Firefox 69 for Mac Brings Default Tracking Protection and Performance Improvements

[MacRumors]

Mozilla has launched Firefox 69 for Macs, boasting performance improvements and some notable updates to its security repertoire.

Firefox 69 for desktop now blocks third-party tracking cookies by default for all users. The feature is an existing part of the browser's Enhanced Tracking Protection system that was actually launched in June, but that introduced the default setting only for new users. Now even existing Firefox users are protected as standard.

Firefox's default anti-tracking smarts now also extend to blocking cryptomining, a nefarious practice that aggressively hogs processor cycles and battery life in the background as it mines for cryptocurrency while the unsuspecting user browses the web. Firefox 69 also blocks fingerprinting in the user-selected Strict mode, and Mozilla says it plans to turn this protection on by default in a later release.

Firefox users can tell if they have ETP enabled by looking for a shield icon in the address bar, which indicates tracker blocking is active. Users can also click on the icon to view a Content Blocking menu listing all currently blocked tracking cookies. From here, it's also possible to disable tracking cookie blocking on a per site basis.

Security aside, other new features in this release include the ability to block autoplaying videos, including those that don't play audio. For users in the US or using the en-US browser, there's a new New Tab page experience that connects them to the best of Pocket's content, while macOS users can also look forward to improved battery life and a download manager interface that displays file download progress.

Mozilla's full changelog can be found here. If you're already a Firefox user, you should receive an automatic upgrade after restarting the browser. For everyone else, Firefox 69 is available for macOS as a free download directly from the Mozilla website.

Article Link: Firefox 69 for Mac Brings Default Tracking Protection and Performance Improvements

 

[MoXoM]

Seeing the number 69 and then looking at the Firefox logo made me chuckle.

I really am immature sometimes...

 

[Kabeyun]

Gotta say, Mozilla has been quietly upping the game to the point where I’m starting to prefer it over Safari, which has been my default forever. There are times/sites where Safari doesn’t load elements, like Recapcha, which renders them unusable. Google image searches don’t populate to the scroll-down part of the page. Firefox has no such issues for me so far. It might be a Safari bug, or some security setting I haven’t found, but Firefox is now actually a more reliable browser. And I respect their steps towards privacy/security, this one included.

 

[DennyRoozeboom]

Seeing the number 69 and then looking at the Firefox logo made me chuckle.

I really am immature sometimes...

ikr nice performance improvements

 

[Sasparilla]

Some other big news, though, is that version 70 supposedly drops power usage on Mac's by a factor of 3. Finally MacBook users will be able to use the browser without a power cord if they want.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/upcoming-firefox-update-will-decrease-power-usage-on-macos-by-up-to-three-times/

 

[verpeiler]

Been using Firefox for quite some time now on Win10 to avoid Chrome. I'm pretty impressed so far, never had any issues. Syincing my Safari bookmars works fine too.

On MacOS I only use Firefox if some webpage isn't loading correctly with Safari (very rare occasions..)

 

[OllyW]

Moderator Note:

Reminder of the Frivolous Post rules...

1. Frivolous and one-word posts. Such posts waste everyone's time and will be deleted. Examples includes posts with only one or two words (e.g., "cool", "LOL", or a smilie), posts celebrating being the first post in a thread, posts saying "I agree", "+1", "this", "me too", or the equivalent, posting overused memes, or making posts with images or videos that contain no relevant, constructive text or commentary. If you aren't interested in a thread, skip the thread; don't post to tell us you aren't interested.

 

[sshambles]

Is it much better than Chrome when using Windows?

 

[pedzsan]

How does it do passwords these days? The reason I religiously stick to Safari is all of my passwords go with me from Mac to iPhone to iPad. Also, apps on iOS appear to somehow hook into the default password system.

I've used "LastPass" in the past but stopped mostly because they took a very nice UI and utterly messed it up horribly. Also, it wasn't as universal as Apple's.

I'm terrified of Chrome and anything else that Google provides. Safari is lagging in some technologies such as WebRTC (needed for my Ubiquiti network -- at least that is what they claim). I was a long time FF user and still miss some of its features. I'm wondering if I should try going back.

Do most users use just one browser or do you switch between a couple... that seems like it would have some advantages. But then the password issues double.

 

[Jimmy James]

Wine me, dine me, Firefox me.

 

[Kabeyun]

Is it much better than Chrome when using Windows?

If you’re comfortable with a Google product as your window to the Internet, have at it. Not I. Ever.

 

[now i see it]

the web has grown into such a diseased & nefarious medium that I no longer accept cookies from any sight I'm not buying something from (which get purged immediately after leaving the site) and use ad blockers for everything. Seems like going back to the Stone Age

 

[Kabeyun]

How does it do passwords these days? The reason I religiously stick to Safari is all of my passwords go with me from Mac to iPhone to iPad. Also, apps on iOS appear to somehow hook into the default password system.

I've used "LastPass" in the past but stopped mostly because they took a very nice UI and utterly messed it up horribly. Also, it wasn't as universal as Apple's.

I'm terrified of Chrome and anything else that Google provides. Safari is lagging in some technologies such as WebRTC (needed for my Ubiquiti network -- at least that is what they claim). I was a long time FF user and still miss some of its features. I'm wondering if I should try going back.

Do most users use just one browser or do you switch between a couple... that seems like it would have some advantages. But then the password issues double.

Consider 1Password, which integrates with FF nicely. There is a substantial up front app cost, but you do not need to use their subscription service to sync across platforms (although AgileBits kinda hides this in the fine print). I sync seamlessly using iCloud. I read somewhere that FF’s password database isn’t properly encrypted even with a master browser password, so I wouldn’t save pwords within FF. If privacy/security is important use FF, Safari, Opera, Brave, or especially Tor. If you also want more robust features and secure password integration, go with FF (& 1P) or Safari (& Keychain or 1P). Don’t forget to “remember logins” or “autofill passwords” if you use a third party pw manager.

Agree wholeheartedly with you on Chrome.

 

[SalisburySam]

Switched a few years ago from Firefox to Opera as my 2nd browser after Safari. I really like Opera for its comparative ease-of-use, frequent enhancements, and so far dependability. I have used 1Password since that program became available and like it. I have licenses for every device in our home including three iPhones, three iPads, two PC’s, and an iMac. I don’t use the AgileBits subscription those, just the licensed software. Not a fan of ongoing subscription models for software acquisition...rather pay one-time upgrade fees if and when I choose to do so.

Back to topic, given the new version of FF, I think I’ll try it again on the iMac. Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention.

 

[chelsel]

Try the Brave Browser. It's very heavily privacy focused. It's built on Chromium, so all of your favorite Chrome extensions will work. It's extremely fast. Blocks ads by default, and lets you earn BAT, which is a form of cryptocurrency, if you do decide to see advertisements. Started by Brendan Eich, the guy who invented JavaScript.

www.brave.com

 

[Digital Dude]

While I have tried FireFox over the years, I usually end up removing it shortly after that. It was soOoo dull and lackluster, and it didn't appear to be any faster than the others'. Today, I downloaded it to see if it changed to a noticeably better level. It's early, but I like it so far. It's now on par with Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Safari is now the slowest on my MacBook Pro, and my Spectrum service runs around 480 on the download stream.

My primary Extention Apps are; Garramary, 1Password, and Evernote. It's doesn't dance very well with Grammarly, but it's a minor thing' whereby I have to Cut n' Past the content into the main Grammarly Premium window. There are few other small issues, but I'll stick with it and see if they get sorted out.

 

[minivini]

The new Firefox 69 will have a special “pairing” mode...

 

[justperry]

The web has grown into such a diseased & nefarious medium that I no longer accept cookies from any site I'm not buying something from (which gets purged immediately after leaving the site) and use ad blockers for everything. Seems like going back to the Stone Age

Sad thing is that it's a ffing nuisance, each and every time you visit a site they will ask for accepting cookies and the like.
I hate being tracked as much if not even more than you do, have all kinds of tricks/apps/blockers to do so, what makes me angry is that in the EU sites must show you this crap upon first visit.
Hate the net as it is now, hopefully there will be a reboot 2.0.
Even the creators of the internet as it is now despise it.

 

[xgman]

The problem is that many sites will break, and you have to decide if you can live with that nuisance in order to have blocking or be pestered each time. Real privacy went out the window about a decade ago. I'm not sure we will ever be able to get it back, in fact I'm pretty sure it will get much worse.

 

[Avenged110]

While I despise Firefox's UI, it's one of the only browsers that still supports 10.9. Hopefully the upcoming "stop sucking battery" release someone else mentioned does as well.

 

[mudflap]

Gotta say, Mozilla has been quietly upping the game to the point where I’m starting to prefer it over Safari, which has been my default forever. There are times/sites where Safari doesn’t load elements, like Recapcha, which renders them unusable. Google image searches don’t populate to the scroll-down part of the page. Firefox has no such issues for me so far. It might be a Safari bug, or some security setting I haven’t found, but Firefox is now actually a more reliable browser. And I respect their steps towards privacy/security, this one included.

Not sure what you mean. Recaptcha doesn't render properly for you? I've never encountered that issue. Are you using a content blocker other than Safari's built in one, or Wipr? (Just asking because I use those.) When searching images with Google, your results don't go as far down for you as pictured here?

 

[coolfactor]

How does it do passwords these days? The reason I religiously stick to Safari is all of my passwords go with me from Mac to iPhone to iPad. Also, apps on iOS appear to somehow hook into the default password system.

I've used "LastPass" in the past but stopped mostly because they took a very nice UI and utterly messed it up horribly. Also, it wasn't as universal as Apple's.

Applications (ie. other browsers) have the option of tying into the System Keychain, but seem to refuse to. I also use Safari largely because of Keychain integration across my devices. I'm baffled why Chrome and Firefox don't sync with Keychain.

Do most users use just one browser or do you switch between a couple... that seems like it would have some advantages. But then the password issues double.

I use multiple browsers, and a mix of private and non-private browsing in my work (I'm a web applications developer). I feel there's no reason people need to stick with just one browser, or avoid Private browsing. I have many colleagues that go through the painful process of clearing their caches and cookies every time I tell them to do a "hard refresh". It's painful to watch this when opening up a private window would serve the exact same purpose in one step.
[doublepost=1567625810][/doublepost]

Gotta say, Mozilla has been quietly upping the game to the point where I’m starting to prefer it over Safari, which has been my default forever. There are times/sites where Safari doesn’t load elements, like Recapcha, which renders them unusable. Google image searches don’t populate to the scroll-down part of the page. Firefox has no such issues for me so far. It might be a Safari bug, or some security setting I haven’t found, but Firefox is now actually a more reliable browser. And I respect their steps towards privacy/security, this one included.

Yup, you've definitely got something else going on, it's not a Safari bug that you're mentioning. I use Safari as my default browser and do not experience any issues with ReCaptcha or image searches.

 

[FaustsHausUK]

*opens Firefox for the first time in a while*
New tab: "You've got the latest version of Firefox!"
*checks About Firefox, sees it's on version 67, and clicks Restart to Update*
New tab: "You've got the latest version of Firefox!"
*checks About Firefox, sees it's on version 68, and clicks Restart to Update*
New tab: "You've got the latest version of Firefox!"

 

[Kabeyun]

Not sure what you mean. Recaptcha doesn't render properly for you? I've never encountered that issue. Are you using a content blocker other than Safari's built in one, or Wipr? (Just asking because I use those.) When searching images with Google, your results don't go as far down for you as pictured here?View attachment 856082

Yup, you've definitely got something else going on, it's not a Safari bug that you're mentioning. I use Safari as my default browser and do not experience any issues with ReCaptcha or image searches.

No blockers, no photos beyond a little scroll down. Weird, right? Thx both. I’ll run through settings again and see if I missed anything. Don’t want to highjack the thread.

 

[sshambles]

If you’re comfortable with a Google product as your window to the Internet, have at it. Not I. Ever.

I use it for work, at work, on a work laptop. Will switch to Firefox though - forgot about it tbh