Firefox Adds New Protections Against Browser Fingerprinting

Mozilla Firefox has introduced new protections against browser fingerprinting, aiming to make it harder for websites to uniquely identify users.

Fingerprinting is a method where websites or trackers collect information about your device, browser settings, operating system, time zone, fonts, hardware details, and more to create a unique “identifier,” even if cookies are blocked or private browsing is used.

Firefox already had features like Total Cookie Protection and Enhanced Tracking Protection to limit tracking. Now, Mozilla is adding further protections that limit access to hardware and browser data to prevent fingerprinting.

Key changes include:

• Canvas fingerprinting: Images or data generated via the canvas element will now include some “noise” or randomness, making it harder for trackers to extract exact information.
• Font access: Websites will no longer be able to detect locally installed custom fonts beyond default system fonts, reducing the ability to identify users based on their font list.
• Hardware feature reporting: Features like multitouch support will report limited or rounded values (e.g., devices with more than one touch point may report only up to five).
• Screen resolution and CPU cores: Hardware details will be “rounded” or capped before being shared with websites. For instance, devices with fewer than 4 CPU cores report 4, while devices with more report 8 cores.

These changes are rolling out in Firefox 145. By default, they are not enabled for all users—they become active in Private Browsing or when Enhanced Tracking Protection is set to Strict mode, ensuring websites continue to function correctly.

In summary, Firefox is taking another step toward protecting users from advanced tracking methods, improving online privacy by making fingerprinting much less reliable.