How to Configure Privacy and Anonymity in Mozilla Firefox
In this guide, we’ll show you how to configure Mozilla Firefox to enhance your privacy and anonymity. These settings go beyond the standard “Options” menu and require accessing Firefox’s advanced configuration panel.
How to Disable Tracking in Firefox
To block tracking features, you need to access Firefox’s hidden settings. Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. You’ll see a warning message—click the blue button that says “I accept the risk!” to proceed.
The hidden settings window will appear. To make Firefox a no-tracking browser, you’ll need to change seven parameters. For each one:
- Type the parameter name in the “search” field.
- Right-click the resulting line.
- Select “Toggle.”
First-Party Isolation: Enhanced Privacy Feature
Mozilla introduced a privacy feature called First-Party Isolation (FPI) in Firefox version 55. FPI helps block online advertising trackers by isolating cookies for each website you visit. This means ad trackers can only see the cookies they set themselves, not those from other sites, making it much harder to build a profile of your browsing habits.
How to Enable First-Party Isolation
FPI is not enabled by default, partly because it can sometimes interfere with website authentication mechanisms. There are two main ways to enable it:
- Through Firefox settings:
- Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter.
- Search for “firstparty”.
- Enable both privacy.firstparty.isolate and privacy.firstparty.isolate.restrict_opener_access (if you experience login issues on some sites, try disabling the second parameter).
- Using an add-on:
- Install the First Party Isolation add-on.
- Restart your browser.
- You’ll find a button for the add-on in the browser’s toolbar.
Other Hidden Features to Boost Firefox Anonymity
Google Safe Browsing
This feature sends data about your online activity to Google, including files you download. While it’s intended to protect you from malicious files, you may want to disable it for privacy reasons. To do so, find and disable these parameters:
- safebrowsing.downloads.enabled
- safebrowsing.malware.enabled
- safebrowsing.phishing.enabled
- browser.safebrowsing.blockedURIs.enabled
Mozilla Browser Telemetry
Firefox collects data about your behavior and sends reports to Mozilla. You can safely disable these parameters:
- healthreport.uploadEnabled
- policy.dataSubmissionEnabled
- healthreport.service.firstRun
WebRTC Usage
WebRTC can reveal your real IP address even when using a VPN. To disable it, set the following parameter to false:
- peerconnection.enabled
DRM Usage
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is used to protect copyrighted content, such as streaming videos on Netflix. While you can’t fully remove DRM from Firefox without a special build, you can disable its most active component:
- eme.enabled
Additionally, uncheck the relevant box in the “Settings” → “Content” menu.
Disabling Geolocation
Firefox can determine your physical location, but you can disable this feature. Note that doing so may affect search results in search engines. To disable geolocation, set:
- geo.enabled
Sending Your Search History
By default, Firefox sends your search history to the search engine. To prevent this, disable:
- search.suggest.enabled
Summary: Parameters to Disable and Enable
We’ve listed six key parameters to disable for privacy. Now, here’s one you should enable:
Block Site Tracking
This option forces websites not to track your behavior. Firefox’s site blocking is very precise, and after enabling this option, we haven’t noticed any sites collecting user activity data:
- trackingprotection.enabled
By adjusting these settings, you can significantly increase your privacy and anonymity while browsing with Mozilla Firefox.