Social trackers now part of content blockers in the browser

Oct 23, 2019 12:03 GMT  ·  By

It’s not a secret that social networks love tracking, and it’s all because they need as much data about you as possible for various purposes that often come down to just one point: serving you more relevant ads.

What many actually don’t know is that social networks can also track users when they’re not actively using their services, as they sometime rely on trackers embedded into other websites to keep an eye on their browser habits.

Tracking blockers have been around for a long time in modern browsers out there, and Firefox for example, is offering several tools to protect you from this questionable behavior of social networks.

The most recent browser update released by Mozilla is Firefox 70, and one of the highlights concerns these tools to block social network tracking.

The so-called social tracking protection, which social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn turn to for cross-site tracking cookies, is now a standard feature of Enhanced Tracking Protection, an arsenal of tracking protection tools in Firefox that help improve user privacy when browsing the web.

One thing you should know is that Enhanced Tracking Protection is enabled by default in all versions of Firefox on all platforms, so no extra configurations are required to be protected against social tracking.

Mozilla says “Firefox blocks the most common trackers from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn,” and the default setting that ships with the browser is specifically configured to deliver a good balance for protection and performance. No issues should be experienced when browsing the web, as most pages are supposed to load normally even if these components are blocked.

On the other hand, if you go for the strict level, many more trackers are blocked, but on the other hand, there’s the risk of some websites no longer working correctly. This is because more components are restricted from loading, and these might be vital for the website to be rendered properly in the browser.

Mozilla Firefox 70 with tracking protection

Mozilla warns that despite the social media tracking protection in Firefox, there’s a chance that some tracking still happens, and there’s not much that you can do about it.

“Social media companies will still be able to collect data about you on their own social networks, including Facebook-owned services like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Logging in to sites using your Facebook or Twitter account is another way social networks can collect data about you,” the company points out.

As far as Facebook is concerned, Mozilla recommends an extra Firefox add-on that can help you in the attempt to block this tracking. It’s called Facebook Container, and it’s an extension whose purpose is to block trackers that are powered by elements such as the like and share buttons you come across on various websites no necessarily related to Facebook.

“When you visit Facebook, the add-on loads it in another tab and the fence icon is displayed in your address bar. This puts Facebook in its own boundary with other Facebook-owned sites, including Instagram and Messenger. You can allow other sites into the Facebook Container boundary, but this will allow Facebook to track more of your web activity,” Mozilla explains.

Facebook Container is an extension developed by Mozilla itself, and I personally wouldn’t be too surprised if at some point in the future its capabilities are bundled into Firefox from the get-go. For the time being, however, you can easily install the extension in Firefox if you want to block Facebook from tracking you on the web, and check the tracking blocking settings and level to decide how the browser can protect you regardless of the page that is loaded.

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Mozilla Firefox 70 with tracking protection
Mozilla Firefox 70 with tracking protection
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