From CNET: Millions of us have discovered browser extensions like AdBlock Plus and uBlock Origin can declutter web pages. Now, judging by new data released by Mozilla, it seems we're also discovering we can block website software that tracks us on the internet, too.
With the November release of Firefox 57, the first Firefox Quantum version, Mozilla added an option to let people block all trackers. Since then, the fraction of people who enabled Firefox's tracking protection feature has grown, from none to 1.2 percent.
That's not a big fraction, but the rise has been steady -- and given that Firefox has about 250 million monthly active users, it represents the choice of about 3 million people. And in some areas, the percentage is higher: about 2 percent in the United States and 3 percent in France.
All in all, it adds up to a serious new rebuke of a key part of the financial system that makes the internet tick. Online ads have funded the explosive growth of free services like Google search, YouTube and Facebook, but just like ad blockers before them, ad tracking blockers threaten to make it harder to survive financially online. The combination of tracker disadvantages -- slower websites and privacy concerns highlighted by Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal -- indicate that websites won't be able to rely on trackers.
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