For all of you sharing a computer with a roommate, significant other, and/or family member, Mozilla is introducing a new way to maintain the privacy of each user. It’s easily accessible, fast, and hassle-free. Most importantly, it can wipe out everything you don’t want other folks to come across.
Fittingly titled “Forget”, the feature headlines the latest Firefox change-log. Announced on Mozilla’s blog today right as the world’s third most popular desktop browser turns 10, the “special release” brings new functions to the table that claim to hand over greater control to users.
Forget can be added to the Firefox toolbar. Once there, you’ll be able to access it without digging through preferences or history, which should make it easy to use.
Just click it, and choose to wipe the slate clean to remove every site you’ve visited in the last five minutes, two hours, or 24 hours. Plus, this will wipe away your browsing cookies as well. With Forget, you won’t have to worry any longer about your girlfriend learning of your Real Housewives of New Jersey addiction.
Even better, an immaculate window will also be automatically opened, replacing the window that contained whatever you were just looking at once you click “Forget!” Nope, that won’t look suspicious at all when someone walks in.
Firefox has had both a private browsing mode, and history-deleting options for a long time now, but the new Forget tool aims to bring confidentiality closer to your grasp.
That’s not the only way Mozilla is improving Firefox’s privacy functions. DuckDuckGo is one of the search options offered as a standard in version 33.1.
While it’s nowhere near as popular as Google or Yahoo, the search engine values confidentiality, which is a rarity these days. DuckDuckGo doesn’t track your online activity, and it doesn’t alter its search results based on harvested data.
A non-privacy-related tweak sees Enhanced Tiles making their official debut after a fairly lengthy testing process. Your most visited websites will now look better when opening a new tab.
Aside from the 33.1 update, Mozilla celebrates ten years of Firefox with a new Developer Edition of the browser made specifically with software makers in mind. Tools and features become available here a minimum of 12 weeks before rolling out to everyday Firefox users. Also, you can aid in the process of stabilizing and improving the browser by downloading the Developer Edition.
Happy birthday, Firefox, and keep on truckin’.
