Firefox Gets a Major Privacy Boost as Total Cookie Protection Becomes Default Feature for All Users
While the ad tech industry tries to function in a less cookie-filled environment, browsers like Mozilla Firefox are jumping on the opportunity to grow its user base with features such as Total Cookie Protection (TCP). The feature was first introduced in February 2021 and was initially restricted to Firefox’s tracking protection feature — Enhanced Tracking Protection Strict Mode. It was then enabled by default in private browsing windows with the launch of Firefox 89 later that year.
What is Total Cookie Protection?
Total Cookie Protection is a feature in Mozilla Firefox that creates a separate "cookie jar" for each website you visit and confines the cookies to the site where they were created. The trackers can only see your behavior on that individual site, preventing tracking companies from using these cookies to track you across multiple sites.
How Does Total Cookie Protection Work?
When you visit a website, Firefox creates a new cookie container specifically for that site. Any cookies set by the site are stored in this container and are not shared with other websites or trackers. This prevents third-party cookies from tracking your behavior across multiple sites and improves your online privacy.
Is Mozilla’s Approach to Blocking Third-Party Cookies Effective?
Mozilla believes that blocking third-party cookies is essential for consumer privacy, while Google has argued that this will only drive the industry to find workarounds. However, research suggests that blocking third-party cookies can significantly reduce tracking and improve user privacy.
Comparison with Other Browsers
While Safari and Firefox have blocked third-party cookies since 2013, Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome do not disable them by default. Even though Apple’s Safari browser has reached 1 billion worldwide users, Firefox still lags behind in terms of user base.
Why Does Mozilla Believe Blocking Third-Party Cookies is Necessary?
Mozilla believes that advertising is central to the internet economy, but consumer privacy should not be optional. The nonprofit company never sells or buys your data — it still collects it, however — and Firefox developers are driven to work toward a more "healthy internet."
Conclusion
While Firefox may struggle to retain users as its competitors grow, its tracking protection is far more comprehensive than other browsers. By blocking third-party cookies by default, Mozilla aims to improve user privacy and create a healthier online environment.
Related Topics
- API
- Computing
- Firefox
- Internet economy
- Mozilla
- Privacy
- Private browsing
- Security
- Software
- Third party cookies
- Web browsers
