Have you experienced that, sometimes, websites know too much about you? You visit one page, and all of a sudden ads follow you everywhere. It's weird, isn't it? Mozilla Firefox has just created new tools to help prevent that. The newest version of Firefox (version number 145) adds stronger anti-fingerprinting protections, so you can feel a little bit more private and safer online.
With earlier versions of Firefox's privacy protections, the browser already greatly reduced fingerprinting. Now, with these new Phase 2 protections, the browser has made it much more difficult for websites to follow your activity. Previously, there was a history rate of about 65% of users who could be tracked, after phase 1 was rolled out this now dropped to 35%. And now, that number is down to only about 20%; this is a huge step!
A Few Things to Note
• The new protections work best when in Private Mode or with Enhanced Tracking Prevention and set to “Strict.”
• A small number of websites will not render fonts or pages correctly. In this case, users can turn off protection for that one site.
Just to give you a simple analogy, websites could peek behind a curtain before. Now with Firefox’s new tools, your curtain just got a lot heavier. You can start to feel better about browsing the web knowing it's a little harder for them to find you.
What Is Browser Fingerprinting?
A More-Secretive Browser Tracking Mechanism
When you visit a browser, it collects small details about your computer. For example, what is your screen size, what is your time zone, what browser are you using, what kind of fonts do you have. All those trivial details accumulate to personalize a unique digital fingerprint ~almost~ unique to you.Why You Should Care
Even if you delete cookies, or choose anonymous mode, websites can still use your fingerprint. It is another way to track you without authorization.What's New with Firefox's Update?
Massive Improvements In PrivacyWith earlier versions of Firefox's privacy protections, the browser already greatly reduced fingerprinting. Now, with these new Phase 2 protections, the browser has made it much more difficult for websites to follow your activity. Previously, there was a history rate of about 65% of users who could be tracked, after phase 1 was rolled out this now dropped to 35%. And now, that number is down to only about 20%; this is a huge step!
How Firefox Provides Better Visibility Controls
Here’s how Firefox causes confusion for trackers:- Adds some random noise to photos so that they cannot be used to identify your device.
- Reduces the number of fonts displayed, displaying the basic system fonts but not the custom ones.
- Reports fake touch settings (like always saying 0, 1, or 5).
- Always reports there are 2 CPU cores even when there are more in the computer.
- Hides part of the screen resolution in order to mitigate tracking.
My Experience Using It
I updated Firefox and tried it myself. The browser still performs the same — it’s smooth, fast, and easy to use — but now I’m more private. Fewer sites could track me, and that’s a victory!A Few Things to Note
• The new protections work best when in Private Mode or with Enhanced Tracking Prevention and set to “Strict.”
• A small number of websites will not render fonts or pages correctly. In this case, users can turn off protection for that one site.
Final Thoughts
If you would like to take control over websites following you, this Firefox update is well worth your time. These new defenses help insulate your online identity and will not slow you down in the process.Just to give you a simple analogy, websites could peek behind a curtain before. Now with Firefox’s new tools, your curtain just got a lot heavier. You can start to feel better about browsing the web knowing it's a little harder for them to find you.