Mozilla Firefox starts blocking third-party trackers by default

Firefox now blocks thousands of third-party trackers by default, protecting users from websites, analytics companies, and advertisers. This change should speed up the browser and make the user’s online habits more private while reducing the intrusion of advertisers. But Mozilla doesn’t do what Apple did when it added similar features to Safari a few years ago. By default, Apple browser blocks almost all third-party trackers, not just known trackers collected in the blacklist. Apple’s approach further protects user privacy, but it can also mean users have more headaches. By actively blocking cookies, Apple’s browser may disrupt the user experience of certain websites.

Mozilla tried to block only known trackers instead of all cookies, a spokesperson said, and the company found that blocking all cookies caused some sites to fail. Anyone who wants more protection can go into Firefox’s settings and make change tracking to block settings from the default “standard” option to the “strict” option.

Starting today, by default, all new Firefox users will enable tracker blocking and it will be the default for Firefox users in the coming months. Although Firefox is not a leader in blocking trackers, it is still ahead of Google’s Chrome browser, and Google’s browsers are just beginning to get involved in limiting tracking.

Via: VentureBeat