Firefox Boosts Privacy with New Anti-Fingerprinting Shields
â–¼ Summary
– Firefox 145 introduces enhanced privacy protections that reduce user vulnerability to digital fingerprinting, initially available in Private Browsing and Enhanced Tracking Protection Strict mode.
– Fingerprinting uses subtle identifiers like hardware details, system fonts, and timezone to create a unique digital signature for tracking users across websites and sessions.
– Phase 2 protections block requests for installed fonts, hardware details, processor cores, and touch support, and add random noise to background images when read back.
– These new measures lower the percentage of uniquely trackable users from 35% to 20%, but Mozilla avoids aggressive blocking to prevent usability issues with legitimate websites.
– Firefox 145 is officially released without a 32-bit Linux version due to deprecated support, and users can disable protections on specific sites if needed.
Mozilla has launched a significant privacy enhancement in Firefox 145, strengthening defenses against digital fingerprinting and reducing the number of users susceptible to this invasive tracking method. Initially, these protections will only be active in Private Browsing and Enhanced Tracking Protection Strict mode. Following a period of testing and refinement, they will become standard across all Firefox browsing sessions.
Digital fingerprinting allows websites to monitor user activity and recognize individuals across different sites and browsing sessions, even when cookies are disabled or private modes are active. This technique relies on collecting subtle, often invisible identifiers, such as time zone, hardware specifications, browser details, screen resolution, system language, installed fonts, and device memory, to build a unique profile for each user.
Firefox already incorporates anti-fingerprinting technology as part of its Enhanced Tracking Protection system, which blocks many known tracking scripts that serve no purpose in improving user experience. Since 2021, Mozilla has been steadily improving these defenses, targeting the most common fingerprinting methods. These include detecting how a graphics card renders images, which fonts are present on a device, and even tiny computational performance differences.
Earlier protections, referred to as Phase 1, reduced user trackability from a baseline of 65% to approximately 35%. Now, Phase 2 protections are being introduced, which restrict access to information about installed fonts, hardware details, processor core counts, multi-touch support, and taskbar dimensions.
Key Updates in Firefox’s New Privacy Protections
The latest Firefox update introduces a series of privacy measures designed to reduce online fingerprinting. Among the most notable is a new method that adds random noise to background images only when a website tries to read them back, rather than during normal display. This approach limits tracking without affecting how pages appear to users.
According to Mozilla, these updates reduce the share of users who can be uniquely identified through fingerprinting to around 20%. However, the company acknowledges that it cannot fully eliminate trackability without compromising usability. Many legitimate tools , especially productivity and analytics services , rely on precise, real-time data to function properly. The challenge, Mozilla says, lies in maintaining a workable balance between privacy protection and operational functionality.
For users who experience compatibility issues, the new protections can be disabled on individual websites. Firefox 145 is expected to roll out officially soon, although installers are already available via Mozilla’s FTP server. One important change in this version is the end of support for 32-bit Linux systems, a decision Mozilla attributes to low usage rates and rising maintenance costs.
(Source: Bleeping Computer)
