Firefox gets built-in containers for privacy and multi-account browsing
Firefox Containers is currently being rolled out as a preview.
Mozilla Firefox logo seen on a smartphone screen. Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty.
- Mozilla added Containers to Firefox 153 as a preview, letting users separate accounts and cookies inside one browser.
- Containers isolate browsing activity, limiting ad tracking and keeping work, personal, and privacy-sensitive sessions separate.
- Mozilla also plans Firefox updates every two weeks from September 1 to deliver fixes faster and reduce security risks.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Mozilla has added a new feature to Firefox called Containers, which separates cookies and accounts, thereby limiting the impact of tracking.
Before, users who wanted to keep work, personal, and privacy-sensitive browsing separate without using multiple web browsers or creating numerous profiles had to rely on the Firefox Multi-Account Containers extension.
As of now, installing this extension belongs to the past.
On Tuesday, Mozilla launched Firefox version 153, including a preview of Containers. The goal is to offer users the option to log in to different accounts in the same browser, while keeping cookies and ad trackers isolated within each container.
This means that stuff you do in one container isn’t seen by other containers. No longer will you search for a new hat to wear to a party, only to be inundated with ads for hats at every twist and turn on the internet for weeks to come,Mozilla says in a blog post announcing the newest feature.
The web browser developer aims to simplify users’ workflow by letting them manage their containers directly from their browser, offering them more privacy and less tracking.
Not all of the features of the Firefox Multi-Account Containers extension are available in the current preview, but they will be in due time as Mozilla is currently building them out. In the meantime, users can continue to use the add-on for the full experience.
“This release represents our first step in making Firefox more adaptable to how you actually live and work online. While this is just the beginning, we have plans to refine this experience and build a foundation for future features that make context separation even more seamless,” Mozilla promises.
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Earlier this month, the Firefox developer said that it would accelerate the update process.
Starting September 1st, Mozilla will no longer update its web browser only once a month, but once every two weeks. This is to close the gap between discovering new bugs and hackers exploiting them.
“The goal is to give work that is ready to ship more frequent opportunities to reach users, while making the release process more predictable and reducing pressure on uplifts,” Sylvestre Ledru, Director of Engineering at Mozilla, stated.
