Mozilla Launches Collusion Data Tracking Firefox Add-On

Mozilla has released Collusion, an “experimental add-on” for Firefox that allows users to see the number and different types of sites are tracking their web activity.

The add-on will eventually enable users to opt-in to share their data in a global database which Mozilla hopes will allow researchers, journalists and others to analyse how data is tracked.

Tracking concerns

“Few people realize the extent to which the tracking of our online activities is occurring, and who is doing it,” said Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs in a blog post. “At best, it would make most uncomfortable. And at its worst, it makes many of us outraged, particularly those of us who are parents.”

“Collusion will allow us to pull back the curtain and provide users with more information about the growing role of third parties, how data drives most Web experiences, and ultimately how little control we have over that experience and our loss of data.”

Collusion creates a real-time spider web that allows you to see which third parties are tracking your movements across the web. It creates a diagram composed of grey dots, which show sites you are visiting, and red dots which depict sites that are monitoring your navigation. However, as Mozilla is keen to note, not all tracking is bad and, in some cases, it is beneficial.

“Many services rely on user data to provide relevant content and enhance your online experience,” said the company. “But most tracking happens without users’ consent and without their knowledge. That’s not okay. It should be you who decides when, how and if you want to be tracked. Collusion will be a powerful tool to help you do that.”

Increased support

Kovacs said that a number of companies had joined them on this “quest for transparency”, including the Ford Foundation, which has pledged support for the development of the app as well as for educational programmes on privacy and tracking. These schemes will inform users about the benefits and the issues so that they can make informed decisions on whether or not they wish to be tracked.

The news comes just one day after Google implemented its controversial new privacy policy, which consolidated more than 60 documents. Users, who are unable to opt-out, have expressed concerns that Google will now be able to track their data across a number of services, while the European Union has suggested that it could violate European law.

Google has also come under fire over claims that it bypassed privacy settings on both Apple’s Safari web browser and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9, although it was refuted the latter’s claim, saying that the browser’s privacy policy is broken.

How well do you know Internet security? Try our quiz and find out!