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It's a bit surreal that an advertising based company's browser will now block annoying ads by default while the privacy focused Mozilla corporation's browser is

It's a bit surreal that an advertising based company's browser will now block annoying ads by default while the privacy focused Mozilla corporation's browser is still not implementing any kind of built-in ad blocking.

jacquesm 9y ago
You should not see this as a Google vs Mozilla thing but as a Google vs adblockers and Google vs its competing advertising networks issue. Then it makes much more sense.
- Santosh83 9y ago
  Well, I have Mozilla's back personally since I've always used only Firefox ever since version 1 and never used Chrome except for trying it out for a test drive from time to time, but the millions of Firefox users worldwide will now have one more reason to jump ship to Chrome and that's something Firefox can't afford at this point. Built-in ad blocking is just too good to pass up. Firefox needs to implement their own version soon, IMO.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    That I agree with, but installing an ad blocker is fairly painless in firefox.
lucasverra 9y ago
Latest Firefox Quantum release available with faster, always-on privacy with opt-in Tracking Protection and new features[1]- 23 jan 2018 [1]https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2018/01/23/latest-firefox-quantum-release-now-available-with-new-features/ https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2018/01/23/latest-firefox-quan...
- Santosh83 9y ago
  I'm aware of this, but it seems to be only basic tracker blocking and not even near as flexible and comprehensive as say uBlock. They need to expand this significantly to offer something equivalent to this Chrome initiative. At the very least, offer the ability to add custom blacklists and per domain rules.
  - LamaOfRuin 9y ago
    Pretty sure they use the same list as uBlock (and pretty much everything else now, including Disconnect and EFF's privacy badger). My understanding is it's based on Disconnect. If you want that kind of flexibility it's easy to add, which means there is no reason for Firefox to have that by default.
  - regexnerd 9y ago
    It is basic tracker blocking. You can and should be doing more. I run a Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi and highly recommend it. It's blocks ads, beacons, trackers all at the DNS level. The crap never even has a chance to come down to your PC because it's never called. Easy to set up, takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. I couple this with my finely-tuned Firefox with uBlock Origin, Dencentraleyes, Privacy Badger, Webmail Ad Block, and No Coin. This is defence in depth. I never see anything resembling ads, beacons, or trackers. The Pi-hole is highly configurable. You can add lots of blacklists to the already very capable list that is on by default. In addition, you can watch, in real time, all the calls being made and tune as you see fit. I was shocked to learn that my router, as well as other software, was phoning home. I nixed this behaviour on the Pi-hole immediately. It's a real eye opener to see what the software and devices on your network do and to whom they talk. The Pi-hole blocks bad crap for all devices on your network. You can even set up a free VPN on your router and use it for your mobile devices whilst your away from home. The Pi-hole has become an indispensable tool on my network and I really think every person who cares about security should employ one for no other reason that it truly allows you to monitor your traffic in an easy-to-follow set of charts and traffic logs that are configurable. Well worth the time and little money involved.
kazagistar 9y ago
The most annoying thing about Mozillas recent behavior is when they bake something into Firefox that should have been an addon. I for one am glad uBO or whatever isn't baked in.

jacquesm 9y ago

You should not see this as a Google vs Mozilla thing but as a Google vs adblockers and Google vs its competing advertising networks issue. Then it makes much more sense.

Santosh83 9y ago
Well, I have Mozilla's back personally since I've always used only Firefox ever since version 1 and never used Chrome except for trying it out for a test drive from time to time, but the millions of Firefox users worldwide will now have one more reason to jump ship to Chrome and that's something Firefox can't afford at this point. Built-in ad blocking is just too good to pass up. Firefox needs to implement their own version soon, IMO.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  That I agree with, but installing an ad blocker is fairly painless in firefox.

lucasverra 9y ago

Latest Firefox Quantum release available with faster, always-on privacy with opt-in Tracking Protection and new features[1]- 23 jan 2018 [1]https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2018/01/23/latest-firefox-quantum-release-now-available-with-new-features/ https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2018/01/23/latest-firefox-quan...

Santosh83 9y ago
I'm aware of this, but it seems to be only basic tracker blocking and not even near as flexible and comprehensive as say uBlock. They need to expand this significantly to offer something equivalent to this Chrome initiative. At the very least, offer the ability to add custom blacklists and per domain rules.
- LamaOfRuin 9y ago
  Pretty sure they use the same list as uBlock (and pretty much everything else now, including Disconnect and EFF's privacy badger). My understanding is it's based on Disconnect. If you want that kind of flexibility it's easy to add, which means there is no reason for Firefox to have that by default.
- regexnerd 9y ago
  It is basic tracker blocking. You can and should be doing more. I run a Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi and highly recommend it. It's blocks ads, beacons, trackers all at the DNS level. The crap never even has a chance to come down to your PC because it's never called. Easy to set up, takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. I couple this with my finely-tuned Firefox with uBlock Origin, Dencentraleyes, Privacy Badger, Webmail Ad Block, and No Coin. This is defence in depth. I never see anything resembling ads, beacons, or trackers. The Pi-hole is highly configurable. You can add lots of blacklists to the already very capable list that is on by default. In addition, you can watch, in real time, all the calls being made and tune as you see fit. I was shocked to learn that my router, as well as other software, was phoning home. I nixed this behaviour on the Pi-hole immediately. It's a real eye opener to see what the software and devices on your network do and to whom they talk. The Pi-hole blocks bad crap for all devices on your network. You can even set up a free VPN on your router and use it for your mobile devices whilst your away from home. The Pi-hole has become an indispensable tool on my network and I really think every person who cares about security should employ one for no other reason that it truly allows you to monitor your traffic in an easy-to-follow set of charts and traffic logs that are configurable. Well worth the time and little money involved.

kazagistar 9y ago

The most annoying thing about Mozillas recent behavior is when they bake something into Firefox that should have been an addon. I for one am glad uBO or whatever isn't baked in.