Now, the company has introduced a Tracking Protection tool for Firefox Private Browsing and Strict Traction Protection Modes known as SmartBlock that automatically blocks third-party scripts, images, and other media content from being loaded on the browser. Thus the blocking of those scripts will protect users from being tracked across sites.
Starting with Firefox 87, the latest version of the browser, users can begin to experience a new privacy feature touted as intelligently fixing webpages that are broken by actively tracking protections, without compromising on user privacy.
What is Firefox SmartBlock all about?
SmartBlock is Firefox's built-in content blocking feature, necessary for both private browsing and strict tracking protection modes, which ultimately blocks third-party scripts, and other content from being loaded from cross-site tracking lists compiled by Disconnect.
It aims to fix the issues with websites not displaying properly as a result of using old blockade techniques, as SmartBlock provides local stand-ins for blocked third-party tracking scripts. The stand-in scripts behave just like the originals to make sure that all the webpages works properly.
Also, it allows broken websites that rely on the original scripts to load with their functionality intact. The SmartBlock stand-ins are bundled into Firefox, with no actual third-party content loaded at all, so there is no chance for third-party to track users and, of course, the stand-ins don't contain any code for tracking functionality.
How to Download or Upgrade to Firefox 87
Firefox 87 is now available for download and introduces the new privacy feature called SmartBlock, which intelligently fixes up web pages that are broken by other tracking protections, without compromising on the user privacy.
But as Firefox update happens in the background, the changes will be automatic, however users can manually upgrade the browser via the hamburger menu to Help —> About Firefox, and the download should begin immediately.
No comments