Mozilla Firefox Will Now Block Trackers by Default, With Enhanced Tracking Protection Feature

Mozilla, the maker of open source browser Firefox, has started blocking website cookies that can let advertisers and publishers track users across the Web. The company is blocking third-party cookies under a Firefox feature named Enhanced Tracking Protection, it had announced in 2018.

"Today, Firefox will be rolling out this feature, Enhanced Tracking Protection, to all new users by default, to make it harder for over a thousand companies to track their every move... Additionally, we're updating our privacy-focused features including an upgraded Facebook Container extension, a Firefox desktop extension for Lockwise, a way to keep their passwords safe across all platforms, and Firefox Monitor's new dashboard to manage multiple email addresses," Firefox's Senior Vice President Dave Camp wrote in a blog post late on Tuesday.

"For new users who install and download Firefox for the first time, Enhanced Tracking Protection will automatically be set on by default as part of the ‘Standard' setting in the browser and will block known 'third-party tracking cookies' according to the Disconnect list," Camp added.

Cookies are small text files that websites can store in the users' browser -- either first-party cookies from the operator of the website or third-party cookies that can come along for the ride from advertising and analytics firms.

"For those who want to see which companies we block, you can click on the shield icon, go to the Content Blocking section, then Cookies. It should read Blocking Tracking Cookies. Then, click on the arrow on the right hand side, and you'll see the companies listed as third-party cookies and trackers that Firefox has blocked," the company added.