Mozilla is adding a private browser feature to its forthcoming Firefox 3.1 release. Private browsing aims to help users make sure their Web browsing doesn't leave traces on their computers, said the function's developer, Ehsan Akhgari.
"It is very important to note that private browsing is not a tool to keep you anonymous from Web sites or your ISP or, for example, protect you from all kinds of spyware applications which use sophisticated techniques to intercept your online traffic," Akhgari said. "Private browsing is only about making sure that Firefox doesn't store any data which can be used to trace your online activities -- no more, no less."
Maintaining An Edge
According to new data from Net Applications, Firefox increased its global market share to about 20 percent last month. Since private browsing capabilities are heading to Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari, and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla decided it needs similar capabilities to maintain its growth.
To start a private session in Firefox 3.1, the user selects private browsing from the browser's tools menu. Not much is different in the Firefox window in private browsing mode other than an unobtrusive text notification added to the title bar at the top of the window, Akhgari said.
"After all, if you're doing something online that you don't want your coworkers to know about, you don't want to raise their attention with a big sign saying 'private' as they pass by and glance over your shoulder," Akhgari said.
To close a private session, the user unchecks the same item in the tools menu. "This action discards all of the data from your private session, and will restore your nonprivate browsing session, just like it was before entering the private browsing mode," Akhgari said.
Private browsing is already available in the nightly builds that Firefox developers use to identify bugs from the previous day's work. The new technology destined for Firefox 3.1 will reach a wider audience when the browser's beta 2 release becomes available for download later this month.
In the interim, Firefox aficionados can use Mozilla's Stealther plug-in for Firefox 3.0 to surf the Web without leaving any trace of the journey on their PCs. The add-on program has already generated just under a million downloads.
Not Quite Incognito
Still, some observers think stealth browsing technology has a long way to go before it can claim to truly protect the privacy of Web surfers. Consumer Watchdog recently singled out the Incognito mode in Google's Chrome for some criticism. According to the consumer advocacy group, Incognito may actually lull consumers into a false sense of security that their actions are completely private and free from prying eyes.
"Despite users' reasonable belief that they can surf the Web anonymously when they select Incognito, Chrome continues to send some information back to Google," the nonprofit organization said. "In Incognito mode, we assume -- and Google should, too -- that the user doesn't want anyone watching or having a record of their computing, including searches."
Consumer Watchdog wants Google to provide a clear disclosure on the Google search-engine home pages so Web surfers can easily prevent communication with Google before pressing the search button or affirmatively requesting an action. The disclosure, it noted, should also be made clear throughout all Google applications -- including GMail, Google Talk, and the Google Toolbar.
"It should be a convenient, actionable feature so that the user can exercise informed choice," the group said.
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