Mozilla Releases Facebook Container Extension To Stop Liberal Data Collection

Today, Mozilla announced the availability of a new extension for Firefox aimed at helping users control how much data Facebook can collect about them. Named the "Facebook Container" extension, it is derived from another extension called "Firefox Multi-Account Containers".

Mozilla introduces the Facebook Container Extension

From the announcement:

"[this] extension helps you control more of your web activity from Facebook by isolating your identity into a separate container. This makes it harder for Facebook to track your activity on other websites via third-party cookies" 

It works by placing Facebook instances inside a blue-colored tab, and isolates it from other sites so you cannot be tracked across sites. Further security is achieved by the fact that attempting to interact with Facebook outside of the contained tab will open the interaction within the Facebook tab. Like say, for instance, clicking a "Like" or "Share" icon on another website. As Mozilla puts it:

"When you install this extension it will delete your Facebook cookies and log you out of Facebook. The next time you visit Facebook it will open in a new blue-colored browser tab (aka “container tab”). In that tab you can login to Facebook and use it like you normally would. If you click on a non-Facebook link or navigate to a non-Facebook website in the URL bar, these pages will load outside of the container"

If deleting your Facebook account isn't an option, it would be highly recommended to install this extension for viewing Facebook. Using that, along with a good anti-tracking and anti spying add-on such as the EFF's Privacy Badger, which works in any browser, will go a long way to helping you fight the good fight with regards to how you interact with the world wide web.

- Links

- Facebook Container Extension: Take control of how you’re being tracked
- EFF's Privacy Badger extension