Mozilla just put out a new blog post reminding everyone that Firefox is still independent and not owned by any tech billionaires.

Their main pitch was that almost every other browser runs on Google’s Chromium code under the hood, while Firefox, with its Gecko engine, is “one of the last major browsers that isn’t” just Chrome in a different skin.

If you’ve been keeping up with the news, especially our coverage, you’ll know Chrome and its clones have been gutting how extensions work. Firefox says it “still allows ad blockers like uBlock Origin to work at full strength” while the competition imposes strict limits.

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They have even been expanding this lately by rolling out native ad blocking on the iOS Firefox app, so iPhone users do not get left behind. Though we’d like to point out that the native ad blocker in the iOS app is far from being a replacement for uBlock Origin.

Then there is the whole AI situation. Most companies are shoving chatbots into every menu whether you asked for them or not, which gets annoying fast.

Mozilla says “the only person who should decide how you interact with AI features in your browser is you.” If you hate AI, you can easily flip a switch to turn it all off, and they even added a ‘Manage AI’ shortcut in the search bar to help you reach those kill switches faster.

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For people who actually want those tools, Firefox has an optional beta feature called Smart Window that looks at your open tabs to help you compare info or plan projects. They recently partnered with Mistral AI to power Smart Window and added web search results from Exa so you can check sources without losing your spot.

Beyond blocking trackers by default and encrypting your synced history locally, they also pack in free security extras. We recently saw the built-in VPN roll out on Android with Firefox 156 alongside their password manager and email masking tools.

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The post also points out a new mascot named Kit. It is not a chatbot or an assistant, just a friendly fox that pops up when you are setting things up.

 
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PiunikaWeb’s Take

With privacy becoming more and more of a concern with every passing day, it’s clear why Mozilla is putting in a lot of effort to court more users looking to switch from mainstream browsers like Chrome and Edge to Firefox.

Plus, keeping uBlock Origin at full power is easily Firefox’s biggest trump card right now, especially if it wants to attract more power users. In fact, the Firefox team even pitched the browser as an alternative to Arc, which is set to shut down later this year.

That said, Firefox still has to compete with other privacy-focused browsers like Brave, which recently got the top pick in Proton’s hunt for the most secure browser. Only time will tell if this push pays off for Mozilla.

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Dwayne Cubbins
3145 Posts

I cover fast-moving stories across apps, online platforms, and everyday tech — phones, wearables, consoles, and whatever else people are fighting with this week. Bugs, rollouts, scams, policy enforcement, and the occasional internet-culture rabbit hole are all fair game. My goal is simple — make confusing tech news readable. When I'm not working, I'm working out or chilling with my dog. Got a tip? You can find me on X @dcubbins.