Mozilla is readying a new version of its flagship browser Firefox designed with even more privacy enhancements in mind.
Pre-beta versions of the browser are now ready for testing with features designed to block elements of websites which track and record user behavior, the organization said in a blog post.
This includes content as well as analytics, social elements and other services that may be collecting data without the user’s knowledge.
It added:
“In some cases, websites might appear broken when elements that track behavior are blocked, but you can always unblock these if you want to view the website normally. Private Browsing in pre-beta Firefox also has a Control Center that contains important site security and privacy controls in a single place. As pre-beta testers, we need your feedback and we will use it to make the experience better for future releases. Please go to our feedback page to share your experience using the new experimental Private Browsing.”
Mozilla also plans to make third party add-ons safer by enforcing verification against a list of specially created guidelines by default.
“Add-ons may have the ability to create unwanted toolbars or buttons, collect information, change your search settings or inject ads or malware into your device,” it explained.
There was also a note about Electrolysis – a feature enabled by default for pre-beta users which is designed to run web content in a separate process from the main browser. The process is designed to improve performance, but Mozilla warned that some Firefox add-ons might not be compatible and therefore not work as expected or at all.
Other new features coming soon to a pre-beta Firefox include “an experience to help parents get added control of their children’s online experience, more ways to connect with Firefox Hello Beta and a way to bring the full Firefox experience to iOS,” Mozilla said.