Mozilla, developer of Internet browser Firefox, recently released a new app called the Focus. It was released exclusively for iPhones and iPads. Mozilla claims that the app can load webpages faster than traditional browsers.
The new app, Focus for Firefox, is not a full browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Instead, it is a plug-in for Apple's browser, Safari. Firefox claims that Focus can make webpages load faster than usual by blocking ads that track user browsing behavior.
What separates Focus for Firefox from other ad-blocking software is that it is free to download. Mozilla also specified that the app does not try to block ads. Instead, it was developed to stop ad trackers from snooping into users' browsing habit. Ads that do not track user browsing behavior will still show up.
Tech experts are divided on the debate whether content and ad blockers have direct effect to a website's advertising revenue. Apple jumped into the debate earlier this year by allowing developers to create content blockers through its latest version of the iOS mobile operating system.
In a statement obtained by Fortune, Mozilla legal and business officer Denelle Dixon-Thayer said, "We want this product to encourage a discussion about users and content providers, instead of monetizing users' mistrust and pulling value out of the Web ecosystem."
Mozilla claims that by targeting ad trackers instead of advertising in general, the company is creating a middle ground which is profitable for both website operators, app developers and advertisers.
The Focus app will only work with the mobile version of Safari. Despite being developed by Mozilla, Focus will not work with Firefox for iOS, according to the company's official blog.