Thorin Okenpants, the author of the project arkenfox, has provided an update on the development of new methods to counteract user fingerprinting. Fingerprinting refers to the hidden identification of users through passive collection of browser data, such as screen resolution, supported MIME types, installed plugins and fonts, and other factors that can be used to create a unique identifier for each user.
To address this issue, Firefox plans to introduce two built-in implementations of protection against hidden identification:
- RFP (Resist FingerPrinting) – This protection is borrowed from the TOR BROWSER and has been accessible through the configuration “Privacy.Resistfingerprining” in ABOUT:Config for some time.
- FFP (Future Fingerprinding Protection) – This is a new lightweight implementation that aims to address usability issues in RFP. It is referred to as RFPLITE in the source code and Bugzilla. The configuration for enabling FFP is “Privacy.fingerPrintingprotection”.
Users will have the option to enable both implementations, with the most stringent protection taking effect.
One drawback of the existing protection (RFP) is that it is active in all windows and tabs, except for add-ons. This means that users cannot selectively disable protection for certain websites, including those that may have a monopoly or exert undue influence. On the other hand, this approach prevents less influential sites from exploiting user data, as users are more likely to simply leave a site rather than disabling protection specifically for that site.