New Firefox Browser To Offer More Privacy Than Rivals

The next release of Mozilla’s popular Firefox browser will include more private browsing options than ever before.

In particular, the update would block a large number of website features that are used to track and record user behaviour.

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Mozilla confirmed via its blog that the new feature is at the experimental stage, but once it is opened to the general public, it should offer enhanced privacy when compared to rival browsers.

“We’re experimenting with new features in pre-beta versions of Firefox (Firefox Developer Edition on Windows, Mac and Linux and Firefox Aurora on Android) to offer more control over your privacy, including updated Private Browsing ready for pre-beta testing,” explained a company spokesperson.

They added that “private” browsing modes usually prevent other users of the same device from seeing online history, but this only creates privacy on a local level. Firefox’s new Private Browsing will also block online features like analytics, as well as social and content services that often collect data without the user’s knowledge.

Mozilla has warned users that enabling its new features may affect the reliability of some websites, but added that Private Browsing is customisable.

“In some cases, websites might appear broken when elements that track behaviour are blocked, but you can always unblock these if you want to view the website normally. Private Browsing in pre-beta Firefox also has a Control Center that contains important site security and privacy controls in a single place.”

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The next update to Firefox will also come with a number of added security features to tackle malicious third-party add-ons. Mozilla has worked alongside developers to create a more stringent verification process to ensure that add-ons meet the browser’s security criteria.