Skip to main content

Comcast just joined Mozilla's program to make web browsing more private, after lobbying against similar efforts by Google last year

* On Thursday, Mozilla announced that Comcast will be the first internet service provider to join Firefox's efforts to make web browsing more private and secure.  * Last year, Firefox started using an encryption standard called DNS-over-HTTPS, or DoH, which encrypts the DNS look-up process of converting the website you type into a browser address bar into an IP address. Firefox initially launched with Cloudflare as it's sole DNS provider, with the company committing to a set of privacy requirements. * Comcast just signed on as a partner, too, meaning that it commits to limiting data collection and informing users of its data retention policies, among other things.  * Late last year, Motherboard reported that Comcast had lobbied lawmakers against similar encrypted-browsing efforts from Google.  * The DoH protocol overall has been criticized, with some privacy advocates saying that it over-promises its protections and some lawmakers arguing that it hampers legitimate efforts to block harmful web content.  * Click here to read more BI Prime stories. Comcast just joined Mozilla's efforts to make web browsing more private, after lobbying against similar efforts by Google last year. Mozilla, best known for its web browser Firefox, announced Thursday that Comcast will be the first internet service provider to sign onto its efforts to encrypt the DNS look-up process, which converts the website name you type into a browser address bar into an IP address that takes you to the right place. The aim of the encryption protocol — referred to as DNS-over-HTTPS, or DoH — is to make it harder for outsiders to see which websites you're visiting (your communication with those websites is generally already encrypted through HTTPS).   Firefox rolled out DoH for its users last year, with security company Cloudflare as its sole trusted DNS look-up partner. Now, Comcast is joining the Trusted Recursive Resolver program too, which means that it's committing to privacy requirements like limiting data collection and sharing, informing users of its data retention policies, and not blocking or filtering content without explicit consent (like through parental controls).  "Bringing [internet search providers] into the TRR program helps us protect user privacy online without disrupting existing user experiences," said Firefox CTO Eric Rescorla in a statement. "We hope this sets a precedent for further cooperation between browsers and ISPs." Comcast's move to join Mozilla's program comes roughly eight months after Motherboard reported in October 2019 that the internet service provider had lobbied lawmakers against similar encrypted browsing efforts from Google. At the time, a Mozilla spokesperson told Motherboard that the lobbying was "part of a pretty aggressive campaign we've seen from the ISPs to protect their control over DNS traffic and the tracking opportunities it provides them." Comcast subsequently released a blog post laying out its privacy policies and stating that it does not track the websites users visit or sell information that identifies its users.  The DoH protocol has been controversial in general. While Mozilla and privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others, have said that it makes web browsing more private and secure, it has also been criticized as over-promising its protections, while some lawmakers have argued that it can hamper legitimate efforts to prevent harmful web content. While Firefox isn't the only browser with DoH capabilities, it was the first to turn it on for all users by default. Mozilla originally started testing DoH in 2018.  Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Why electric planes haven't taken off yet
https://bit.ly/3fSEmcc

Popular posts from this blog

Tokyo installed see-through public toilets in a park to let people inspect their cleanliness before using them, at which point the glass turns opaque

* Two see-through bathrooms have been installed in public parks in Tokyo. * They are made from "smart glass" designed so people can see how clean they are inside before using them. The glass turns opaque when the bathroom is locked and in use. * The stalls are part of a project that is redoing 17 of the city's public bathrooms with different designers to make them more accessible and appealing. * The goal is to fight assumptions that public toilets are "are dark, dirty, smelly, and scary," said the nonprofit foundation behind the project. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Tokyo has installed two see-through bathroom facilities in public parks, allowing people to see how clean they are before deciding to use them, at which point they turn opaque. The bathrooms are made of colored "smart glass," which turns opaque when the stalls are locked, said Shigeru Ban, the architect behind the designs. You can see how it works her...
Read more

Bill Gates says the world would need as many as 14 billion doses of a coronavirus vaccine to stop the virus

* The world could need as many as 14 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Bill Gates said on Thursday in a blog post about the race to develop a way to make people immune to the disease. * "We need to make billions of doses, we need to get them out to every part of the world, and we need all of this to happen as quickly as possible," Gates said. * Gates said he had his eyes on eight to 10 promising candidates, adding that healthcare workers and people in low-income countries should be first in line once we find one that works. * While potential vaccines are progressing with historic speed, they're still months, or even years away, and the biggest challenge lies ahead in proving whether they are safe and effective in humans. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Bill Gates believes we may eventually need to produce as many as 14 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally and that we're anywhere from nine months to two years away from making tha...
Read more

The 11 most important details we already know about the PlayStation 5, Sony's next-generation video game console set to arrive this year

* The PlayStation 5, Sony's next-generation game console that's deep in production, is scheduled to launch during the 2020 holiday season. * As you might expect, the PlayStation 5 is promised to be more powerful than the existing PlayStation 4 — and we've slowly been learning more about the next-gen console's new features since it was first revealed. * So far, Sony has offered a first glimpse at the new console via its new DualSense gamepad, and a tech demo highlighted the technical prowess of the new machine. * Here's everything we know so far about Sony's next-generation PlayStation console. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The PlayStation 5 is almost here. Sony's next-generation PlayStation game console is scheduled to arrive this holiday season, but we already know plenty of details about it right now: how powerful it is, its main features, and we've even gotten a good look at its new gamepad.  Here everything we kno...
Read more