Firefox 120 released with privacy improvements including URL tracking param removal

Mozilla released Firefox 120 to the stable branch, along with ESR 115.5.0 and Firefox 121 Beta. The new version of the browser adds a new option to the link context menu, Copy Link Without Site Tracking. For select users, a new feature "Cookie Banner Blocker" will auto-close cookie consent prompts with rejecting the prompt. And more.

What's new in Firefox 120

Copy Link Without Site Tracking

The new option appears in the link context menu and removes known tracking parameters, and only places the clean link into the clipboard.

The browser includes a database of known tracking arguments. It includes utm_* by Google and similar websites, additions by Facebook, and so on.

For example, when you copy a link from Facebook, the mc_eid and fbclid parameters will be removed.

For users in Germany, the URL cleanup will work when clicking on a link on a page and when opening a link in the address bar in private browsing mode or when selecting the strict Enhanced Tracking Protection mode (ETP). A hidden privacy.query_stripping.enabled setting in about:config enables the feature for everyone.

Cookie Consent Blocker

Firefox 120 includes a useful feature that can automatically click on Reject in Cookie Consent (GDRP) banners. So you won't even see such a banner like it never existed. It is enabled for select users, but you can activate it manually by changing cookiebanners.bannerClicking.enabled to true and cookiebanners.service.mode to 2 in about:config. More details in this guide.

Advanced privacy options

• An option has been added to the Privacy & Security settings section to enable the GPC (Global Privacy Control) mechanism. It expands the "DNT" (Do Not Track) header and informs sites that the personal data sale and transfer is not allowed.
• Enhanced Tracking Protection in strict mode now better protects against user identification via the Canvas API.
• On Windows, macOS, and Android, importing TLS certificates from the operating system's root certificate store is enabled by default. If necessary, this feature can be disabled in browser's settings (Preferences → Privacy & Security → Certificates).
• Added keyboard shortcuts for editing (Alt + Enter) and deleting (Alt + Backspace) selected accounts on the about:logins page.
• On Linux and Windows platforms, it is possible to drag a video window in picture-in-picture mode to the corners of the screen (automatically align to the corners) by holding down the Ctrl key while moving it.

In addition to new features, there are bug fixes and 19 closed vulnerabilities. The 14 vulnerabilities (11 combined under CVE-2023-6212 and CVE-2023-6213) that are marked as dangerous are caused by memory problems, such as buffer overflows and access to already freed memory areas. Potentially, these problems can lead to the execution of an attacker's code when opening specially designed pages. Another dangerous vulnerability (CVE-2023-6206) allows users to verify permission requests through clickjacking.

Download Firefox 120

You can update to the latest version of Firefox by going to the About Firefox section of the browser's menu.

Linux users should use the OS' package manager to get the latest version available for the distro. E.g. in Ubuntu/Mint with the official mozillateam PPA connected, you can run the apt update && apt install firefox command in a root terminal.

Alternatively, you can download the installers here: https://releases.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/120.0/.  There, pick the browser that matches your operating system, language and platform. Files in there are organized into subfolders by a platform, UI language, and include full (offline) installers. The official release notes are here: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/120.0/releasenotes/.

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