behalf.
• Keep up to date on data breaches with Firefox Monitor - Data breaches are not uncommon, so it's more important than ever to stay on top of users' email accounts and passwords. Now, users can view at a glance a summary of the number of unsafe passwords that may have been used in a breach, so that they can take action to update and change those passwords.
• Manage passwords and synced devices with Firefox Lockwise - Now, users can get a brief look at the number of passwords they have safely stored with Firefox Lockwise. Firefox has also added a button where users can click to view their logins and update. They will also have the ability to quickly view and manage how many devices they are syncing and sharing their passwords with.

"The industry uses dark patterns to push people to 'consent' to an unimaginable amount of data collection. These interfaces are designed to push you to allow tracking your behavior as you browse the web," said Selena Deckelmann, Senior Director of Firefox Engineering at Mozilla. "Firefox's Data Privacy Principles are concise and clear. We respect your privacy, time, and attention. You deserve better. For Firefox, this is business as usual. And we extend this philosophy to how we protect you from others online."

Check out and download the latest version of Firefox available here.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20191022/2618151-1