Firefox 69 Launches with Enhanced Tracking Protection
Mozilla has released Firefox 69, the latest version of its browser, for all supported platforms, including Linux, Android, macOS, and Windows. This update brings several improvements, with a strong focus on security and privacy features.
Key New Features in Firefox 69
- Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP): One of the main highlights is the default activation of Enhanced Tracking Protection. This feature automatically blocks third-party tracking cookies and cryptominers, helping to protect users from online tracking and unwanted resource usage.
- Optional Fingerprinting Protection: Users now have the option to enable blocking of technologies that create digital fingerprints, further enhancing privacy.
- Adobe Flash Player Changes: As part of the gradual phase-out of Adobe Flash Player, Firefox 69 now requires users to manually enable the Flash plugin each time Flash content is detected on a website. Additionally, the browser no longer needs to identify a 32-bit version running on a 64-bit operating system, reducing the number of factors that can be used for fingerprinting via the user agent.
- Automatic Video Playback Blocking: Firefox 69 introduces a feature that blocks the automatic playback of videos, regardless of whether they have sound or not.
Additional Information
Recently, Microsoft also announced its plans and timeline for discontinuing Adobe Flash Player support in its browsers.
Sources and Further Reading
- Official Mozilla Firefox Release Notes
- Related announcements from Microsoft