Firefox gets tougher vs 3rd-party cookies

Mozilla is taking a tougher stance against third-party cookies, to protect users from being tracked and profiled while browsing the Web.

 

The open-source software maker patched the Nightly (early testing) build of its Firefox browser that requires a user to interact with a site before that site can install cookies.

 

Cookies are files used to track a user's browsing, and can be used to build a profile that advertisers would find valuable.

 

"Users of this build of Firefox must directly interact with a site or company for a cookie to be installed on their machine. The patch also provides an additional control setting under the 'Privacy' tab in Firefox’s Preferences menu," Mozilla said in a blog post.

 

The proposed new default for Firefox would be to allow cookies only from domains visited by the user, with Mozilla noting its users had frequently expressed concerns about web tracking.

 

However, Mozilla said the new default is in its "very early developer build" of Firefox, and may need to pass "several months of evaluating" before it is released.

 

A separate report on CNET said the new feature was introduced into the developers' build of Firefox 22.

 

"Firefox 22 Aurora for Android includes mostly code support changes. Like the desktop version, CSS3 Flexbox, the new Web Notifications API, and improved WebGL rendering performance through asynchronous canvas updates are in the new Aurora build," it added. — TJD, GMA News