Firefox Extension Can Prevent Facebook From Tracking You Around The Web

Mozilla, the company behind the popular web browser Firefox, has released a new tool designed to boost user privacy and protect against invasive tracking by Facebook, CNET reports.

Mozilla's announcement specifically comes in response to the recent revelation of Facebook's massive data compromise that affected about 50 million of its users.

Facebook's tracking is intended to gather data to use to create targeted ads for users, but often is more  personal and invasive than necessary. Just ask anyone with an Android phone. While not everyone wants to or is able to delete the social media giant entirely, this privacy tool is a way to limit its access. Mozilla named it the Facebook Container and says it, "helps you take control and isolate your web activity from Facebook."

Specifically, it prevents Facebook from tracking your visits to other websites by deleting your Facebook cookies and logging you out of Facebook. The next time you navigate to Facebook it will load in a special blue browser tab (this is the "Container"). 

This tool only stops tracking from outside Facebook. Obviously, if you are on the site, it can track your behavior as much as it likes. The Facebook Container also is unable to prevent Facebook from mishandling tracking data that it's already obtained. 

Mozilla has also stated that it will not collect data from users who install the Firefox extension.