Browse like no one’s watching. The new Firefox Focus automatically blocks a wide range of online trackers — from the moment you launch it to the second you leave it. Easily erase your history, passwords and cookies, so you won’t get followed by things like unwanted ads.
“Private browsing” on most browsers isn’t comprehensive or easy to use. Focus is next-level privacy that’s free, always on and always on your side — because it’s backed by Mozilla, the non-profit that fights for your rights on the Web.
AUTOMATIC PRIVACY • Blocks a wide range of common Web trackers without any settings to set • Easily erases your history — no passwords, no cookies, no trackers
BROWSE FASTER • By removing trackers and ads, Web pages may require less data and load faster
MADE BY MOZILLA • We believe everyone should have control over their lives online. That’s what we’ve been fighting for since 1998.
Latest comments (59)
gavin1
31 Jul 17#59
Falls down in the same place, first if any company has authentication on proxies (be that automatic from windows credentials or a manaul enter on a "your details" page) you wont be able to get out of the corpoate network without identifying yourself.
And a VPN has to go somewhere, If you using anything that uses Macaffee / trusted sources lists the sysytem administrator could simply block everything in the Anonymisers category and so make it harder to connect. If its getting a regularly updated feed fporm TS the sysy admin will know any thing new would be blocked before too long as TS pick it up and categorise it.
Of Course it does depends who strict your company policies are...
johnsmith1997
31 Jul 17#58
They can also become a deputy 1st Minister in N.I. :grin:
amour3k
31 Jul 17#57
What's the difference between a Terrorist, and a Freedom Fighter?.
The answer is, who's side your on?.
(As those who are referred to as Terrorist yesterday, eg. Nelson Mandela, are referred to as Freedom Fighter's today ... )
So alllll kind of depends on who's side your on really?, lol.
amour3k
31 Jul 17#56
That it might be, lol. :-)
amour3k
31 Jul 17#55
Interesting point that?, true enough. :-)
Out of interest, how about using something like the portable Windows version of Psiphon VPN? (which does NOT need to be Windows installed!, as it's portable, etc ... )
Couldn't Psiphon VPN be sort of used to 'tunnel' under all that? (under SSL's, etc?).
Or ..... thanx. :-)
amour3k
31 Jul 17#54
Interesting conundrum that?.
It possibly might?, but to be fair, it would also defeat the purpose of a 'Privacy App' too I'd have reckoned?.
But otherwise allowing Cookies/Tracing Trackers via itself, to which could further then be implemented at .....
I could be wrong?. :-)
Mr.cool
28 Jun 17#53
Worth a look.
gavin1
27 Jun 17#52
Corporates may already have the hardware to do this. Remember any corporate build will most likely already have some I nternal self signed trusted ssl certs in place and chances are all traffic goes through a proxy or at least one gateway to the wider internet. Add in a simple proxy authentication and a corporate will know where you have been, that said proxy logs can get very big very quickly so unless you've done something bad no one may even bother looking at them, but they may well be retained for a long time depending on our companies industry sector.
Malware is increasingly using ssl to try and get through firewalls and so corporations are turning to ssl decryption units that effectively are a mitm box to intercept and scan incoming and outgoing traffic.
If you want to surf at work privately then the only certain way is to use your phone on the 3/4g network. Anything going through the corporate network may well be monitored and there is little that the end user can do that will be able to prevent it as they won't generally be able to override the devices up stream.
gavin1
26 Jun 17#51
Put the exit nodes on the corporate /ISP proxy firewall blacklist and tails won't work as it can't connect. Same with any VPN. In the same way that most UK ISPs block known pirate bay sites anything using Tor will fail.
Pinksparkles1973
21 Jun 17#15
Hiding your browsing history eh?.... is that you naughty boys looking at boobies galore then trying to tell your wives that you were only checking out the weather for the week?! :wink:
credington to Pinksparkles1973
24 Jun 17#50
Yes for some people. For others like me it's to try and stop corporations from sucking information from us that they then sell on or use, sometimes to our detriment.
johnsmith1997
24 Jun 17#49
Nah, is for terrorists learning how to make a bomb or hiring a van. :neutral_face:
mickrick
23 Jun 17#48
Now I can use my phone to shop for presents for my other half without her finding out.
rp83
23 Jun 17#47
I usually say was checking HUKD, and it works!!!
Herc
23 Jun 17#46
SSL is designed specifically to stop mitm attacks, the only way an mitm attack could be performed was if attacker could install a root chain and thus generate certs on the fly . Otherwise it would be need a 0 day exploit or access to the private keys of the certificate authority.......having said that there would be easier ways to see what you were doing on a corporate network monitoring your local files, DNS lookups etc.....
jameshothothot
23 Jun 17#45
doesn't work on my note 2 android 4:4 :disappointed: shame as inbrowser and opera mini not working with site I want to use it on
stevos9
22 Jun 17#44
As a fairly integrated Google user can I still 'sign in' to the browser as I would do with Chrome? Could it sync with a desktop version?
hindsight1
22 Jun 17#43
Regarding the VPN comments: - if it's free, it's not anonymous - if it's paid, pay special attention to the company's available information on what they store and which technology they use, it's location and reviews - even if all seems to work out, be aware that there are technological limits to the effective use of VPNs (e.g. WebRTC and DNS leaks) - in particular but not limited to Windows, Mac, Android and the specific browsers you choose.
A mix of a TAILS USB stick on an old(er) computer with VPN and TOR and some common sense should be a good starting point if you're serious about privacy. It's troublesome and probably not needed for what most of us do online, though.
tl;dr: a private browser keeps some companies from tracking you, but that's about it. A VPN gives basic privacy protection, but only as long as you know what you're doing beyond clicking 'connect', and also choosing a reasonable company to trust your data with. Stay vigilant and don't trust privacy-praising marketing messages.
CrispEditor
22 Jun 17#42
We are hiding our browsing so we can drool over the latest iphone/galaxy/lenovo or doughnut deals.
kiranks
22 Jun 17#41
Very useful. thanks for sharing :smile:
Soulie86
22 Jun 17#40
Does this support multiple tabs by any chance? :smile:
NitrousUK
22 Jun 17#39
"What you looking at honey?" "...nothing.."
ir1shman01
22 Jun 17#38
use brave browser, basically chrome with ad block
If your trying to browse anything privately at work it may never be possible. Everything comes in via firewalls at some point and your employer may have devices at that point to read the traffic. There's devices out there to intercept SSL tunnelling and decrypt it and VPN is easily blocked.
Heck remember how BT trailed Phorm the dee read packets and could easily use similar Lara setups to man in the middle a https session
The Firefox Focus browser has Yahoo set as the default search engine, but if you want even more privacy you can change it to DuckDuckGo: duckduckgo.com/
TimeZ0ne
22 Jun 17#34
How does it compare with Inbrowser?
FlamingSpaz
22 Jun 17#33
just fyi this browser is supposed to be super lightweight for one-off searches etc. regular firefox has the same privacy built-in with regular browser features like tabs and sync.
wotrulike
22 Jun 17#32
Also on iOS Firefox Focus: The privacy browser by Mozilla appsto.re/gb/…-.i Haven't tried it yet but I will download asap
Switchy87
22 Jun 17#31
tried it sites like thesixthaxis.com/ dont load and ign videos dont play whatever i do.
HottyHotty
22 Jun 17#30
Tried this and it's really nice, however lack of tabbed browsing is a killer for me.
For any Samsung owners out there:
It did push me however to try the samsung browser with the adblock plus extension. Consider me impressed since the last time I tried it years ago (love samsung phones, generally hate samsung software).
Fast, no ads, a bookmarks tab that makes sense, and something that I've wanted Chrome to do for years...the browser tabs button is on the bottom right, not the top right which is increasingly difficult to reach as phones grow ever larger.
simate
22 Jun 17#28
Focus is for Android. Epic is for pc and Mac.
wayners
22 Jun 17#27
Just use brave browser. Is chrome with add blocker. Looks and works like Chrome because it is chrome.
Snarf_Dude
22 Jun 17#26
Cheers OP, heat added :sunglasses:
optimus_prime2
22 Jun 17#25
Just downloaded from App Store cheers
MrBeansDrivingInstructor
22 Jun 17#24
Is that better than an offline browser?
I use Opera (and Opera Max) for brilliantly fast surfing with minimum data usage.
koreanheman
22 Jun 17#22
Use it as default browser for opening links from apps like Reddit, Facebook etc. and use chrome as a standalone app.
octopus
22 Jun 17#23
Get a "your device isn't compatible" message on my P9
Proveright
22 Jun 17#20
Opera has a free VPN builtin, but you have to turn it on.
0dd8a11
22 Jun 17#21
Not for me, for sites that want to open a popup you lose the original site.
Who gives a f who knows what you browse ... why should I trust Mozilla if I did want to hide .. they're probably owned by the CIA, 5 or 6, the MIB yeah you know me, the wickey wild wickey wickey wild wild west :poop:
zba78
21 Jun 17#17
Amazing speed. Just the type of browser I like to keep around for visiting those websites that have too many ads in the middle of articles (like techradar)
getknk
21 Jun 17#16
Wished it had bookmarking facility too, so I can bookmark frequently visited sites. I will request anyway for features
ritchie1
21 Jun 17#14
Why not just use Firefox browser with uBlock Origin addon?
M1ke_Hunt
21 Jun 17#13
If you prefer chrome, there is a web based browser called Epic, which seems similar to this.
just tried it, liked it, unfortunately no tabbed browsing so back to chrome, thx for bringing it to my attention tho. heat.
FoxForce5
21 Jun 17#10
Just a heads up for those not au fait with technology, whilst this will hide your browsing history to your wife/husband etc, I wouldn't trust it for anything you REALLY wanted to hide from anyone or any organisation.
For that you want to use something like a tails install on a usb on an older laptop.
benasipro
21 Jun 17#9
Zenmate and Hola Extensions have VPN Incognito Mode do not store any cookies. Ghostery block all trackers, instead of Firefox Private browser "wide blocking" tracking
Brave browser with all the add blocking and incognito mode. Is incognito mode the same thing?
HgoesShopping
21 Jun 17#2
saw this on top 10 apps on android authority this morning, brilliant browser. chrome is gone!
No1_VIPER
21 Jun 17#1
Browse like no one’s watching. The new Firefox Focus automatically blocks a wide range of online trackers — from the moment you launch it to the second you leave it. Easily erase your history, passwords and cookies, so you won’t get followed by things like unwanted ads.
“Private browsing” on most browsers isn’t comprehensive or easy to use. Focus is next-level privacy that’s free, always on and always on your side — because it’s backed by Mozilla, the non-profit that fights for your rights on the Web.
AUTOMATIC PRIVACY • Blocks a wide range of common Web trackers without any settings to set • Easily erases your history — no passwords, no cookies, no trackers
BROWSE FASTER • By removing trackers and ads, Web pages may require less data and load faster
MADE BY MOZILLA • We believe everyone should have control over their lives online. That’s what we’ve been fighting for since 1998.
Opening post
“Private browsing” on most browsers isn’t comprehensive or easy to use. Focus is next-level privacy that’s free, always on and always on your side — because it’s backed by Mozilla, the non-profit that fights for your rights on the Web.
AUTOMATIC PRIVACY
• Blocks a wide range of common Web trackers without any settings to set
• Easily erases your history — no passwords, no cookies, no trackers
BROWSE FASTER
• By removing trackers and ads, Web pages may require less data and load faster
MADE BY MOZILLA
• We believe everyone should have control over their lives online. That’s what we’ve been fighting for since 1998.
Latest comments (59)
And a VPN has to go somewhere, If you using anything that uses Macaffee / trusted sources lists the sysytem administrator could simply block everything in the Anonymisers category and so make it harder to connect. If its getting a regularly updated feed fporm TS the sysy admin will know any thing new would be blocked before too long as TS pick it up and categorise it.
Of Course it does depends who strict your company policies are...
The answer is, who's side your on?.
(As those who are referred to as Terrorist yesterday, eg. Nelson Mandela, are referred to as Freedom Fighter's today ... )
So alllll kind of depends on who's side your on really?, lol.
Out of interest, how about using something like the portable Windows version of Psiphon VPN? (which does NOT need to be Windows installed!, as it's portable, etc ... )
Couldn't Psiphon VPN be sort of used to 'tunnel' under all that? (under SSL's, etc?).
Or ..... thanx. :-)
It possibly might?, but to be fair, it would also defeat the purpose of a 'Privacy App' too I'd have reckoned?.
But otherwise allowing Cookies/Tracing Trackers via itself, to which could further then be implemented at .....
I could be wrong?. :-)
Malware is increasingly using ssl to try and get through firewalls and so corporations are turning to ssl decryption units that effectively are a mitm box to intercept and scan incoming and outgoing traffic.
If you want to surf at work privately then the only certain way is to use your phone on the 3/4g network. Anything going through the corporate network may well be monitored and there is little that the end user can do that will be able to prevent it as they won't generally be able to override the devices up stream.
- if it's free, it's not anonymous
- if it's paid, pay special attention to the company's available information on what they store and which technology they use, it's location and reviews
- even if all seems to work out, be aware that there are technological limits to the effective use of VPNs (e.g. WebRTC and DNS leaks) - in particular but not limited to Windows, Mac, Android and the specific browsers you choose.
A mix of a TAILS USB stick on an old(er) computer with VPN and TOR and some common sense should be a good starting point if you're serious about privacy. It's troublesome and probably not needed for what most of us do online, though.
tl;dr: a private browser keeps some companies from tracking you, but that's about it. A VPN gives basic privacy protection, but only as long as you know what you're doing beyond clicking 'connect', and also choosing a reasonable company to trust your data with. Stay vigilant and don't trust privacy-praising marketing messages.
"...nothing.."
Heck remember how BT trailed Phorm the dee read packets and could easily use similar Lara setups to man in the middle a https session
The Firefox Focus browser has Yahoo set as the default search engine, but if you want even more privacy you can change it to DuckDuckGo:
duckduckgo.com/
appsto.re/gb/…-.i Haven't tried it yet but I will download asap
For any Samsung owners out there:
It did push me however to try the samsung browser with the adblock plus extension. Consider me impressed since the last time I tried it years ago (love samsung phones, generally hate samsung software).
Fast, no ads, a bookmarks tab that makes sense, and something that I've wanted Chrome to do for years...the browser tabs button is on the bottom right, not the top right which is increasingly difficult to reach as phones grow ever larger.
I use Opera (and Opera Max) for brilliantly fast surfing with minimum data usage.
Epic Browser
For that you want to use something like a tails install on a usb on an older laptop.
Incognito Mode do not store any cookies.
Ghostery block all trackers, instead of Firefox Private browser "wide blocking" tracking
“Private browsing” on most browsers isn’t comprehensive or easy to use. Focus is next-level privacy that’s free, always on and always on your side — because it’s backed by Mozilla, the non-profit that fights for your rights on the Web.
AUTOMATIC PRIVACY
• Blocks a wide range of common Web trackers without any settings to set
• Easily erases your history — no passwords, no cookies, no trackers
BROWSE FASTER
• By removing trackers and ads, Web pages may require less data and load faster
MADE BY MOZILLA
• We believe everyone should have control over their lives online. That’s what we’ve been fighting for since 1998.