Privacy Web Browser Firefox Implements New Advertisement Tracking Feature

In the past week web browser Mozilla Firefox, known for its user privacy and tracker blocking, has implemented a new advertisement tracking feature, much to the concern of users. Firefox calls this feature “privacy-preserving attribution” (“Privacy…”).  

This feature is meant to allow advertisers to access data regarding their ad’s success without tracking personally identifiable information or user’s browsing habits. Currently, websites track all sorts of information from you when you view or click on advertisements. Web browsers, such as Firefox, were created to combat advertisers from tracking users. Firefox’s features allow users to block trackers that steal your information.  

Firefox has grown in popularity over the years as advertising has become more invasive and other browsers such as Google have attempted to destroy adblockers. However, this change comes as a shock to users as advertisement tracking is against what many believed Firefox stood for. While disappointing, Firefox claims that privacy-preserving attribution is a safe way for advertisers to learn their ad’s effectiveness while keeping your data safe.  

Instead of “websites tracking you” Firefox claims that “your browser”, Firefox, will be the one in charge of managing advertisement data. Firefox promises to “encrypt the report and anonymously submit it using the Distributed Aggregation Protocol (DAP) to an aggregation service” (“Privacy…”). This aggregation service will combine one user’s results with many others before sending the “destination website…a summary of the reports” (“Privacy…”).  

While this sounds like an agreeable middle ground many users addressed concerns that this feature was turned on by default for all users. Even if this feature eliminates tracking of personal information and could be used in the future to solve website tracking problems it is still a tracking feature that no one asked to have turned on. Thankfully, there is a simple way to disable this new feature. Here are the simple directions copied from tech journalist Pranay Parab from LifeHacker.com.  

“To disable privacy-preserving ad measurement in Firefox 128, click the three-lines icon in the top-right corner in the browser. Then, go to Settings > Privacy & Security and scroll down to the Website Advertising Preferences section. There, disable Allow websites to perform privacy-preserving ad measurement.” (Parab). 

Continue Reading This Story 

Parab, Pranay. “Firefox’s New “Privacy” Feature Actually Gives Your Data to Advertisers.” Lifehacker, 16 July 2024, lifehacker.com/tech/why-you-should-disable-firefox-privacy-preserving-ad-measurements 

“Privacy-Preserving Attribution | Firefox Help.” Mozilla.org, 2022, support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/privacy-preserving-attribution