Firefox 3.1 to gain modicum of privacy

Of the two big browsing features of 2008, one seems to run counter to where developers are driving their browsers. The melding of the location bar to the search bar was expected in Firefox and Opera, thanks to beta versions. Chrome has it, too, calling it the Omnibar. What seems to have caught developers off-guard has been the clamor for a universal switch to stop the cache and browsing history from recording anything at all.

Internet Explorer 8's InPrivate.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Microsoft's InPrivate debuted in Internet Explorer 8 beta 2, and Google Chrome's version is the well-received Incognito feature. So far, in Firefox, the feature has only been available via the Stealther plug-in, which basically copies all the features of InPrivate except that you don't have to open a new browsing window. Now, Mozilla has announced through the Firefox 3.1 status tracker that a privacy toggle will be a baked-in feature.

It turns out that Mozilla has had such a toggle on its radar since 2004, when Apple's Safari introduced a cache-avoiding browsing session. So what took so long for Firefox to decide that this should be a rolled-in feature? As others have noted, Firefox director Mike Beltzner declared that the feature would need to take a backseat to keeping the browser on schedule.

Google Chrome's stealth mode, Incognito.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Pressure from this being a near-universal feature has no doubt accelerated its importance, although Mozilla plans to put its own spin on what it can do. In addition to turning off the page cache and the browsing history recorder, there will be no autofill for passwords and new passwords used will not be saved. Also, all cookies acquired during the session will be discarded, as will downloads in the Download Manager. Essentially, pages visited will be stored in the memory, not on the hard disk--although there's no word on if or how this will affect performance.

Another aspect of the current unnamed feature will save all tabs and close the session, re-opening a new blank browser window. When the private session is finally turned off, the older session will re-open. One difference from Microsoft's InPrivate will be that there won't be any neon advertising that private mode has been activated, according to Mike Connor, the lead developer on Firefox. The fact that you are using a privacy mode will remain private.

[Lerianis]

Hopefully, Firefox 3.1 will be out sometime soon. From what I saw with the Minefield tester, it is pretty close to 'prime-time' ready.

[nrlz]

Is Firefox getting bloated?

[ethana2]

Yay!!! Ubuntu's default browser just got that much more awesome! ..I didn't know how much better you could get after Firefox 3, but Firefox 3.1 is looking just as revolutionary, if not more so. This is amazing.

..I'm very happy right now.

[Penguinisto]

...err, why? it's been an add-on for years now. Why bother chucking in yet another feature of semi-limited value to the public at large?

[kswartz26]

I think it's wrong to say that Stealther is the only way to get this functionality in Firefox today. There are many other add-ons available at addons.mozilla.org that offer privacy and secure surfing modes. My favorite (after testing several) is Distrust. While it doesn't work in "real time" (i.e.: once you turn it on, it doesn't erase your tracks until you go to turn off or the browser crashes and restarts), I found that it offered more functionality and greater flexibility than the built-in options for IE, Chrome, or Safari.

I would encourage Firefox users who feel this is a high-priority feature to examine this or other addons before deciding to change browsers over it.

[Commanderlewis]

Hmm this should be interesting! I'm looking forward to using it. But I'll play it safe and wait a week after it comes out! Thou need another software glitch!

[GhostMale66]

Perhaps I'm naieve, but I don't really understand the necessity or need to have your internet tracks erased or not recorded. I mean, the only things I can think of that would make this a feature are employees at work who use it to cover up web surfing that is probably against the rules in the first place. The other thing I see are people who surf for porn and don't want anyone else to know about it. If there are other, legitimate reasons for wanting to hide your web surfing tracks, I'd really be interested in knowing.

[HlLLARY CLITON]

I hope its not bloated, I hate bloat

[nasserd]

To "GhostMale66", the best example is libraries and public terminals. Right now, their options are not entirely reliable -- you often have to log-off/log-back-on to the Desktop session (which can be a slow process). The InPrivate/Incognito features (which will probably be initializable via command-line switches) would mean that you only need to open a new window from a terminal; no need to logoff/logon.

Of course, there are private citizens reasons, too... surprise purchase for a housemate (family member, romantic partner, what-have-you), or what some call "porn mode".

[Jonathon_A]

Personally, I don't need anything like this. The only people I can think of who would need an option like this are people who are doing stuff on the net that they shouldn't be in the first place.

[The_Decider]

Yeah, because only people doing bad things want privacy.

[Lerianis]

Jonathon_A, you are an idiot. Not everyone wants everyone else to know what they are surfing for, especially if it is something like porn. A lot of people want this and I am REALLY getting tired of idiots like you who say "if you aren't doing anything you shouldn't be doing, you don't need privacy!"
You are a bunch of idiots, to put it MILDLY.

[dallas7]

He's not an idiot. He's pure.

[lordmorgul]

Apparently you've never purchased a gift online. Thats ok, but don't be so condescending about everyone else's privacy and security needs. There are many reasons you might not want browsing histories, cookies, or typed data to be stored locally.

[Penguinisto]

There are times and places:

* public computers (where you probably don't want your website usernames/passwords stored in a cookie somewhere)

* countries where one finds political oppression (e.g. China), where the user really wants to get word out, but doesn't want to be arrested for speaking his/her mind.

,,,and etc.

[dallas7]

All that's being done is providing the user simple access to settings available via preferences and about:config ever since the browser was called Phoenix and their granularity has improved as the product evolved. With some brilliantly written exceptions, all the "security" and "privacy" extensions have done the same thing.

[dallas7]

"pages visited will be stored in the memory, not on the hard disk--although there's no word on if or how this will affect performance"
I have been disabling drive cache and been using 16 MB of RAM cache for several years in various releases of Firefox. Sorry to get technical, but since RAM is gazillions times faster than a hard drive, performance is spectacular. Well, providing you're running something with more than a PII or 68020 on the mobo...

[lordmorgul]

It really is sad to see a feature available in Safari for nearly 4 full years that has not shown up in any of the competing browsers, especially since it has been planned, and there were several major browser version generations in that time. However... the ability to automatically clear private data, or to add the stealthier extension to firefox has made it possible in the browser for anyone who wanted the feature (and those who did not know to go looking for how must not have cared about it). This is something that should have been much higher priority for Microsoft's IE dev team than it was because they had no extension framework for a long time to make it possible.

To put it bluntly... mozilla and microsoft were not even close to being on the same footing with this; microsoft was doing nothing and mozilla just did not integrate what was possible with extensions.

[Penguinisto]

@"lordmogul:"

Dunno about IE, but Firefox has had this as an addon feature for longer than Safari. ;)

[adkiller2k7]

The good thing about it being an extension and not intergrated means less bloat, if you needed that functionality, you could easily just install a firefox add-on to do it, if you don't need it, then why should it be installed unless you needed it?

[kenboy127]

firefox is getting slower and slower for me. chrome is simple, seamless, and FAST. come on firefox! you've got some real competition now.

[crevelingm]

From a social perspective this is very interesting. I've noticed that since the late '90s the "delete private data" feature has moved from a hidden feature in the browser's advanced preferences to a link right on a main menu of most browsers. And now most browsers are going to come with a "private" mode feature! What is to be said about a society that is so secretive that we can't even allow our internet activity to be seen by our own families, spouses, children, or significant others? How many of us lead private lives on the internet that we completely compartmentalize and keep separate from our real life and family and careers?

I'm not blaming the technology for this problem, since its just a tool. And as somebody pointed out this feature could be used for good purposes like shopping for a surprise gift for somebody. But seriously, if you're that ashamed of what you are doing on the internet maybe you should rethink doing it.

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[scottyat2]

Privacy is good if required for legit business or some kind of personal conversation or special purchase.
I have children in my household and use Safe Web Browsing programs to MONITOR what my children do. This "Privacy" add-on or plug-in will effect these Monitoring programs.
A change or update on Browsers can be good IF IT SUITS YOUR PURPOSE.
In this case it doesn't mine.

Responsible adults we need to be!

Note: I rarely have to check on my children because they are aware that I can find out their activities when on the internet and knowing I can, places enough fear. With them thinking about how they conduct themselves and being responsible for their actions leads to Trust.
Trust is powerful. So I worry less.
"Do you have something to hide?"
I use IE6 and IE7 and have used FireFox in the past.

Only thing I need is Security Encryption for Online Banking and paying bills or other regarded stuff like Filing Taxes.