Fingerprinting is a type of online tracking that’s more invasive than
ordinary cookie-based tracking. A digital fingerprint is created when a
company makes a unique profile of you based on your computer hardware,
software, add-ons, and even preferences. Your settings like the screen
you use, the fonts installed on your computer, and even your choice of a
web browser can all be used to create a fingerprint.
If you have a commonly used laptop, PC or smartphone, it may be
harder to uniquely identify your device through fingerprinting. However,
the more unique add-ons, fonts, and settings you have, the easier
you’ll be likely to find. Companies can use this unique combination of
information to create your fingerprint. That’s why Firefox blocks known
fingerprinting, so you can still use your favorite extensions, themes
and customization without being followed by ads.
Fingerprinting is bad for the web
The practice of fingerprinting allows you to be tracked for months,
even when you clear your browser storage or use private browsing mode —
disregarding clear indications from you that you don’t want to be
tracked. Despite a near complete agreement between standardsbodies and browservendors that fingerprinting is harmful, its use on the web hassteadilyincreased over the past decade.
Firefox blocks fingerprinting
The latest Firefox browser protects you against fingerprinting by
blocking third-party requests to companies that are known to participate
in fingerprinting. We’ve worked hard to enable this privacy protection
while not breaking the websites you enjoy visiting. (Read more here, if
you want the technical details.)
And it’s not a deep setting you need to dig around to find. In the
latest Firefox browser, fingerprint blocking is the standard, default
setting. Visit your privacy protections dashboard to see how you’re being tracked behind the scenes and how Firefox prevents it.
You probably wouldn’t appreciate someone tracking your moves in real
life. There’s no reason to accept it online. If you don’t already have
Firefox, download and protect yourself from digital fingerprinting.
Firefox blocks fingerprinting by limiting the information it shares with websites, which helps prevent them from creating a unique digital profile of users. This feature is part of its Enhanced Tracking Protection and is designed to enhance user privacy while browsing.
Overview of Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting is a tracking method that collects various details about your device and browser to create a unique profile. This profile can identify you across different websites, even when cookies are blocked or you are using private browsing.
How Firefox Blocks Fingerprinting
Firefox has implemented several measures to combat fingerprinting:
Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP): This feature blocks known tracking scripts and limits the information shared with websites.
Phase 2 Protections: Introduced in Firefox 145, these protections reduce the number of users who can be uniquely fingerprinted to about 20%. Key measures include:
Adding random noise to images when read by sites.
Blocking local fonts, allowing only standard OS fonts.
Reporting a fixed number of processor cores (always 2).
Limiting screen resolution data.
Availability of Protections
These fingerprinting protections are available in:
Private Browsing Mode
Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) Strict Mode
Firefox plans to enable these protections by default in regular browsing after further testing.
User Control
Users can manage fingerprinting protections through Firefox settings. If a website does not function correctly due to these protections, users can disable them for that specific site while keeping them active elsewhere.
By implementing these features, Firefox aims to enhance user privacy and reduce unwanted tracking online.
Source: duckduckgo.com
New Firefox Protections Halve the Number of Trackable Users
Mozilla has implemented fresh fingerprinting protections to prevent hidden trackers from identifying Firefox users.
Mozilla has announced improved browser fingerprinting protections in Firefox 145 to make user tracking more difficult.
The new effort builds on an initiative launched over half a decade ago and tackles the pervasive and hidden tracking technique that sites have been employing to track users even if they block cookies or use private browsing.
To perform fingerprinting, websites collect specific details about the user’s machine, such as time zone, operating system settings, and graphics hardware information, creating an ID that can be tracked across web domains and browsing sessions.
“Having a unique fingerprint means fingerprinters can continuously identify you invisibly, allowing bad actors to track you without your knowledge or consent. Online fingerprinting is able to track you for months, even when you use any browser’s private browsing mode,” Mozilla explains.
Since 2020, Firefox has been blocking known trackers and other practices through Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) and Total Cookie Protection, and has constantly improved its anti-fingerprinting protections to minimize the information that can be collected about its users.
The newly announced improvements tackle fingerprinters that are not included in the list of known trackers, Mozilla says.
Recent browser releases have improved these protections by preventing websites from collecting specific hardware information, such as the number of processor cores, taskbar size, or the number of simultaneous fingers a touchscreen supports.
“Our research shows these improvements cut the percentage of users seen as unique by almost half,” Mozilla notes.
To ensure it does not break web usability, Mozilla has implemented a set of layered defenses in Firefox to target the most invasive fingerprinting vectors, while ensuring that websites retain the functionality they require to work normally.
“More aggressive fingerprinting blocking might sound better, but is guaranteed to break legitimate website features. For instance, calendar, scheduling, and conferencing tools legitimately need your real time zone,” Mozilla explains.
Firefox users who browse in private mode or use the ETP strict mode are benefiting from these smart privacy protections that work without the need for additional extensions or configurations.
Chrome, Edge, and Firefox are more bloated than ever, with AI are other features most of us don't want. This free tool is your ticket back to the good old days.
ZDNET's key takeaways
Just The Browser strips your browser of unwanted features.
Just The Browser can be used with Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
This tool is free to use and open-source.
I
do not want AI in my web browser. I just don't. I also don't want
companies collecting information about me, or sponsored content and
product integrations. All those bits make me want to pull my hair out.
I like my privacy and want to browse, you know, the old-fashioned way.
I
do use AI (on occasion), but only locally-installed AI and only for
specific purposes (such as learning Python or researching a topic when I
don't want to use a standard search engine).
I
just want my tools to do what they're supposed to do and nothing more.
Bells and whistles are all fine and good, but when they start getting in
the way of efficiency and effectiveness, they become a problem.
That's why, when I heard about Just The Browser, I hoped I could jettison the cruft and get back to a more focused and efficient experience in my browser.
What is Just The Browser?
Just
the browser strips your web browser of the things you don't want, such
as AI and telemetry. It's free, easy to use, and works with the three
most popular browsers (Chrome, Edge, and Firefox).
I was skeptical at first, but after looking through the project's GitHub repository, I was convinced that Just The Browser was worth a try.
Essentially,
what Just The Browser does is apply configuration files to the browsers
mentioned above, stripping them of unwanted features.
OK,
so the reality is that you can manually disable those features in the
browser configuration. For example, you could open Microsoft Edge,
navigate to edge://flags, and comb through the massive list of options
to disable what you don't want.
Or,
you can simply download a script, run it, walk through the prompts, and
you're done. It's fast, it's easy, and it's effective.
I kicked the tires of Just The Browser and came away impressed. Here's how it went for me.
First, I want to talk about Edge, because I ran that from a clean installation, so I hadn't made any changes to the OS.
Living on the stripped-down Edge
I don't normally use Edge, so first I had to install it. During installation, I enabled Copilot Mode
to see how effective Just The Browser would be. After Edge was set up, I
checked to make sure Copilot was there and then closed it.
Then I downloaded the necessary script, which can be found using one of these links -- Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.
With the script downloaded to my Downloads directory, I double-clicked
it and followed the directions (which are very simple). Depending on
whether you're using MacOS or Windows (there's no Linux option), the
instructions will be different.
On
MacOS, after you've double-clicked the script, you open System Settings
and go to General > Device Management, where you'll see a listing
for the browser in question. Double-click that listing, and you'll see
all the features Just The Browser disables (it's more than you think).
You can see what Just The Browser does in MacOS.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
You can't change any of these settings, so just click OK.
With that taken care of, I opened Edge and found it to be remarkably stripped of Copilot.
However,
not all was perfect. Although Edge was stripped of Copilot mode, I
could open a new tab and see the AI box right there. After looking
through the Just The Browser site, I found a specific list of what it
removes, which is:
Features that use generative AI models
Edge or tab group suggestions in Firefox
Price tracking, coupon codes, loan integrations, etc.
Suggested articles on the New Tab Page, sponsored site suggestions, etc.
Pop-ups or other prompts that ask you to change the default web browser
Browser welcome screens and related prompts to automatically import data from other web browsers
Data collection by web browsers
Features that allow web browsers to start with the operating system without explicit permission
OK,
that's a fine list, but what I experienced didn't match the list. With
Edge on MacOS, I found the Copilot query box and suggestions were still
on the New Tab Page.
The Start Page still contains some AI features.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
This is disappointing.
However,
combing through the edge://policy/ page makes it clear that Just The
Browser stripped Edge of a lot of features, and the Copilot mode is no
more, so I call that a big win.
Stripping off the chrome
Next,
came Chrome. I'd already had Chrome installed, so I opted to see what
this tool would do. This time around, I ran the test on Linux. The steps
for this are a bit different. Here's what I had to do:
Create a new directory with the command - sudo mkdir /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed.
Move the config file into the new directory with - sudo cp ./managed_policies.json /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed.
Open Chrome.
Prior to running the steps above, Chrome included the AI Mode in the URL bar.
Chrome with AI on board.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The first thing I noticed was that the AI Mode had indeed been removed.
The AI Mode has been stripped away.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
I dug a bit deeper and found there was zero indication that AI was found anywhere on the browser.
Good job.
What about telemetry?
But what about the claim that Just The Browser removes telemetry? That's a much trickier bit.
After
running Just The Browser, I opened Chrome's settings and noticed that
there were several sync options still enabled, such as "Make searches
and browsing better" and "Improve search suggestions." Those two bits
alone send data to Google, so it seems to me that Just The Browser isn't
as good at stopping telemetry with Chrome, but it's very good at
disabling AI functionality. Given that you can manually disable some of
those telemetry options, I still think Just The Browser is a worthy
tool.
In
the end, if you don't want to get rid of your default browser but do
want to jettison features that could invade your privacy or use your
data for third-party purposes, I would recommend giving Just The Browser
a try.
A free useful tool for drawing or marking up web pages for teaching or online presentations, is Page Marker. See the below link where to get it in the Chrome Extensions store.
Draw or highlight on any website in real time. Add text, lines, and shapes. Move, undo, or redo anything you draw.
Draw on any website, add text, add lines, and highlight! With Page Marker, you can use your mouse or touchscreen to draw on the web or on PDFs and save it to your computer. Paint, draw, and mark on any webpage or website.
Instructions:
1. Click the puzzle piece-shaped extensions icon in the top right corner of your browser. Pin the Page Marker red marker icon for ease of access.
2. Begin drawing on any webpage with your mouse or touchscreen.
3. To change the color of the marker, click on the color selecting box.
For Firefox, Draw on Page is a similar extension that allows drawing and highlighting a web page:
Draw on Page is a browser add-on that lets you draw on any website. Please first navigate to a website, then press on the toolbar button to activate the add-on. Once the interface appears on the page, please choose the desired mode.
Currently, there are two modes available, Drawing Mode and Brushing Mode. Brushing mode is for drawing with mouse or pen (touch-enabled devices) on the page. You can choose a pencil, circle, or spray brush in this mode. There is also an option to change the color and width of the brushing tool from the UI. The other mode is for drawing shapes (Drawing Mode). When you select this mode, five different primitive shapes are available to choose from the UI. Once you click on a shape, it will be added to the screen.
You can drag and drop, remove, resize, or rotate and zoom objects on the screen. To print the page with your drawings on it, please press on the print button at the top left corner of the screen. Once you are done with the drawing, please close the interface by pressing on the close button at the top left corner or pressing on the toolbar button once. Before closing, you can save your drawings by pressing on the - Save - button at the bottom of the UI.
Note: this extension uses fabric.js (https://github.com/fabricjs/fabric.js) open-source JavaScript project for drawing on the HTML5 canvas element.
To disable AI features in Firefox, you have a few options depending on whether you want to just hide the visual clutter or completely deactivate the backend settings.
1. The "Quick Fix": Hide the Sidebar & Shortcut
If you just want to remove the AI Chatbot icon from your sidebar or the right-click menu:
Sidebar: Open the sidebar, click the Settings (gear) icon at the bottom, and uncheck AI chatbot.
Settings Menu: Go to Settings > Firefox Labs and uncheck AI Chatbot. This will also remove the prompt suggestions that appear when you highlight text.
2. The "Deep Fix": Using about:config (Recommended)
To fully disable the underlying machine learning (ML) and AI modules, you can toggle the internal flags.
Warning: Be careful in this menu, as changing the wrong setting can affect browser stability.
Type about:config in your address bar and press Enter. Click "Accept the Risk and Continue."
Search for the following terms and double-click them to set them to false:
browser.ml.enable (The master switch for machine learning features)
browser.ml.chat.enabled (Disables the chatbot integration)
browser.ml.chat.shortcuts (Disables the Ctrl + Alt + X shortcut)
browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled (Disables AI-powered link previews)
browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled (Disables AI tab grouping)
3. The Future "AI Kill Switch"
Mozilla has officially announced a dedicated "AI Kill Switch" coming in Q1 2026 (expected in Firefox version 147 or later). This will be a single toggle in the main Settings menu designed to completely opt-out of all AI-driven features with one click, without needing to use about:config.
4. Privacy Alternative: Firefox ESR
If you prefer a version of Firefox that doesn't include experimental features like AI by default, consider switching to Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release). It is intended for organizations and focus purely on stability and security updates, often omitting the "trendy" features added to the standard version.
