Mozilla has rolled out its Firefox 70, the latest generation of its popular web browser. Among the leading features available on this version are more robust security options. Among them is an indicator that tells the users when they are on HTTP and HTTPS sites.
Furthermore, Firefox 70 now provides a privacy report. With this report, users can see when Mozilla’s Enhanced Tracking Protection has blocked third-party tracking cookies, cryptominers, and fingerprinting.
According to Mozilla, Firefox has already blocked 450 billion third-party tracking cookies since July. With Firefox 70, the browser now details when this occurs. Users can access the privacy report by selecting the new shield icon next to an HTTPS padlock in the URL bar.
If a user sees a frequent tracker or an advertiser they don’t want tracking them, the shield icon also hides a “Blocked” option. The security report also provides information on data breaches through the Firefox Monitor alert system.
Fingerprinting
Mozilla signaled its intentions to protect users from fingerprinting back in April. If you are unfamiliar with fingerprinting, it is a solution for tracking users as they browse. Unlike cookies, fingerprinting gives companies the ability to create a profile of the user through tracking their machine’s configuration, time zone, HTTP headers, and other factors.
Fingerprinting are much sneakier than cookies, which can often be easily blocked. Because of this, advertisers are increasingly turning to fingerprinting to follow users and send them targeted ads.
Mozilla previously added anti-fingerprinting controls, allowing users to actively block websites using the technique. As part of its recent anti-tracking initiative, Mozilla is working with anti-tracking firm Disconnect to create a list of websites that are known to employ fingerprinting.
