Mozilla, the non-profit behind the Firefox browser, plans to integrate some of the privacy settings from the iron-clad Tor browser.
Tor is based on the Firefox Extended Special Release version, but brings extra privacy and security settings which help keep users anonymous.
The features could enable users of Firefox to browse the web with less risk of fingerprinting and outing of whistleblowers and journalists.
Related: Firefox for Android now supports Tor
The features (via Ghacks) are likely to be integrated into an updated version of Firefox 50, which already contains a number of features from Tor in pre-release.
Currently users have to enable them manually but they could be more readily available for mainstream Firefox users in the future.
If you’ve never used the free Tor before it protects users by “bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world.
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With continued concerns over the monitoring of web traffic in the post-Snowden era, these changes would be welcome.
Perhaps we can expect Mozilla to explain to users how to access them in future versions?
Would you welcome a tougher version of Firefox into your web browsing arsenal? Share your thoughts below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
