Mozilla has announced the Tracking Protection feature by default to Firefox's private browsing mode, which started working since August.
The new tracking protection ensures that third-party trackers, including those from social networks and analytics companies, cannot receive any data from the user’s browsing session. It blocks ads, analytics and other Web features that keep tabs on users. It deletes user’s browsing history and cookies after they closed a private window.
Tracking Protection adds an extra layer of privacy to that by blocking code embedded in websites that tracks the way people behave around the Web, according to PC World. Tracking protection is designed to improve the quality of ads users see.
Mozilla vice president of product Nick Nguyen stated that the new feature brings a balance between user privacy and advertising. It also creates a public benefit that will contribute to the website’s health. Nguyen said, he hopes that advertisers and publishers will learn to adapt their advertising to the tracking block standards and design products that serve the needs of both consumers and companies.
This move is part of Mozilla’s plan in providing tools for users who want to curb tracking of their browsing habits. But it would not totally get rid of advertising or ad-based businesses on the Web. Denelle Dixon-Thayer, Mozilla’s Chief Legal and Business Officer, said that the company wants to push an open ecosystem that gives publishers and developers a way to monetize their work while balancing user privacy, TechCrunch reported.
The feature has also a new icon that shows users when one of the tabs is playing sound just like Chrome. User only have to click on the speaker icon in the tab to mute the sound, which is easier compared to Chrome where it still hidden behind a flag.
Other features introduced in this release include IPv6 support for WebRTC, remote website debugging over Wi-Fi, and Login Manager improvements.
The updated version of Firefox for the desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) is now available. Updates are also available in Firefox’s Android version too.