For many people, a confusing tangle of cyberjargon and misinformation have combined to make the idea of turning to the web for election information a weird proposition. We can’t let this happen, which is why Firefox is bringing together two tools you can use in the browser to help you to stay strong and safe on Facebook this election season.
The same fast browser you know and love, is supercharged, with the addition of these two easy-to-use tools that offer you more transparency and control on Facebook, a place that so many of us turn to for connection and information.
How can Firefox help?
Firefox is featuring two add-ons: ProPublica’s Political Ad Collector and the Facebook Container. The ProPublica tool collects the ads you’re seeing on Facebook and sends them to ProPublica’s public database for researchers, journalists, and digital citizens to help increase transparency and accountability around political advertising.
It also shows you the full range of political advertising that you’d otherwise not see. This is key because Facebook’s own ad viewing system provides no easy way to browse the latest ads and people only see their own news feeds.
The Facebook Container extension for Firefox isolates your identity into a separate container tab, making it harder for Facebook to track you as you go about your business on the web.
More power to you
We’re doing this to make it easy for people across the political spectrum to participate this November and beyond.
We want to help make sure that the web isn’t being used to manipulate, misinform, and limit you from accessing all the information you need to make an informed choice.
In addition to the Firefox election tools, we have other resources to help you.
Check your registration status: Firefox and Vote.org are making it easy for you to see if you’re ready for November.
Pocket’s Midterm Feed: Fact-based reporting and analysis now through November from trustworthy sources, curated by Pocket.
IRL: This podcast episode helps people deal with the swirl of online disinformation that is impacting elections. It features New York Times bestselling author Baratunde Thurston and the newspaper’s Scott Shane.
Misinformation Nation: Watch our Mozilla’s original documentary short film, Misinfo Nation: Misinformation, Democracy, and the Internet. Because while it may seem like we’re living in a world divided, the truth is out there.
