Tag Archives: Mozilla

Firefox Rolls Out Total Cookie Protections By Default To All Users

Firefox,

Firefox announced that it is rolling out Total Cookie Protection by default to all Firefox users worldwide, making Firefox the most private and secure major browser available across Windows, Mac and Linux.

According to Firefox, Total Cookie Protection is Firefox’s strongest privacy protection to date, confining cookies to the site where they were created, thus preventing tracking companies from using these cookies to track your browsing from site to site.

Total Cookie Protection works by creating a separate “cookie jar” for each website you visit. Instead of allowing trackers to link up your behavior on multiple sites, they just get to see the behavior on individual sites. Any time a website, or third-party-content embedded in a website deposits a cookie in your browser, that cookie is confined to the cookie jar assigned only to that website.

No other websites can reach into cookie jars that don’t belong to them and find out what the other websites’ cookies know about you – giving you freedom from invasive ads and reducing the amount of information companies gather about you.

Firefox says that this approach strikes the balance between eliminating the worst privacy properties of third-party-cookies – in particular the ability to track you – and allowing those cookies to fulfill their less invasive use cases (e.g. to provide accurate analytics). With Total Cookie Protection in Firefox, people can enjoy better privacy and have the great privacy experience they’ve come to know and expect.

Engadget reported that Mozilla launched the Total Cookie Protection feature in 2021 and previously enabled it by default only when users switch on Firefox’s privacy mode. Now, all Firefox users on desktop can enjoy the benefits it brings without having to toggle anything on.

According to Engadget, Microsoft’s Edge also has tools to block tracking cookies, but users have to manually switch to “Strict” mode to be able to prevent most cookies from tracking them across websites. DuckDuckGo’s browser has a focus on privacy, but its search agreement with Microsoft prevents it from blocking certain trackers.

Apple has instructions for Safari users who want to prevent cross-site tracking in Safari on Mac. There are simple directions for how do that. There is also an option to block all cookies. However, Safari warns that that some websites may not work if you enable Safari to block all cookies.

Overall, I’m happy with Safari. I’m going to start using Firefox when I look at social media sites because I think it will do a better job of preventing tracking and blocking cookies. If you use Safari’s “block all cookies” function – it makes websites unusable.

Mozilla Asks FCC to Reinstate Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality,

Mozilla, along with ADT, Dropbox, Eventbrite, Reddit, Vimeo, and Wikimedia, sent a letter to the FCC in which they asked the agency to reinstate net neutrality in the United States as a matter of urgency.

The letter was sent to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who was selected by President Joe Biden to run the Federal Communications Commission. She was already on the Commission, and is currently Acting Charwoman of the FCC.

In January of 2020, Ajit Pai stepped down from the FCC. He was the one who oversaw the rollback of net neutrality during the Trump administration. As such, now seems like a very good time for Mozilla (and others) to push for net neutrality.

Here is a piece from the letter sent to Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel:

We are writing to express our support for the reinstatement of net neutrality protections through Federal Communications Commission (FCC) action. As leading internet-used businesses and organizations, we believe that these fundamental safeguards are critical for preserving the internet as a free and open medium that promotes innovation and spurs economic growth. Net Neutrality enjoys bipartisan support among the American public, and many may need to rely on protections enforced by the FCC as more offices and classrooms continue to shift online settings during the pandemic. By using its authority to restore net neutrality at the federal level, the FCC can help protect families and businesses across the country that rely on high-speed broadband access and help spark our recovery.

Mozilla pointed out in their blog post that in California residents will have the benefits of net neutrality safeguards as the result of a recent court decision that will allow California to enforce its own state net neutrality law.

Mozilla made it clear that they believe that internet users nationwide deserve the same ability to control their own online experiences. They also emphasized that there is no reason to further delay the reinstatement of net neutrality once the FCC is in working order.

To me, “working order” could be a referring to the fact that there currently are two Democrats (Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks) and two Republicans (Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington). This could potentially lead to “gridlock” on major decisions. There is one vacant seat, and President Biden has the ability to choose who will fill it.

Tech Companies Urge Congress to Protect Search and Browsing Data

Privacy,

Several tech companies are asking the U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation that would prevent the FBI from obtaining people’s browser history without a warrant. The tech companies include: Mozilla, Reddit, Twitter, and Patreon.

Mozilla Corporation, Engine, Reddit, Inc., Reform Government Surveillance, Twitter, i2Coalition, and Patreon sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Jerry Nadler, and Ranking Member of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. From the letter:

We urge you to explicitly prohibit the warrantless collection of internet search and browsing history when you consider the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6172) next week. As leading internet businesses and organizations, we believe privacy and security are essential to our economy our businesses, and the continued growth of the free and open internet. By clearly reaffirming these protections, Congress can help preserve user trust and facilitate the continued use of the internet as a powerful contributing force for our recovery.

This comes after the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment to the USA Patriot Act that would create a tougher standard for government investigators to collect web search and browsing histories of people in the states.

It was a bipartisan amendment that would have required the Department of Justice to show probable cause when requesting approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to collect the data for counterterrorism or counterintelligence investigations.

Latest Version of Firefox Lets You Track the Trackers

Firefox,

The Mozilla Blog posted detailed information about all the ways the Firefox browser brings privacy protections front and center and lets you track the trackers.

In September of 2019, Mozilla announced that Firefox will block third-party tracking, cookies, and cryptomining. They released Enhanced Tracking Protection that would be turned on by default for all Firefox users worldwide as part of the “Standard” setting in the Firefox browser.

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

The Firefox Privacy Protections report includes:

See how many times Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks an attempt to tag you with cookies. Part of the Enhanced Tracking Protection prevents third-party trackers from building a profile of you based on your online activity. Now, you’ll see the number of cross-site and social media trackers, fingerprinters, and cryptominers blocked on your behalf.

Keep up to date on data breaches with Firefox Mozilla. Now, you can view at a glance a summary of the number of unsafe passwords that have been used in a breach, so that you can take action to change those passwords.

Manage your passwords and synced devices with Firefox Lockwise. Now, you can get a brief look at the number of passwords you have safely stored with Firefox Lockwise. They also added a button where you can click to view your logins and update. You’ll also have the ability to quickly view and manage how many devices you are syncing and sharing your passwords with.

I’ve been using the Firefox browser since Mozilla added the protections in September. I like that it prevents someone else from using my computer for cryptomining. I’m also happy that Firefox blocks tracking, prevents cookies, and stops websites from collecting my data.

Firefox will Block Third-Party Tracking Cookies and Cryptomining

Firefox,

Mozilla announced that Firefox 69 on desktop and Android will, by default, empower all users by blocking third-party tracking cookies and cryptominers. Mozilla calls this a major step in their multi-year effort to bring stronger, usable, privacy protections to everyone using Firefox.

For today’s release, Enhanced Tracking Protection will automatically be turned on by default for all users worldwide as part of the ‘Standard’ setting in the Firefox browser and will block known “third-party tracking cookies” according to the Disconnect list.

Mozilla notes that they first enabled this default feature for new users in June of 2019. Mozilla also points out that over 20% of Firefox users have Enhanced Tracking Protection on. With this new release, they expect to provide protection for 100% of their users by default.

Enhanced Tracking Protection, Mozilla explains, works behind-the-scenes to keep a company from forming a profile of you based on their tracking of your browsing behavior across websites – often without your consent or knowledge. Those profiles and information may be sold for purposes that you never knew or intended.

How can you tell when Enhanced Tracking Protection is working? It is working when you visit a site and see a shield icon in the address bar.

In addition, Firefox 69 will protect users from cryptominers, who attempt to access the CPU of other people’s computers in order to generate cryptocurrency for themselves. The option to block cryptominers is included in the ‘Standard Mode’ of the Content Blocking preferences in Firefox 69.

I love when companies make an effort to protect the privacy of their users. It is a rare thing in today’s world, were so many websites and corporations feel that they are entitled to harvest as much data as they can grab. It is also good that Mozilla’s Firefox 69 will block cryptominers. It is wrong (and incredibly selfish) to sneakily access someone else’s computer for the purpose of cryptomining.

Google, Mozilla, and Apple Block Kazakhstan’s Root Certificate

Privacy, ,

Three big browser makers are now blocking the use of a root certificate that Kazakhstan’s government had used to intercept internet traffic. According to Ars Technica, Khazakhstan reportedly said it halted the use of the certificate. Ars Technica reported that the actions taken by Google, Mozilla, and Apple could protect users who already installed it or prevent future use of the certificate by Kazakstan’s government.

Apple told Ars Technica that it is blocking the ability to use the certificate to intercept internet traffic.

Mozilla posted on The Mozilla Blog “Today, Mozilla and Google took action to protect the online security and privacy of individuals in Kazakhstan. Together, the companies deployed technical solutions within Firefox and Chrome to block the Kazakhstan government’s ability to intercept internet traffic within the country.”

The response comes after credible reports that internet service providers in Kazakhstan have required people in the country to download and install a government-issued certificate on all devices and in every browser in order to access the internet. This certificate is not trusted by either of the companies, and once installed, allowed the government to decrypt and read anything a user types or posts, including intercepting their account information and passwords. This targeted people visiting popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google, among others.

Google posted information on its Google Security Blog. Part of that blog post says: “In response to recent actions by the Kazakhstan government, Chrome, along with other browsers, has taken steps to protect users from the interception or modification of TLS connections made to websites.”

It continues: “Chrome will be blocking the certificate the Kazakhstan government required users to install. The blog post has more specific details about that certificate.

It is good that these companies, all of whom make browsers, are taking a stand against government intrusion into people’s privacy. I hope that these companies will take the same action whenever another government chooses to spy on its own people in an effort to sneakily discover what those people do online.

Mozilla Created a Facebook Container Extension

Facebook,

Mozilla has created the Facebook Container Extension It functions similarly to Mozilla’s Multi-Account Containers. The Facebook Container Extension was designed specifically to help Firefox users have more control of their data on Facebook.

The Facebook Container Extension helps people who are using Firefox to control more of their web activity from Facebook by isolating your identity into a separate container. Mozilla says this makes it harder for Facebook to track your activity on other websites via third-party cookies.

Rather than stop using a service you find valuable and miss out on those adorable photos of your nephew, we think you should have tools to limit what data others can collect about you. That includes us: Mozilla does not collect data from your use of the Facebook Container extension. We only know the number of times the extension is installed or removed.

When you install the Facebook Container Extension, it will delete your Facebook cookies and log you out of Facebook. The next time you visit Facebook, it will open in a new blue-colored browser (the “container tab). In that tab, you can login and use Facebook as you normally would. If you click on a non-Facebook link, it will load outside of the container.

I think this is a useful tool for people who value their privacy but do not want to stop using Facebook. It can be difficult to quit using Facebook if it is the most reliable way to contact members of your family.

It should be noted that the Facebook Container Extension is for Firefox. It won’t work on other browsers. The Mozilla blog points out that if you click on any Facebook Share buttons or other browser tabs it will load within the Facebook container. When you use those buttons, information will be sent to Facebook about the website that you shared from.