Mozilla Firefox Rolling Out Cross-Site Tracking Protection By Default for All Users

The update comes from Total Cookie Protection that was enabled by default for Private Browsing last year.

Advertisement
By Jagmeet Singh | Updated: 14 June 2022 18:30 IST
Highlights
  • Mozilla Firefox is taking on Chrome and Edge with its update
  • Total Cookie Protection helps restrict tracking of users' Web behaviour
  • Firefox Focus added Total Cookie Protection earlier this year
Mozilla Firefox Rolling Out Cross-Site Tracking Protection By Default for All Users

Mozilla Firefox uses "cookie jar" to confine cookies to sites where they were created

Photo Credit: Mozilla

Mozilla on Tuesday announced that it is rolling out Total Cookie Protection by default for all Firefox users to restrict companies to track your browsing patterns from one site to another. The security feature, which is essentially meant to protect users from cross-site tracking, was until now available only in Private Browsing. Mozilla claimed that by making Total Cookie Protection by default, it has made Firefox the most private and secure major browser available across Windows and Mac.

Marketers often use cross-site tracking as a technique to understand user browsing behaviour and then serve them with targeted ads. It is possible through one of the easiest ways by accessing cookies — small pieces of data with identifiable information — from different sites.

Once the data is obtained through trackers, sophisticated profiles are built to track how you access the Web — whether it is about what goods you purchase online or what pages you like or share on a social network.

Mozilla wants to turn this kind of tracking down using its Total Cookie Protection. The feature confine cookies to the site where they were created by creating a separate "cookie jar" for each site you visit. It restricts trackers to see your behaviour only on individual sites and not by linking up your browsing patterns from multiple sites.

Advertisement

Mozilla's Total Cookie Protection restricts trackers to see your behaviour only on individual sites
Photo Credit: Mozilla

Advertisement

 

Total Cookie Protection was designed as an upgrade to Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) that Mozilla introduced back in 2018. The earlier solution allowed Firefox to block trackers based on a maintained list. However, attackers were able to thwart ETP by setting up a new tracking domain that was not a part of the list used by the feature.

Advertisement

"Total Cookie Protection is the culmination of years of work to fight the privacy catastrophe that stems from online trackers," Mozilla said in a blog post.

The nonprofit added that the latest extension of Total Cookie Protection is a result of experimentation and feature testing that was first started with ETP Strict Mode last year that came with the new cross-site tracking confinement.

In June last year, Mozilla rolled out Total Cookie Protection by default for Private Browsing windows. It also extended the feature to Firefox Focus on Android earlier this year.

"Bringing Total Cookie Protection to all Firefox users is our next step towards creating a better Internet, one where your privacy is not optional," Mozilla said.

Unlike Mozilla, Google has not yet integrated a solution to protect users on Chrome from cross-site tracking. It did propose to block tracking via cookies by January. The search giant, though, delayed that rollout until 2023.

In 2019, Microsoft introduced tracking prevention as an experimental feature on Edge. It later became an integral part of the Edge browser for all users.

The tracking prevention on Microsoft Edge helps users block third-party and known malicious trackers in three different levels. However, Mozilla alleged that Microsoft's implementation of the feature implementation "is no more than privacy theatre as it doesn't protect users from the biggest trackers on the Web."


Missed Apple's WWDC 2022? We discuss every major announcement on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo Y400 Pro 5G India Launch Date Confirmed; Design Revealed
  2. Realme Narzo 80 Lite 5G Launched in India With 6,000mAh Battery: See Price
  3. Apple to Release First Public Beta Update for AirPods 4, Other Models in July
  4. Boat SmartRing Active Plus Launched in India: Check Price, Features
  5. Gemini Code Assist Gets Better With New Personalisation and Chat Features
  6. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Price Lowered on Amazon
  7. Realme Narzo 80 Lite Launching Today: All You Need to Know
  1. Oppo K13x 5G India Launch Date Set for June 23; Price Range, Key Features Revealed
  2. Google Tests AI-Powered Audio Overviews in Search Results for Certain Queries
  3. Boat SmartRing Active Plus With SpO2 Monitoring, Heart Rate Tracking Launched in India
  4. Axiom-4 Mission Launch Carrying Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Set for June 19
  5. Apple to Release First Public Beta Update for AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) in July
  6. Google Adds New Features to Gemini Code Assist, Integrates Gemini 2.5 Pro Capabilities
  7. Google Pixel 10 Could Debut With Magic Cue AI Feature That Suggests Actions Based on App Usage
  8. ROG Xbox Ally Pre-Orders to Reportedly Begin in August; European Pricing Tipped
  9. Realme Narzo 80 Lite 5G With 6,000mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Specifications
  10. Google Pixel 10 Series Said to Offer Improved Audio With Upgraded Speakers
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.