Firefox Add-On Protects Against (Most) Facebook Tracking

In December, frustrated with Chrome’s bloat and Google’s constant hoovering of data, Ryan recommended giving the newest version of Firefox, the so-called Firefox Quantum browser, a try. It uses less memory than Chrome in most contexts, and Mozilla touts its private mode as providing extra security against tracking.

A key feature of Firefox Quantum is support for multiple accounts in the same browser, so you can have tabs open for work and personal browsing and keep the data from mingling. Mozilla calls this feature containers.

No fools they, Mozilla has moved to capitalize on the recent uproar over Facebook’s comically dastardly handling of personal data by releasing a specialized add-on for Quantum called Facebook Container, which minimizes the ability of Facebook to suck information about you from the rest of your web browsing activity. As John Gruber comments, “Firefox is now treating Facebook as malware that you need to be protected from.”

(Tuesday night I jokingly tagged a post “maybe one day there will be a day when no one has to write about Facebook,” but I guess we’re not there yet.)

In the past, I’ve argued for using a separate browser for Facebook, either by using site-specific browsers or by using a browser such as Brave (which I still regularly use). Quantum with the Facebook Container add-on is a definite step forward compared to both these solutions, as you’re still able to do your regular web activity in the same browser, so you’re not switching back and forth, plus Firefox supports more add-ons and extensions than Brave does at the minute. Because of Facebook Container (and because of Ryan’s recommendation, of course!) , I’ve been giving Firefox Quantum a try this week, and plan to keep it up for a while.

If you use Facebook, do you have a strategy for keeping your data contained? Have you tried the new Firefox Container add-on? Let us know in comments!

Photo “Quantum Leap First Friday” by Flickr user Indiana Humanities / Creative Commons licensed BY-2.0