Firefox August 2015 news: Mozilla tests true stealth mode Internet browsing for Firefox

By Lorraine Caballero, Christian Post Contributor Monday, August 17, 2015

Mozilla is testing improvements in the Firefox browser that will enable users to experience a true stealth mode in Internet browsing.

Although users can choose the "Do Not Track" system while Internet surfing via major browsers, there are many companies that monitor users from website to website. Mozilla, on the other hand, has been honoring the Do Not Track option and is now looking to totally block website elements that third parties can use to monitor browser behavior, according to Computer World (CW).

Mozilla has designed an experimental tool that will prevent ad networks, analytics firms, and other third parties from using cookies and browser fingerprints to track Internet users. On Friday, Mozilla announced that the new tool can now be used in the Firefox Developer Edition on Windows, Firefox Aurora on Android, and Mac and Linux.

As of now, the stealth browsing tool is in its pre-beta stage, but Mozilla is aiming to incorporate the final versions into the Firefox browser.

The experimental tool works by preventing data-hungry sites from loading properly, thus blocking its ability to record and track browser behavior. But users can also choose to unblock certain websites, the report explains.

Because of the new tool, users can now see which add-ons could sneakily collect browser fingerprints or install malware without their consent. Mozilla is hoping that the tool will help Internet users avoid being redirected to a different site posing as a helpful page but will later on trick the user into clicking on a link that will install either a malware or a virus, BABW News reports.

"We've worked with developers and created a process that attempts to verify that add-ons installed in Firefox meet the guidelines and criteria we've developed to ensure they're safer for you," BABW quotes Mozilla's statement in a blog post.

Commercial companies are able to show Internet users targeted users once they have tracked their web browsing behavior. But now, a lot of users are blocking these targeted ads by installing AdBlock Plus, Ghostery, and other ad-blocking software or browser extensions.