Mozilla has just released a browser based plugin for iOS 9 called Focus. This plugin puts users in control of their privacy by allowing them to block categories of trackers such as those used for ads, analytics and social media. The app will block the same content as Firefox’s Private Browsing with Tracking Protection feature on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.
Focus is not a browser based plugin for Firefox, instead it was designed for Apple Safari. This was done because Apple has chosen to make content blocking unavailable to third party browsers on iOS.
“We made Focus by Firefox because we believe content blockers need to be transparent with publishers and other content providers about how lists are created and maintained, rather than placing certain content in a permanent penalty box,” Mozilla Chief Legal and Business Officer Denelle Dixon-Thayer wrote in a blog post. “We want this product to encourage a discussion about users and content providers, instead of monetizing users’ mistrust and pulling value out of the Web ecosystem.”
People have been blocking online adverts for a longtime on the desktop, but as users have gravitated to visiting websites on their smartphone Firefox wants to step in and fill the void with their trusted name. This app is free, so you will not have to pay anything for it.
Good e-Reader is a publisher of content. We are a small company that relies on advertising revenue from Google and a myriad of other services. Without these various streams we wouldn’t be able to pay our bills and we would soon go out of business. Content publishers like us always feel the immediate affects of decreased financial resources and I would implore our users to not install this on your mobile device.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
