That browser wars (opens in new tab) could soon be hot again after a bold statement fire fox (opens in new tab).
Mozilla’s own platform has declared itself as the most private and secure browsers (opens in new tab) available for Windows and Mac after launching an updated data protection tool that offers its “strongest data protection to date”.
The company’s Total Cookie Protection tool, which only blocks cookies on the website that created them instead of following a user around the web, will now be available by default for Firefox users.
Full cookie protection
“Whether it’s applying for a student loan, seeking treatment or advice on a healthcare site, or browsing an online dating app, vast amounts of your personal information is online — and that data seeps all over the internet,” it wrote company in a blog entry (opens in new tab) Announcing the news.
“It’s an alarming reality — the possibility of having your every move online being watched, tracked, and shared — and one that’s at odds with the open web we set out to build at Mozilla. That’s why we created Total Cookie Protection to help you stay safe online.”
Full cookie protection was already introduced in 2021 (opens in new tab)but users had to turn it on – although it was activated when a user turned on Firefox’s privacy mode.
Mozilla went on to explain how the system works – essentially by creating a separate “cookie jar” for each website you visit, which remains in the jar. This should mean that website trackers can no longer link your behavior across multiple websites, only seeing behavior on individual websites.
“No other websites can reach into cookie jars they don’t own and find out what those other websites’ cookies know about you – giving you freedom from invasive advertising and reducing the amount of information companies collect about you. “
According to Mozilla, this approach allows third-party cookies to fulfill some of their less invasive use cases (e.g. to provide accurate analytics) but also eliminates the worst privacy properties – namely tracking users across the web.
“With Total Cookie Protection in Firefox, people can enjoy better privacy and have the great browsing experience they expect,” the company said.
Mozilla hopes the addition will help increase its share of the global browser market, which has struggled in recent months.
Recent Statcounter data showed Firefox in fourth place with a 3.41% market share, behind strong rival Microsoft Edge (4.05%) and a far cry from longtime leaders Google Chrome (64.34%) and Apple’s Safari ( 19.16%).
