In a world long dominated by tech giants, Firefox has always stood as the underdog.
The web browser from Mozilla is smaller in market share when compared to bigger giants, but driven by conviction. While other browsers raced to integrate more features, ads, and AI assistants, Firefox quietly chose a different path: to be unique in its own way. Built by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, it carried a promise.
And that promise is: the internet should belong to everyone, not to those who profit most from users' data. And through persistence and principle, Firefox has successfully carved its name as the browser that puts users, not advertisers, first.
With the release of Firefox 145, Mozilla is reaffirming that mission, introducing one of its most ambitious privacy upgrades yet: a powerful new layer of protection against browser fingerprinting.
Fingerprinting, which is a tracking technique that lets websites identify people even when cookies are blocked or while using private browsing, works by quietly collecting the minute details of users' device and setup.
From their time zone and fonts to how their graphics card draws images or how the processor performs math. These subtle traits combine into a "digital fingerprint" that uniquely identifies users across sites, even if they clear cookies or switch browsers. It’s one of the most persistent and invisible forms of online tracking, often bypassing even the strongest privacy measures.
Mozilla’s new defenses directly take on that problem.
Building on its Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) and Total Cookie Protection, Firefox 145 now reduces the amount of information websites can see in the first place.
Instead of only blocking known trackers, the browser now preemptively shrinks users fingerprint. The company said that this latest phase of anti-fingerprinting work cuts the number of uniquely trackable Firefox users by nearly half.
"Today, we are excited to announce the completion of the second phase of defenses against fingerprinters that linger across all your browsing but aren’t in the known tracker lists. With these fingerprinting protections, the amount of Firefox users trackable by fingerprinters is reduced by half," said Mozilla.
This is a massive achievement in a web ecosystem where invisibility has become a luxury.
The approach is grounded in real-world analysis of how fingerprinters actually operate.
Firefox now limits access to system-level details that are commonly abused, such as processor core count, touchscreen support, dock or taskbar dimensions, and graphics rendering quirks. Combined with its ongoing blocking of known fingerprinting scripts, this multi-layered protection significantly reduces users' visibility without breaking legitimate web features.
Mozilla’s engineers noted that total blocking isn’t realistic.
If Firefox goes too strict, the browser would literally disrupt key functionalities like calendar tools or conferencing apps that legitimately rely on local time zone data. As a work around, Firefox 145 strikes a balance: targeting high-risk fingerprinting vectors while preserving smooth and uncompromised browsing.
These enhanced protections are currently available in Private Browsing mode and ETP Strict mode, with plans to enable them by default once testing confirms stability.
Alongside the privacy upgrades, Firefox 145 also introduces user-facing refinements.
The browser gains an upgraded PDF annotation tool, improved tab group previews, and a subtly refreshed interface with rounded tabs and softened design cues.
And in a more symbolic update, Mozilla has also introduced a new mascot named "Kit," a cheerful fox companion meant to embody Firefox’s friendly, trustworthy personality. Kit’s debut accompanies a new line of official Firefox merchandise, from shirts to mugs, part of Mozilla’s effort to rekindle user connection and brand warmth.
And while Firefox 145 brings modern polish, it also marks an ending: this version officially drops support for 32-bit Linux systems, reflecting a move toward modern architecture and better performance across platforms.
Through it all, Mozilla’s goal remains consistent: to make privacy intuitive, not complicated.
So while Firefox may still be the underdog in the browser wars, it’s the one that keeps fighting the right battles.