{"id":11790,"date":"2018-10-23T06:01:46","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T13:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/?p=11790"},"modified":"2018-10-23T13:10:28","modified_gmt":"2018-10-23T20:10:28","slug":"latest-firefox-rolls-out-enhanced-tracking-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/blogarchive\/blog\/2018\/10\/23\/latest-firefox-rolls-out-enhanced-tracking-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest Firefox Rolls Out Enhanced Tracking Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Firefox, we\u2019re always looking to build features that are true to the Mozillia mission of giving people control over their data and privacy whenever they go online. We recently announced our approach to Anti-tracking<\/a> where we discussed three key feature areas we\u2019re focusing on to help people feel safe while they\u2019re on the web. With today’s release, we’re making progress against “removing cross-site tracking” with what we’re calling Enhanced Tracking Protection. To ensure we balance these new preferences with the experiences our uses want and expect, we’re rolling things out off-by-default and starting with third-party cookies. You can learn more details about our approach here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a tracking cookie and why do I need to block them?<\/h2>\n

Cookies have been around since almost the beginning of the web. They were created so that browsers could store small bits of information, like remembering that you\u2019ve already logged into a site. Like any technology, cookies have many uses, including ones that aren\u2019t so easy to understand. These include the use of cookies to help track your behavior across the internet, a technique known as cross-site tracking, mostly without your knowledge. We go more in-depth about this in our Firefox Frontier blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all had the experience of seeing ads change based on browsing, even across multiple websites. These ads are often for things that you have no interest in purchasing, but the economics of the internet make it easy to cast a wide net cheaply. Maybe this seems like no big deal, but we think that you should have a say in how this data is used. After all, it\u2019s more than just an annoying pair of shoes following you around, it\u2019s data that can be used to subtly shape the content you consume or even influence your opinions.<\/p>\n

At Firefox, we believe in giving control to the people, and hence giving users the choice to block third-party tracking cookies and the information collected in them.<\/p>\n

Introducing Firefox\u2019s Enhanced Tracking Protection<\/h2>\n

With today\u2019s Firefox release, users will have the option to block cookies and storage access from third-party trackers. This is designed to effectively block the most common form of cross-site tracking.<\/p>\n

To find this new option, go to your Firefox Options\/Preferences. On the left-hand menu, click on Privacy & Security. Under Content Blocking click the checkbox next to \u201cThird-Party Cookies\u201d and select \u201cTrackers (recommended)\u201d:<\/p>\n

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Block cookies and storage access from third-party trackers<\/p><\/div>\n

You might see some odd behavior on websites, so if something doesn\u2019t look or work right, you can always disable the protection on a per site basis by clicking on the Shield Icon in the address bar, and then clicking “Disable Blocking For This Site”.<\/p>\n

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Disable the protection on a per site basis<\/p><\/div>\n

We\u2019ll continue to test this feature and hope to release it by default early 2019. Developers and site owners can read about the specifics of the functionality here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additional features we\u2019re introducing in today\u2019s Firefox release include:<\/h2>\n