Mozilla recently announced that its anti-tracking feature, known as “Total Cookie Protection”, is currently being rolled out to all Firefox users. Total Cookie Protection has previously been included as an experimental feature available only in the “Strict” mode of Firefox’s “Enhanced Tracking Protection” and in “Private Browsing” mode, but will now be included by default in Enhanced Tracking Protection’s Standard mode.
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What Is Total Cookie Protection
Total Cookie Protection works in much the same way as the cookies “First-Party Isolation” feature in the new Mullvad browser. Cookies are isolated per website thereby not allowing third parties to track users across the web. Mozilla explains it thus:
Total Cookie Protection builds a fence around cookies, limiting them to the site you’re on so third parties can’t use those same tracking beacons to follow you from one site to the next.
I am currently running Firefox v112.0 and Total Cookie Protection is enabled in my version. To check your Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security and under Enhanced Tracking Protection you should see the following:
Disable Total Cookie Protection For Specific Sites
If, for some reason, you want to disable Total Cookie Protection for a specific website, click on the shield icon to the left of the address bar and that will open a menu where you can switch the feature Off for that website:
Mind you, offhand, I can’t think of any reason why someone would want to disable the feature.
BOTTOM LINE:
Seems browser developers are finally looking at privacy as a serious consideration. In my opinion, Brave remains the most private of the mainstream browsers with Firefox an obvious close second, and Mozilla appears determined to bridge that gap. This can only be a good thing for all users. Now, if only we could get Google and Microsoft on board. That would really be something, would it not?
Which browser do you use, and why?
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Thanks for the update Jim. Just checked and there is yet another update, Mindblower!
Firefox Release 112.0.1 April 17, 2023
Version 112.0.1, first offered to Release channel users on April 17, 2023
Fixed a bug where cookie dates appear to be set in the far future after updating Firefox. This may have caused cookies to be unintentionally purged. (bug 1827669).
Yes MB, no sooner had v112.0.0 been released than another update to fix a bug in v112.0.0 was issued. Mozilla must be employing the same update checking system as Microsoft. 🙂 🙂
Thanks, Firefox – you, too, Jim.
With me running FFx 112.0.1, do I no longer need add-ons like Duck Duck Go Privacy Essentials and Privacy Badger?
Hey John,
I would definitely advise keeping both those extensions. Firefox handles privacy quite well but there are always holes and both of those extensions help enhance your overall privacy.
Jim does it again, had you not written this article I would have had no clue about this information – as usual Thanks!