Mozilla, the greatest exponents of free and open source software, has released much more than just a new version of Firefox in the recent past. Therefore, you can see their new tools, which deceive online advertisers, present faster browsers and even manage screenshots.
All this adds to the Internet Health Report, a tradition that began last year. And of course, the company is still releasing periodic updates to Firefox to make online browsing easier, faster and safer.
1.- Track This (web): Cheat online trackers and create fake profiles
If you have had that strange moment when you are looking for something and suddenly you see many advertisements of related products. That's when online trackers constantly track every move you make to post targeted ads.
Therefore, Track This is Mozilla's initiative to deceive these trackers and also to protect your identity.
So how does it work? Track This allows you to choose between four “alter ego” profiles: Hypebeast, Filthy Rich, Doomsday and Influencer. Make sure it is as distant as possible from who you really are. Also, once you have made the decision, this website will open 100 different links that the user would visit.
In turn, trackers who are looking for information about you end up creating an incorrect profile.
Similarly, Track This also works on non-Firefox browsers. But you should make sure that pop-ups are allowed to open.
And this will open 100 new tabs, which can block browsers or complete operating systems. So make sure you run TrackThis only after saving all important data. And when you're fine with the risk of needing a complete reboot of your system.
2.- Facebook Container 2 (Mozilla Firefox): improved Facebook protection
It is well known that Facebook is also known for its numerous violations of a person's privacy. And for the aggressive monitoring of your internet browsing activity.
Last year, Mozilla countered this by launching an extension called Facebook Container. An update of it makes it better than ever.
Likewise, Facebook Container 2 prevents the social network from tracking you on websites that have the "Like" or "Share" button. Which is the most common tactic used by Facebook. You will see a fence icon (fence) to indicate that the extension is protecting your privacy.
Importantly, Facebook Container 2 is also worth installing even if you are not a Facebook user. It is known that the social network creates "parallel profiles" of people who are not registered.
Mozilla specifically notes that, the new version of the add-on will make it more difficult for Facebook to obtain data on these users. And also, more difficult to create profiles.
3.- ScreenshotGo (Android): Search for text in screenshots and organize them
If you take many screenshots on your Android mobile, then you need this application. ScreenshotGo by Mozilla is an application to organize and manage all your screenshots. And even, look for the text in them.
Similarly, ScreenshotGo automatically recognizes every screenshot you've taken on your device. Well, each one can be added to a collection, such as chat and shopping history. As well as finance and news.
You can also create your own collections. It will take you about an hour of your time. But you should do this exercise once to organize the images and maybe free up a lot of storage space on your smart phone.
But the coolest feature, of course, is the OCR, or optical character recognition. ScreenshotGo can read the text in your images, so you can search the application to find all the captures where your keyword appeared on the screen.
That large amount of screenshots you've been storing, became much more useful.
4.- Firefox Prewiew (Android): Mozilla's fastest and privacy-focused browser
Firefox Preview is a new experimental browser from Mozilla, based on Firefox. Therefore, it places more emphasis on privacy and speed. The browser is a combination of Firefox Focus and normal Firefox.
And it serves as a preview of the final product that will arrive later this year. If you are familiar with Fenix, this is the new development version for enthusiasts and first users.
Also, the new interesting feature of this version is «Collections». An evolution of bookmarks on the desktop. So you can save a lot of websites or web pages as a collection.
In the same way as the sites you visit as part of your daily routine. One touch will open all the sites in that collection, or you can start them individually.
Also, Firefox Preview works with Mozilla's patented mobile browser engine, GeckoEngine. That has proven to be faster in tests than any other. Also, block online ad crawlers by default. Protecting your identity and privacy.
Similarly, Mozilla states that this approach to privacy actually makes the entire browsing experience faster.
Naturally and as expected, Firefox Preview is in beta. So you can expect some mistakes and failures. But so far, it works well in tests and is actually an exciting product.
5.- Firefox Lite (Android): lightweight browser with full page screenshots
The normal version of Firefox is full of features and takes up storage space. Not to mention the processor and battery resources. If you are running it from an old or slow Android mobile, seriously consider switching to Firefox Lite.
The application is a simplified and lightweight version of Firefox that has many of the best features. And add some additional ones. Turbo Mode blocks online trackers and loads web pages faster.
Also, if you have a slow connection or want to save data, you can block all pages so that they do not load images with a single touch in the settings. If you want to save any page to read it later offline. You can take a full page screenshot.
Also, Firefox Lite has other interesting features such as private or unknown browsing. As well as night mode, quick start screen and a news source.
Firefox 68 and other Mozilla Magic
While reviewing these new applications and tools, don't forget the main Firefox browser. In this sense, Mozilla constantly updates it with new features and privacy protection. As well as speed and stability improvements.
In fact, the latest version of Firefox comes with a native password manager that also works on mobile.
It's called Firefox Lockwise (formerly known as Lockbox), which has applications for Android and iOS. Which will automatically fill in passwords in any third-party application you are running.