Mozilla testing very private browsing mode

To save the web from trackers, Firefox has to break it

The Mozilla Foundation has outlined plans for enhanced private browsing in its Firefox browser.

The outfit thinks that “when you open a Private Browsing window in Firefox you’re sending a signal that you want more control over your privacy than current private browsing experiences actually provide.”

How much more privacy? Enough that Firefox may one day “actively block website elements that could be used to record user behavior across sites” such as “content, analytics, social and other services that might be collecting data without your knowledge”.

Mozilla's testing out its approach to blocking such services in a new Private Browsing feature in pre-beta Firefox builds. The organisation warns that “In some cases, websites might appear broken when elements that track behavior are blocked.”

Plenty of advertising outfits rely on tracking and analytics services, so are not thrilled with Mozilla's plans as it's already no picnic turning a quid online.

Mozilla's also trialling better verification of plug-ins, again in order to stop unwanted ads appearing but also to improving Firefox's security. ®