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Firefox Announces Built-In VPN and Other New Features - and Introduces Its New Mascot (mozilla.org) 39

Posted by EditorDavid from the Kit-and-kaboodle dept.
A free built-in VPN is coming to Firefox on Tuesday, Mozilla announced this week: Free VPNs can sometimes mean sketchy arrangements that end up compromising your privacy, but ours is built from our data principles and commitment to be the world's most trusted browser. It routes your browser traffic through a proxy to hide your IP address and location while you browse, giving you stronger privacy and protection online with no extra downloads. Users will have 50 gigabytes of data monthly in the U.S., France, Germany and U.K. to start. Available in Firefox 149 starting March 24.

We also recently shared that Firefox is the first browser to ship Sanitizer API, a new web security standard that blocks attacks before they reach you [for untrusted HTML XSS vulnerabilities].
"The roadmap for Firefox this year is the most exciting one we've developed in quite a while," says Firefox head Ajit Varma. "We're improving the fundamentals like speed and performance. We're also launching innovative new open standards in Gecko to ensure the future of the web is open, diverse, and not controlled by a single engine.

"At the same time we're prioritizing features that give users real power, choice and strong privacy protections, built in a way that only Firefox can. And as always, we'll keep listening, inviting users to help shape what comes next and giving them more reasons to love Firefox."

Two new features coming next week:
  • Split View puts two webpages side by side in one window, making it easy to compare, copy and multitask without bouncing between tabs. Rolling out in Firefox 149 on March 24.
  • Tab Notes let you add notes to any tab, another tool to help with multitasking and picking up where you left off. Available in Firefox Labs 149 starting March 24.

And Firefox also released a video this week introducing their new mascot Kit.


Firefox Announces Built-In VPN and Other New Features - and Introduces Its New Mascot More | Reply

Firefox Announces Built-In VPN and Other New Features - and Introduces Its New Mascot

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  • New Mascot (Score:5, Funny)

    by PPH ( 736903 ) on Saturday March 21, 2026 @12:45PM (#66053328)

    Found it [craiyon.com]

    • I noticed that they used "crusader" as one of the virtues of this mascot. Can't wait to see what comes of that!

  • Some more info on the creation of Kit.. [fastcompany.com]

    And no this is not Kit. Well, at least not yet...

  • this is better than previous leadership's announcements. things are improving some over there...

  • How soon until sites start blocking the VPN IPs? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by schwit1 ( 797399 ) on Saturday March 21, 2026 @02:05PM (#66053464)

    I am using Proton VPN going to mlb.com

    Error 403 Access Denied
    Access Denied

    Error 54113
    Details: cache-iad-kjyo7100045-IAD 1774116232 69230635

    Varnish cache server

    • This. Common public VPNs are great until all the proxies are blacklisted.
    • Maybe never, but they might not offer what you are looking for. The firefox VPN endpoints will be in the same geographic locations as the users, so as geoblocking bypass protections may not need to be applied.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by PPH ( 736903 )

        The firefox VPN endpoints will be in the same geographic locations as the users

        That really doesn't do me much good. I don't want my, or my VPN's, location sniffed out to direct me to the higher priced retail outlet. And there are other reasons.

        My perfect VPN would be one where I would connect with a small server, or even a desktop in a remote location. So I would appear, for all intents and purposes, to be resident at that location. And eligible for all the benefits and services due the citizens there. Having my network traffic exit one IP address with the great unwashed masses would

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by allo ( 1728082 )

      Maybe they block them less, if they know that many users will use them. Block VPN users now and it blocks some nerds and "pirates", block these IPs and it blocks a lot of Firefox users.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      Instantly.

      VPN IPs are not hard to detect if you simply monitor where your customers are coming from. They're even easier to detect if you have some sort of WAF (web application filter) or NGFW that's monitoring source IPs because that's where the attacks will come from. It's like bad guys use VPNs to hide for some reason, making the VPN IPs plainly obvious in any log.

      If you correlate it with where your users log in from and see the IPs are the same, well, you can pretty much bet that's a new VPN exit node.

      T

  • When will Firefox finally stop with all this BS and countless redesigns, political shenanigans and all the other BS.. just make a half decent browser and finally fix the security holes in the engine, that is all that matters. And the lil firefox mascot is just fine.

    All these redesigns speak of an org caught up in internal politics and power struggle, completely eroded structures and processes.

  • More new features are not what Firefox needs.

    Make a standards-compliant browser that does not hog resources. Let the community build plugins that can add special features for those who want them.

    Don't beg us for money to support a mission and then waste it on side projects nobody asked for.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      The People at Mozilla do not know how to make a good product anymore. They are not the only ones though.

  • you'd know that this is a trap.

    You can trust me.

  • "Free Tier" Marketing for Mozilla VPN (Score:4, Insightful)

    by CommunityMember ( 6662188 ) on Saturday March 21, 2026 @03:45PM (#66053594)
    50GB of free VPN data is not a lot. Looks to be a way to convince users to upgrade to the Mozilla VPN paid service ("the first 50GB is free").

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      It's useful for checking you aren't being ripped off when shopping, and accessing geo blocked stuff.

    • I 100% agree with your point but I also have to wonder, is it a bad thing? This strikes me as a way to make the browser able to fund itself while actually doing some good for people.

      The answer lies in what they do next: squander the funds (seems likely) or make real improvements.

      • >"This strikes me as a way to make the browser able to fund itself while actually doing some good for people."

        Exactly. Why complain about free 50GB? That is plenty enough for occasional use. And if you want to pay, you know it is a legit service from a trusted place and the money is going to someplace good.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rossdee ( 243626 )

      Is the VPN on by default?

      (If I wanted to use a VPN, I would use one that comes with the security software that I paid for)

    • 50GB of free VPN is a lot when you're not downloading pirated (or other) content. Most heavy internet users barely crack the 10GB mark. The only time the >50GB /month is required is when a VPN offers you "Stream Netflix movies not available in your region".

      For purely "keep the government out" kind of stuff 50GB is fine.

  • Firefox adds more crap nobody asked for.

  • windows (Score:2, Interesting)

    by markdavis ( 642305 )

    >"Split View puts two webpages side by side in one window, making it easy to compare, copy and multitask without bouncing between tabs.

    Yeah, that is called "open another window". It really isn't that hard. I have an ultrawide monitor and I always have at least two Firefox windows open at the same time, side-by-side, each with many tabs. You can drag tabs between windows, you can drag windows into tabs or tabs into windows. I thought people knew this.... oh yeah, I guess most people just freaking MAXI

    • Indeed it is. Along with window borders, separate instances in the task bar and window switching screen, separate tab list. Two separate windows that don't resize together, and don't scale together.

      If you don't understand why you want split view over windows then split view isn't for you. In the mean time countless other programs have implemented this feature because people understand it has a use in a workflow along side multiple windows - which have different benefits and downsides.

      • OK, the way you describe it, it could be useful for some. Still not sure I would ever use it, though. I don't think it is a bad thing to have (and wasn't implying that).

        To me, having the duplicated controls and taskbar icons is a benefit. As is making them different sizes independently.

        • To me

          It's not about you, it's about what you are currently doing. I agree it's a benefit. Sometimes. Depending what I am doing I may want multiple windows. Depending on what I am doing I may want split windows.

          The same applies to a lot of UI things. E.g. tab groups. There are people who will never use them. There are people who will always use them. And there are people who will use them when the situation calls for it (which for me is only ever on my work computer when doing research).

  • What I 'd like is to be able to have VPN selectable per Tab, just like containers. Possibly even connected.

    So that I can show up as a different user in a different location., and get offered different pricing.

    Bonus if it can be done on mobile too (Fennec from F-Droid).

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