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Firefox introduces ad and tracking block in Private Browsing mode

Under the browser’s new setup, Private Browsing mode will block any script that could be used to identify a user, including ads, analytic trackers, and features like the Facebook Like button that can be tied back to social networks.

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Firefox’s tracking protection is automatic when you go into private browsing mode on Windows, Mac, Android, or Linux.

While Private Browsing (which is Firefox’s counterpart to Chrome’s Incognito mode) ensures that none of your browsing history and cookies for this private session are saved locally, a few of your data can still leak out to third-party sites. If a site doesn’t seem to work without those tracking elements, you can unblock them by turning off tracking protection for that particular site. One nifty feature here is that you only have to click on the speaker icon in the tab to mute the sound.

To indicate when trackers are being blocked, Firefox displays a shield in the new Firefox Control Centre, which places security and privacy controls in the address bar. Mozilla says that it has created this feature to give users more choice and control over their web experience, it says that by launching this feature it’s giving users control over data that third parties receive when you are online.

Rounding off the updates is a new set of animation tools for Firefox Developer Edition.

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The latest version of Mozilla’s flagship web browser is now available, adding tracking protection and tab audio indicators on the desktop. Most of the changes in today’s release are also available in Firefox’s Android version, which you can find here.

The newest version of Firefox lets you block online trackers