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…