Mozilla Firefox Debuts New Privacy Network ‘Test Pilot’ Program

Internet users looking to a better way to shield their identities, site browsing history, and other personal data online—a group that likely includes large numbers of porn fans—just got a new tool for protecting themselves on Tuesday, when Mozilla, makers of of the open-source web browser Firefox, introduced a new browser extension known as Firefox Private Network, to offer users a “secure, encrypted path to the web,” according to a report by Venture Beat.  New privacy measures have been a focus for Mozilla, with the company alleged to be working on a “super private mode” browsing feature, as AVN.com reported, that would go well beyond the limited protections offered by “private window” or “incognito” features in most browsers, to completely obscure a user’s identity online. The reported, in-development “super private” mode appears to utilize the Tor network, a worldwide system that allows anonymous web browsing, and is already available through the Tor Project itself.  The Firefox Private Network, according to a TechCrunch report, operates more like a tradition VPN (Virtual Private Network). The feature, which comes in the form of an extension which must be downloaded and installed in the Firefox browser, is designed to be especially useful for web surfers using public WiFi networks. According to a report by the digital security firm Norton, public WiFi is a notoriously insecure method to connect to the internet, and is open to a wide variety of eavesdropping and malware threats. Online passwords can be easily “sniffed” by hackers lurking in the background on public WiFi networks. But according to Mozilla, the new Firefox Private Network “encrypts the web addresses you visit and the data you send to websites. This helps keep passwords, emails, and credit card numbers safe from hackers.” In addition, much like a traditional VPN, the new Firefox privacy extension obscures a user’s location from trackers installed by advertisers, making it more difficult for corporations to track a user’s behavior online—or to know where the user is physically situated. The Firefox Private Network was released Tuesday as part of Mozilla’s newly resurrected “test pilot” program, and is available in a free beta version at this link.  Photo By The Mozilla Foundation