Throughout January, we added 10 new features to Telegram – including upgraded Saved Messages, one-time voice and video messages that delete after playing, detailed read receipts that show what time your message was read, and much more.

In Telegram's Christmas update, channels can set wallpapers, emoji statuses and profile logos, users can repost channel messages to stories, Telegram Premium can be given to multiple people at once, giveways can include additional prizes and much more.

Today, Mozilla announced more than 450 new extensions (software that adds new features or functionality to the browser) to users on Firefox for Android at Mozilla’s AMO Android page. This milestone marks the launch of a new open extension ecosystem on mobile where developers are now free to create and publish extensions and users can easily access and install them on Firefox for Android.

“Extensions were first created as a way for people to customize their own internet experience, from artists designing themes to developers who wanted to make extensions to improve people’s web experience,” said Vicky Chin, Vice President of Engineering at Firefox. “We’re thrilled to bring this experience to Firefox for Android, where we’re the only major Android browser to support an open extension ecosystem. In the coming months, we plan to enable more extensions for people to choose from and customize their own mobile internet experience.”

Our journey to an open extension ecosystem to benefit all

Browser extensions have become an essential part of everyone’s daily internet experience. Nearly half of all Firefox desktop users have installed an extension to customize their online experience. Extensions provide a wide array of powerful features — from privacy tools like anti-trackers and ad blockers, to productivity tools, tab managers, translators and so much more.

Built on Mozilla’s mission for an open and accessible internet for all, Firefox works with an independent community of developers to offer extensions for people who want more personal agency out of their online experience. On desktop, there are thousands of extensions to help you become a better writer, land a job or clean up a chaotic desktop. While the new Android ecosystem will take time to develop the robust diversity of content that desktop extensions offer, quite a few major desktop extensions are already available on Firefox for Android, such as privacy focused content blockers uBlock Origin and Ghostery, anti-tracking gem Privacy Badger and color customizer Dark Reader.

In August, we announced that we had completed building the infrastructure needed to support an open extension ecosystem on Firefox for Android. We were ready for the next chapter: adding extensions. Since then, we’ve been working with developers to test and make hundreds of extensions compatible on mobile. So, are you ready to customize your mobile browsing experience to make it faster, safer or simply more fun? Look no further with today’s release of extensions on Firefox for Android.

\\Extensions to help while you’re on the go, just in time for the holidays \\

We depend on our mobile devices for many things — quick informational searches, reading articles, listening to music, looking for recipes (like cookies for the annual cookie holiday exchange). So, we understand the value of having experiences that are simple, predictable and offer the time to focus. Here are some extensions available today to help achieve that flow.

• Midnight Lizard – Read easier We look at our mobile devices in so many different environments. Whether it’s outside with the sun or inside a dimly lit room, our eyes work hard to adjust. Midnight Lizard is one of those extensions your eyes will feel the difference and thank you. It can change the colors of the page, increase or decrease the brightness and contrast. Add a blue light filter, screen shader and of course, the ever-popular night mode. Midnight Lizard will keep your eyes in good shape!

• Dark Background and Light Text – Keep it simple This extension is well-loved by thousands of users for its simplicity. It’s helpful for folks who prefer to work in dark mode, or those with low vision where reading dark text on a white background is challenging. You’re free to customize it so that all web pages are rendered in this elegant way, or just select pages.

• Worldwide Radio – Get into the groove Access more than 50,000 radio stations from all over the world right from your Firefox for Android browser. In the mood for a bit of Brazilian Samba? How about some traditional Indian Hindustani? Techno beats from Berlin? The world’s music and real time talk radio is literally at your fingertips.

A big thank you to our developer community

We would like to thank all the developers who worked with us to make their extensions compatible for this launch of the open extension ecosystem on Firefox for Android. Hundreds attended our webinars and brought incredible creative energy to this project.

“The opportunity for innovation is vast,” said Giorgio Natili, Firefox Director of Engineering. “It’s thrilling to see extension developers embrace this moment and create novel browsing experiences and features for Firefox for Android users. People don’t have to browse the mobile web in a strictly singular way anymore. With extensions, you’re free to change the way Firefox for Android looks and behaves. It’s only going to get better as more developers innovate within this exciting new space.”

As more developers create mobile optimized content, you can expect a wave of new Firefox for Android extensions to emerge in the coming months. In the meantime, download the latest Firefox for Android and shape your own internet experience with Android extensions.

Today, Mozilla announced more than 450 new extensions (software that adds new features or functionality to the browser) to users on Firefox for Android at Mozilla’s AMO Android page. This milestone marks the launch of a new open extension ecosystem on mobile where developers are now free to create and publish extensions and users can easily access and install them on Firefox for Android.

“Extensions were first created as a way for people to customize their own internet experience, from artists designing themes to developers who wanted to make extensions to improve people’s web experience,” said Vicky Chin, Vice President of Engineering at Firefox. “We’re thrilled to bring this experience to Firefox for Android, where we’re the only major Android browser to support an open extension ecosystem. In the coming months, we plan to enable more extensions for people to choose from and customize their own mobile internet experience.”

Our journey to an open extension ecosystem to benefit all

Browser extensions have become an essential part of everyone’s daily internet experience. Nearly half of all Firefox desktop users have installed an extension to customize their online experience. Extensions provide a wide array of powerful features — from privacy tools like anti-trackers and ad blockers, to productivity tools, tab managers, translators and so much more.

Built on Mozilla’s mission for an open and accessible internet for all, Firefox works with an independent community of developers to offer extensions for people who want more personal agency out of their online experience. On desktop, there are thousands of extensions to help you become a better writer, land a job or clean up a chaotic desktop. While the new Android ecosystem will take time to develop the robust diversity of content that desktop extensions offer, quite a few major desktop extensions are already available on Firefox for Android, such as privacy focused content blockers uBlock Origin and Ghostery, anti-tracking gem Privacy Badger and color customizer Dark Reader.

In August, we announced that we had completed building the infrastructure needed to support an open extension ecosystem on Firefox for Android. We were ready for the next chapter: adding extensions. Since then, we’ve been working with developers to test and make hundreds of extensions compatible on mobile. So, are you ready to customize your mobile browsing experience to make it faster, safer or simply more fun? Look no further with today’s release of extensions on Firefox for Android.

\\Extensions to help while you’re on the go, just in time for the holidays \\

We depend on our mobile devices for many things — quick informational searches, reading articles, listening to music, looking for recipes (like cookies for the annual cookie holiday exchange). So, we understand the value of having experiences that are simple, predictable and offer the time to focus. Here are some extensions available today to help achieve that flow.

• Midnight Lizard – Read easier We look at our mobile devices in so many different environments. Whether it’s outside with the sun or inside a dimly lit room, our eyes work hard to adjust. Midnight Lizard is one of those extensions your eyes will feel the difference and thank you. It can change the colors of the page, increase or decrease the brightness and contrast. Add a blue light filter, screen shader and of course, the ever-popular night mode. Midnight Lizard will keep your eyes in good shape!

• Dark Background and Light Text – Keep it simple This extension is well-loved by thousands of users for its simplicity. It’s helpful for folks who prefer to work in dark mode, or those with low vision where reading dark text on a white background is challenging. You’re free to customize it so that all web pages are rendered in this elegant way, or just select pages.

• Worldwide Radio – Get into the groove Access more than 50,000 radio stations from all over the world right from your Firefox for Android browser. In the mood for a bit of Brazilian Samba? How about some traditional Indian Hindustani? Techno beats from Berlin? The world’s music and real time talk radio is literally at your fingertips.

A big thank you to our developer community

We would like to thank all the developers who worked with us to make their extensions compatible for this launch of the open extension ecosystem on Firefox for Android. Hundreds attended our webinars and brought incredible creative energy to this project.

“The opportunity for innovation is vast,” said Giorgio Natili, Firefox Director of Engineering. “It’s thrilling to see extension developers embrace this moment and create novel browsing experiences and features for Firefox for Android users. People don’t have to browse the mobile web in a strictly singular way anymore. With extensions, you’re free to change the way Firefox for Android looks and behaves. It’s only going to get better as more developers innovate within this exciting new space.”

As more developers create mobile optimized content, you can expect a wave of new Firefox for Android extensions to emerge in the coming months. In the meantime, download the latest Firefox for Android and shape your own internet experience with Android extensions.

Nairobi boasts nearly 2,000 Huawei surveillance cameras citywide. But in the nine years since they were installed, it is hard to see their benefits.

Nairobi boasts nearly 2,000 Huawei surveillance cameras citywide. But in the nine years since they were installed, it is hard to see their benefits.

Nairobi boasts nearly 2,000 Huawei surveillance cameras citywide. But in the nine years since they were installed, it is hard to see their benefits.

As web users, what we say and do online is subject to pervasive surveillance. Although we typically associate online tracking with ad networks and other third-party sites, our online communications travel across commercial telecommunication networks, allowing these privileged entities to siphon the names of the websites we visit and monetize our browsing history for their own gain.

Enter Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) – by encrypting that first “hello” between your device and a website’s server, sensitive information, like the name of the website you’re visiting, is protected against interception from unauthorized parties. ECH is now rolling out to Firefox users worldwide, allowing for a more secure and private browsing experience.

What is Encrypted Client Hello?

ECH is the most recent step in our mission to build a better internet, one where privacy is the industry standard. Mozilla has been developing this new internet privacy technology for nearly a half-decade in collaboration with other browsers, infrastructure providers, academic researchers, and standards bodies like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Much of our data shared through websites, such as our passwords, credit card numbers and cookies, are protected with cryptographic protocols like Transport Layer Security (TLS). ECH is a new TLS extension that also protects the identity of the websites we’re visiting – filling the privacy gap in our existing online security infrastructure.

Usually, when a browser connects to a site, it transmits the site’s name in its unencrypted initial message, allowing network operators or observers on the network to monitor the websites visited by each user.

ECH uses a public key fetched over the Domain Name System (DNS) to encrypt the first message between a browser and a website, protecting the name of the visited website from prying eyes and dramatically improving user privacy.

Privacy as a default.

With ECH on Firefox, users can be assured that their browsing patterns are more private. But Firefox’s support for ECH is only one half of the story – web servers also need to implement ECH. Fortunately, ECH is an open standard which any website operator can deploy. Cloudflare has already rolled outsupport for ECH and we look forward to other providers launching their deployments in the near future.

It’s also important to understand that no one technology can be a panacea. ECH works alongside other security and privacy features in Firefox, including DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH). DoH encrypts DNS queries to protect the translation of website names to IP addresses, which ensures that website names aren’t visible to the network in DNS traffic and is essential for ECH to be effective. DoH and ECH can also be combined with a virtual private network (VPN) to provide an additional layer of privacy and security where the VPN masks a user’s IP address and encrypts data traffic, while ECH protects the identities of the websites a user visits from the VPN provider.

While Mozilla believes that privacy and security technologies should be available by default for all users, we also recognize that in certain circumstances, users may have alternative preferences, for example, if they are relying on family safety software at home, are using network-based ad blocking or are in an enterprise environment. ECH is designed to interoperate with these practices and respect the existing DoH opt-outs in Firefox, so these users won’t need to make any changes to continue enjoying a smooth and safe Firefox experience. Similarly, if users or administrators have opted-in to the increased or maximum levels of DoH protection, their decision will likewise be respected.

A culmination of years of privacy-minded research, experimentation and testing.

Half a decade ago, Mozilla began the work needed to modernize and safeguard the Domain Name System (DNS), closing long-standing data leaks in one of the internet’s oldest and first components. Around the same time, we also began work on the protocol which became the forerunner to ECH. Developing these complex systems safely and responsibly takes time, experience and collaboration with the community.

Over the course of our long history of building technology to counter online tracking and surveillance, our contributions to standards bodies like the IETF have played a pivotal role in the development of DoH, TLS1.3, QUIC and many more crucial technologies, shaping the landscape of online privacy and encryption.

Mozilla has long invested in technologies to protect the privacy of Firefox users and ECH gives users an even higher level of privacy by safeguarding their browsing history from unsavory network practices. We stand by our ongoing commitment to ensure privacy, security and user choice are non-negotiable. Take back your privacy by downloading Firefox today.

Nowadays, our cars are anything but a private space — they are full blown data collection nightmares on wheels.

New Mozilla research has revealed that popular global car brands — like Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, Kia, Audi, Jeep, Honda, Volkswagen, and more — are collecting your deeply personal data, like your genetic information and sexual activity. This invasive harvesting of information is collected via a web of sensors, microphones, cameras and the phones, apps, and connected services you use in your vehicle.

Car companies are brazenly collecting deeply personal information about people the moment they get into a car, often without explicit consent to do so. And that’s why the Mozilla community is now coming together to force car companies to respect our right to privacy. Add your name to ask car companies to stop collecting, sharing and selling our very personal information.

Find out more about our research on cars in the official launch blog post.

Nowadays, our cars are anything but a private space — they are full blown data collection nightmares on wheels.

New Mozilla research has revealed that popular global car brands — like Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, Kia, Audi, Jeep, Honda, Volkswagen, and more — are collecting your deeply personal data, like your genetic information and sexual activity. This invasive harvesting of information is collected via a web of sensors, microphones, cameras and the phones, apps, and connected services you use in your vehicle.

Car companies are brazenly collecting deeply personal information about people the moment they get into a car, often without explicit consent to do so. And that’s why the Mozilla community is now coming together to force car companies to respect our right to privacy. Add your name to ask car companies to stop collecting, sharing and selling our very personal information.

Find out more about our research on cars in the official launch blog post.

Mozilla’s latest edition of \*Privacy Not Included reveals how 25 major car brands collect and share deeply personal data, including sexual activity, facial expressions, and genetic and health information.