Enhanced Tracking Protection Rolling Out To Firefox Users - Olmec Skip to main content

Enhanced Tracking Protection Rolling Out To Firefox Users

By August 20, 2020May 5th, 2022Cybersecurity

Cookies have been part of the internet experience since the early days of the web’s history. Advertisers commonly use them to track users. Many users don’t appreciate being tracked, and have made this known to the companies that make the most popular browsers in use today.

These companies have responded to the wishes of their users in various ways.

Rcently, Mozilla quietly added a new feature to the Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) portion of their Firefox browser; an internal collection of tools and other components that the browser uses to block the more invasive tracking techniques used on the web.

When Brave, Chrome, Firefox and other browsers first began offering privacy protections, online advertisers developed a new technique called ‘redirect tracking’ in response to the new tools and specifically in an effort to circumvent them. Essentially, the technique involves dropping cookies from its ad slot and as the user navigated across the web and away from the advertisement, the advertiser could see what sites the user visited.

Essentially, tracking has become a kind of arms race, and Mozilla just upped the ante. Beginning with Firefox 79, the browser will clear all first-party cookies every 24 hours for all known advertisers as a way to prevent just this sort of tracking. Users will essentially have a new identity every single day. In some cases, however, cookie clearing will be limited to once every 45 days.

A spokesperson for Mozilla had this to say about the difference between the two cases:

“Sometimes trackers do more than just track; trackers may also offer services you engage with, such as a search engine or social network. If Firefox cleared cookies for these services, we’d end up logging you out of your email or social network every day. “

On balance, this seems like a sensible, well-reasoned approach. Kudos to the folks at Mozilla for taking user privacy seriously.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.