News Mozilla testing new Firefox Private Browsing mode

would this then make FireFox like TOR?

 

Nah, it wouldn't make it like tor. Tor routes your traffic through a number of servers in order to hide it. This would prevent website analytic tools from building a profile on you.

If you install the ghostery addon for your browser you can see these things in action. In fact it would probably operate in a similar manner to ghostery

 

You can also turn it on period for all session. Open up about:config and locate the value
privacy.trackingprotection.enabled set it to true.

 

It seems like a good idea to have the option to be more proactive in blocking trackers.
I've always thought that sorts of trackers that would respect a do not track request aren't necessary the ones to be concerned about.

 

On the topic of tracking Lightbeam is another addon that really gives you a good, tangible idea of how you are being tracked. Even with various privacy addons lightbeam shows that not all tracking is being prevented.

 

Tracking is becoming like ads... The more intrusive/annoying it becomes the more people try and actively avoid it and the more intrusive/annoying the ads/tracking becomes...

 

I think blocking/avoiding just speeds up the inevitable rather than acting as a direct instigator when it comes to nuisance ads and profiling/tracking.

Ultimately, tracking and advertising businesses will try to eek out as much profit as they possibly can, regardless of the environment they operate in. Their current operating environment being an internet where x % of users actively ad block.

Even if there was no blocking of any kind by anyone on the internet, these groups would still push to get more clicks and gather more data because that is what they need to do to grow their business and improve revenue. Apparently annoying ads and heavy tracking allows them to do that. Unfortunately all roads lead to annoying advertisements.