On March 23, Mozilla released version 87 of its open-source web browser, Firefox. Firefox 87 brings a plethora of changes and fixes, with the most notable one being the SmartBlock feature.
What Is SmartBlock?
Firefox introduced a content-blocking feature back in 2015. The feature, which essentially protected the privacy of users by blocking third-party scripts, trackers, images, and cookies, did also cause some websites to malfunction.
SmartBlock improves upon this feature.
In a post on the Mozilla Security Blog, the company says:
SmartBlock intelligently fixes up web pages that are broken by our tracking protections, without compromising user privacy.
To ensure the proper functioning of websites while protecting users, SmartBlock loads stand-in scripts to replace the blocked tracking scripts. These stand-in scripts “behave just enough like the original ones to make sure that the website works properly.”
Mozilla believes that this will provide security to users without compromising on the browsing experience.
Mozilla has also reassured users that these stand-in scripts themselves do not contain any code that would allow tracking.
Other Notable Changes and Improvements in Firefox 87
Firefox 87 isn’t all about SmartBlock though. Mozilla has also addressed a lot of security issues, bugs, and quality of life improvements. Including a new referrer policy designed to better protect user data.
Malicious extensions can no longer spoof trusted websites in the form of popups and trick users into providing their credentials. Other low-risk security threats by malicious extensions have also been dealt with.
Additionally, memory safety bugs that could corrupt the memory as well as be used to run malicious code, have been fixed.
The full list of security fixes can be found on Mozilla’s official website.
Firefox 87 now comes with complete support for the macOS built-in screen reader.
Additionally, there have been various changes to the UI and how it works. The Help menu now has reduced clutter. Synced tabs, pocket list, and recent highlights have been removed from the Library menu as they have “other access points in the browser.”
In a much-needed quality of life fix, pressing the Backspace key will no longer load the previous webpage in a tab. This is to prevent data loss when filling out forms. However, users can opt to re-enable this feature.
How to Get Firefox 87
Mozilla has consistently pushed out regular updates for its Firefox browser, and needless to say Firefox 87 brings a host of new features. Various high-risk security issues have been fixed as well, resulting in more peace of mind for users.
The complete list of changes can be found in the Firefox 87 release notes.
Firefox 87 can be downloaded from Mozilla’s website. Or, if you’re already using Firefox, you can update it from within the browser itself.