The most recent version of firefox includes a feature that modify the URLs to prevent Facebook from tracking you on the web. The option, discovered by bleeping computerremoves certain parameters at the end of a URL that are used to track user behavior.
By activating it within the privacy settings, will automatically remove the tracking parameters and it will open the page in a new tab. This is important, as it prevents tracking when clicking on exit links. Parameters are the most common tools used by marketing companies to measure user behavior.
By removing these parameters less data is captured, so Facebook would not record your movements to display targeted advertising. The only drawback is that to get the most out of it we must activate it both in normal mode and in private browsing. In the latter, an additional step is required, since the option is hidden.
How to turn on Firefox Tracking Protection
To activate it in normal mode, we must first access the menu Settings and select the option Privacy & Security from the side menu. Inside of Enhanced Tracking Protection we must choose Strict. For private browsing we must type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. If a warning window appears, just click the button Accept the risk and continue.
Within the advanced preferences we will have to type strip in the search bar and a series of options to edit will appear. We need to change the value to true in the following:
- privacy.query_stripping.enabled
- privacy.query_stripping.enabled.pbmode
- privacy.query_stripping.redirect
In accordance with bleeping computerthe parameters that Firefox removes when activating the option are the following:
- Olytics: oly_enc_id=, oly_anon_id=
- Drip: __s=
- true: vero_id=
- Hub Spot: _hsenc=
- Marketo: mkt_tok=
- Facebook: fbclid=, mc_eid=
Although this option is important, it is not the final solution. There are some parameters that are not on the list and using strict protection could affect the display of the pages.
Cookie protection as a strategy against tracking
The new version of Firefox implements a much more effective option to deal with tracking: Total Cookie Protection. According to Mozilla, this feature prevents Facebook and other companies from tracking the limit cookies to the site where they were created.
Firefox’s advanced protection creates a “cookie jar” for each website you visit and limits trackers to analyzing your behavior in that jar only. Its creators claim that no website can access external cookie containersso you shouldn’t worry.