【Watch Leverage Online】

Facebook tracks its users online,Watch Leverage Online far beyond the app and other services. Given the latest data privacy scandal involving Trump-linked data firm Cambridge Analytica, Mozilla is letting internet users fight back.

SEE ALSO: Mozilla pulls ads from Facebook until Zuck makes good

A new browser extension called the "Facebook Container" lets Firefox users isolate their activity on Facebook to Facebook.com, making it more difficult to track users' actions elsewhere on the web. The hope is that someone searching for and booking a trip wouldn't then cause related ads to appear on your Facebook feed, for example, without having to go ahead and delete Facebook altogether.

As Mozilla wrote in its blog post,

The pages you visit on the web can say a lot about you. They can infer where you live, the hobbies you have, and your political persuasion. There’s enormous value in tying this data to your social profile, and Facebook has a network of trackers on various websites. This code tracks you invisibly and it is often impossible to determine when this data is being shared.

The extension is far from a perfect solution. Mozilla noted in the blog post that websites that allowed a user to create an account and log-in through Facebook will not work properly within the Facebook Container.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Mozilla's update comes in the wake of Facebook's scandal with Cambridge Anaytica, where at least 50 million Facebook users had their personal data used without their direct consent. As Mozilla explained, this browser wouldn't have prevented that access, but it does give users more control in what type of data Facebook is able to access. Mozilla also announced last week it would "pause" advertising on Facebook and won't return until CEO Mark Zuckerberg "takes stronger action" on safeguarding customers' data.

Here's how the "Facebook Container" works:

1. Download Firefox, if you don't already have it.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

2. Add the extension to Firefox.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

3. Browse on Facebook, with a new sense of security.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Facebook is far from the only site tracking people on the web, and Mozilla wrote in the blog post that it didn't want to just single them out:

Facebook isn’t unique in their practice of collecting data from your activity outside of the core service, and our goal is not to single out a particular organization, but to start with a well-defined problem that we can solve quickly. As good privacy hygiene, it’s also worth reviewing your privacy settings for each app that you use regularly.

And yet, here we are.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. We will update this post if and when we hear back.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Facebook is using facial recognition — here's how to turn it off

---

Topics Facebook Privacy Social Media

• Digital Culture
• Life
• Entertainment
• Science
• Social Good
• Tech
• Games
• Deals

• Best JBL deal: Save $10 on the Go 4 at Amazon
• Jet Airways flight spins 360
• Investigators finally understand why an entire family of bears died in a parking lot
• A&E cancels controversial show about the KKK
• Amazon Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple AirPods 4 with ANC deal
• Google pushes down Holocaust
• Brutal holiday blizzard wreaks havoc across northern U.S.
• 'CS:GO' pro kicked off team after complaining about players' rights
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 1, 2025
• Ridiculous Fox anchor to Teen Vogue writer: 'stick to the thigh

• Sculptor of that widely mocked Ronaldo bust compares himself to Jesus
• Everyone made the same 'Zoolander' joke about the Final Four court
• Is 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' getting a revival?
• This stag with a bra stuck on its antlers has some serious explaining to do
• Apple just fixed an iPhone flaw that overwhelmed the 911 system
• Mary J. Blige and Kanye West drop empowering new anthem
• Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, Young Thug and Pharrell demand you have fun on 'Heatstroke'
• China comes down harder on Muslims, outlawing 'abnormal beards' and veils in public
• Spaghetti donuts are the latest frankenfood obsession
• Twitter's new replies are a total nightmare

• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple deals on iPads, MacBooks, and more still live
• Carrie Fisher's mom shares health update after heart attack
• Ontario streets are so icy right now, people are blissfully skating on them
• Woman wakes up to find $15 million in her bank account, informs Prime Minister's office
• Eufy L60 robot vacuum: Get it for $279.95 at Amazon
• Farewell to Vera Rubin: Badass astronomer and feminist icon
• OK, calling it: This little boy stars in 2016's most heartwarming Christmas video
• India's ruling party got volunteers to troll its critics, claims new book
• Best travel deal: Take 30% off Southwest flights
• OurMine just combined hacking and debunking to dispel a fake Britney Spears death tweet

• Productivity Boost: Enable 'Night Mode' on All Your Devices
• Investigators finally understand why an entire family of bears died in a parking lot
• Millions of red crabs migrating is the right kind of Christmas rush
• How to return Amazon packages in 2025
• Sony PULSE Elite PS5 headset open
• Boyfriend has tear
• Indie darling 'Meet the Patels' comes to PBS
• Google's free Wi
• Best tablet deal: Get the Google Pixel Tablet for $120 off at Amazon
• Woman wakes up to find $15 million in her bank account, informs Prime Minister's office