Firefox, browser born from the work of the Mozilla foundation, is today the second most used browser in the world after Chrome and has been renewed several times, both in 2017 with Quantum, and in 2018 with a new redesigned version based on Chromium. Firefox, like all modern browsers, includes several options and features to guarantee the privacy of those who surf the internet and prevent external bodies (websites) from monitoring and tracking users' activities. Many of Firefox's security options are not enabled by default and, if deemed necessary, must be enabled manually.
Like Google Chrome (see guide to privacy and security options in Chrome), Firefox also has a tracking system that sends navigation information and statistics to Mozilla and Google. It serves Mozilla to improve its program and Google (a major Mozilla funder) to provide more targeted search suggestions and block dangerous web pages.
1) By pressing the Firefox options button at the top right and entering the options, you immediately notice, in the Privacy and security tab, that you can enable Advanced Tracking Protection (the Normal one is fine)
If you do not enable this option, some websites may track the visits of the user browsing using Firefox. By " tracking " we mean the activity that above all some advertising companies use to collect statistics on the history, sites visited and users' habits in order to sell these data or to use them to improve web marketing campaigns. You can therefore choose to block all tracers always or only in anonymous navigation. Third-party cookies can also be blocked, although this could compromise the functioning of the sites themselves.
For reliable sites you can press the shield icon on the left in the address bar and select " Disable block for this site ".
2) Search suggestions are those words that appear when searching for something using the address bar.
Firefox sends each letter you type in its box (the one at the top right) to the default search engine (Google), which in turn responds by making search suggestions appear. If you don't want any search to be tracked and if you want to disable the suggestions just go to Options> Search.
3) Safe browsing
Firefox uses the same technique as Google Chrome to detect phishing and malware sites .
As Chrome does, Firefox is automatically updated by Google with a list of malicious websites every 30 minutes. If you try to access one of these websites, you will see a Google page that warns the user about the risks that can arise if you continue with the loading of that web page. This feature is very useful, especially for less experienced users, to prevent problems and deceptions of those sites made specifically to damage or steal information.
If, however, you want to disable this protection screen and no longer receive Google's warning about dangerous sites, you must go to the Firefox options to the Privacy and Security tab and remove the cross from: " Block risk and deceptive content " which also allows to block malicious downloads.
4) Cookies
Cookies are those small files that websites release on computers when they are visited. They have a purpose to remember configuration settings or passwords or some other specific options so that, when the user returns to that site, he can find them without starting over.
Since many advertising networks use cookies to monitor internet activity, you may want to keep them under control. On Firefox, you need to go to the Privacy and Security tab, there is a section dedicated to cookies, to block them if you prefer. Alternatively, a more scrupulous way of managing cookies is by authorizing the sites, one by one, to release them manually, each time it is requested. In the same window you can then click on the " keep them up " option and choose " ask every time ".
If you really don't want to keep cookies on Firefox and prevent any type of tracking from websites, you can always enable the " clear history when Firefox closes " option. If you press on Settings, you can leave only the voice of cookies selected so, every time you stop surfing the internet, they are reset and the next time no site will recognize that you have already happened to them previously.
5) Reports and data on performance and crashes
As mentioned above, Mozilla asks the user to collect anonymous Firefox usage statistics in order to improve the browser.
Firefox can send crash reports and errors to Mozilla which will use the collected reports to resolve any bugs.
If you do not want to participate in the improvement of Firefox, you must go to the Privacy and Security tab of the options menu and, in the general section, deselect the two options: " Allow Firefox to send Mozilla technical and browser interaction data " and " Allow Firefox to install and conduct studies " and also: Allow Firefox to send pending crash reports .
It should be noted, however, that Firefox never sends crash reports automatically but always asks for user permission. The performance data relates to information on the use of the Firefox interface and the hardware of the computer used.
All the privacy options explained so far and also other minor ones have been collected in a single switch box with the Privacy Settings extension .
This extension has a settings box to enable or disable all the various security and privacy options internal to Firefox including geolocation, data tracking, anonymous statistics collection and other things
6) To improve the privacy and security of Firefox there are some truly unique extensions that even Chrome does not have.
The main ones are at least three:
Privacy Badger to prevent the execution of tracking codes on your browser;
WOT that signals dangerous sites on a reliability scale;
Ghostery to prevent the collection of personal data.
These and many others are on the page with 20 Firefox security and privacy extensions .
7) Pop-up blocker
In the Permissions section, in Privacy and Security, you can activate the pop-up blocker option and the one that prevents sites from installing additional components.
Finally, I remember that Firefox also has the option to browse privately from the browser also by default as written in the linked guide.
