I use Firefox because I can customize everything I want, the way I want. I can choose which websites get to install cookies on me, and which don’t. But most importantly, I choose Firefox because it is upfront with me about what it does and what it doesn’t do.
Firefox is highly customizable. I can choose my own font colors, themes, how my address bar looks. I can choose my own landing page to include articles from my favorite websites. Firefox is also open source, allowing for transparency into its behavior.
Perhaps the main catch with Firefox is privacy, which has fortunately gained some degree of awareness among the public. With Firefox, you have just short of total control over your data, including which trackers you want to block, which websites to blacklist, and it actively identifies malicious actors. Well, one could argue, so does Chrome, and Safari, so on. But the difference is that privacy is built into the business model of Mozilla, the nonprofit organization that makes the browser, while targeted ad revenue is not. You can see this in its UX design. Opening up a private tab, Firefox tells you, “This doesn’t make you anonymous,” then includes a link to a simple explanation. Aggressive data tracking isn’t on by default. And it won’t belittle you by telling you that blocking all cookies is “not recommended.”
What is also great is the Mozilla community. Users help each other out at Mozilla support, a helpdesk-like forum where people can post questions and answers, while developers respond to our needs by regularly releasing updates and new features. For example, Firefox recently began trimming HTTP referrers by default so websites won’t know which other website “referred” you to theirs.
You may be thinking, this all sounds great, but how do I switch to Firefox? Luckily, the process isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. The task can be roughly broken down into three major steps. First, visit their website. Then, click download. Last but not least, open Firefox.