So you’ve unboxed a shiny new phone, peeled the sticker off the screen and transferred your data. If you’re reading this, you’ve made the smart decision to take another important step: Setting up your device for privacy and security. 

Here are five steps you can take to help keep your data safe. Your future self thanks you.

1. Set up privacy controls on your new devices

Do you know which apps know your location, track your online activity and have access to your contacts? Check your privacy settings to make sure you’re only sharing what you’re comfortable sharing with your apps. Here’s how to get to your phone’s privacy settings:

• iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security
• Android: Settings > Privacy > Permission Manager

2. Turn on auto-update

Updates can be disruptive, but they’re also vital in keeping your device safe from hackers who take advantage of security holes that updates are intended to patch. Here’s where you can turn on auto-update:

• iPhone: Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates
• Android: Settings > Software Updates

3. Opt out of the default browser

Sure it’s convenient to use the browser that’s already on your phone. But you do have a choice. Download Firefox to use a browser that’s backed by a nonprofit and that will always put you and your privacy first. Once you’ve installed Firefox, here’s how to make it your default browser:

• iPhone: Settings > Firefox > Default Browser App > Firefox
• Android: Settings > Set as default browser > Firefox for Android > Set as default

Another benefit: If you already use Firefox on desktop, you’ll get to see your bookmarks, history and saved credit card information and passwords on your phone too. Just log into your Firefox account to move seamlessly between your devices. 

4. Prevent spam texts and calls with Firefox Relay

Want fewer spam text messages and calls? Sign up for Firefox Relay, which gives you a phone number mask (i.e. not your true digits) when website forms ask for your number. That way, when you’re making restaurant reservations or signing up for discount codes, you lessen the chance of companies selling your phone number to third parties. Bonus: You can even give your phone number mask to people when you don’t know them well yet. 

5. Consider using a VPN

Many mobile apps don’t implement encryption properly, leaving the data on your phone vulnerable to hackers. Using a VPN encrypts your connection and conceals your IP address, shielding your identity and location from prying eyes. The Mozilla VPN, unlike some services, will never log and sell your data. (P.S. We’ve made it more accessible to take advantage of both Firefox Relay and Mozilla VPN. Learn more about it here.)

Staying secure and private online isn’t hard, but it does take some effort. Mozilla is always here to help. For more tips about living your best online life, check out our #AskFirefox series on YouTube. 

Layer on even more protection with phone number masking

Sign up for Firefox Relay

The post New phone? Give yourself the gift of privacy with these 5 tips appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

The holidays are a wonderful time of the year where we are happily shopping for unique gifts for loved ones online. It also means we’re sharing our personal information online like giving out email addresses or phone numbers to sign up for discount programs or creating new accounts. Whenever we go online, we are asked to give our personal information, which can end up in the wrong hands. Once our information is out there and publicly available it’s even tougher to get it back. 

Here at Mozilla, a mission-driven company with a 20-year track record of fighting for online privacy and a healthier internet, we get that. Our privacy products, Firefox Relay and Mozilla VPN, have helped people feel safer when they go online and have blocked more than 1.5 million unwanted emails from people’s inboxes while keeping their real email addresses safe from trackers across the web. So, wherever you go online with Mozilla’s trusted products and services, your information is safer. 

Mozilla’s privacy products include Firefox Relay which hides your real email address and masks your phone number, and Mozilla VPN, our fast and easy-to-use VPN service, that helps protect the privacy of your network traffic. Together they help you keep what you do online private. And now, we are making it easier to get both Firefox Relay and Mozilla VPN together — for $6.99 a month when you sign up for an annual subscription. Whether you currently use one or none of these products, here’s more information on what makes these products a must-have whenever you go online. 

Mozilla privacy product #1: Firefox Relay

Since the launch of Firefox Relay, thousands of users have signed up for our smart, easy solution that hides their real email address to help protect their identity. This year, we continued to look to our users to improve and shape their Firefox Relay experience. In 2022, we added user-requested features which included increasing the email limit size to 10 MB and making Firefox Relay available as a Chrome extension. For Firefox Relay Premium users, we added a phone number mask feature to protect personal phone numbers. Whether you are signing up for loyalty programs, booking a restaurant reservation, or making purchases that require your phone number, now you can feel confident that your personal phone number won’t fall in the wrong hands. You can read more about the phone number mask feature here. Firefox Relay has helped keep thousands of people’s information safe. Check out the great coverage in The Verge, Popular Science, Consumer Reports and PCMag. 

Mozilla privacy product  #2: Mozilla VPN 

This year, Mozilla VPN, our fast and easy-to-use Virtual Private Network service, integrated with one of our users’ favorite Firefox Add-ons, Multi-Account Containers, to offer a unique, privacy solution that is only available in Firefox. We also included the ability to multi-hop, which means that you can use two VPN servers instead of one for extra protection. You can read more about this feature here. To date, thousands of people have signed up to Mozilla VPN, which provides device-level network traffic protection as you go on the web. Besides our loyal users, there are numerous news articles (Consumer Reports, Washington Post, KTLA-TV and The Verge) that can tell you more about how a VPN can help whenever you use the web. 

Better Together: Firefox Relay and Mozilla VPN

If there’s one person you shouldn’t forget on your list, it’s giving yourself the gift of privacy with Mozilla’s products. And now we’re offering Firefox Relay and Mozilla VPN together at $6.99 a month, when you sign up for an annual subscription. 

Developed by Mozilla, we are committed to innovate and deliver new products like Mozilla VPN and Firefox Relay. We know that it’s more important than ever for you to be safe, and for you to know that what you do online is your own business. By subscribing to our products, users support both Mozilla’s product development and our mission to build a better web for all. 

Subscribe today either from the Mozilla VPN or Firefox Relay site.

The post The best gift for anyone who wants to feel safer when they go online: Mozilla privacy products  appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Even people who are very online can use some help navigating the internet – from keeping credit card details safe when online shopping to generating a password when one simply doesn’t have any more passwords in them.

Using Firefox as your main browser helps take care of that. Want to level up? With a Firefox account, you can take advantage of the following features whether you’re using your desktop device, tablet or your phone.

1. See your bookmarks across devices

To easily find your go-to places on the web (aka your bookmarks) on your phone or tablet, use Firefox mobile for Android or iOS. Not only will you get the same privacy-first experience you enjoy when using Firefox on desktop, you’ll also have Firefox Sync, which lets you see your bookmarks wherever you log into your Firefox account. Firefox Sync allows you to choose the data you want to take with you. In addition to bookmarks, you also have the option to sync your browsing history, open tabs and your installed add-ons across devices. 

2. Use a secure password manager that goes with you wherever you are

Firefox has a built-in password manager that can generate a secure password when you’re creating a new account on a website. (Just click the password field and hit Use a Securely Generated Password. Firefox will save your login for that site.) When you’re using Firefox on your mobile device and you’re logged into your Firefox account, you’ll see your usernames and passwords right where you saved them.

3. Shop securely across devices with credit card autofill

Firefox will also automatically fill in credit card information that you saved when purchasing something online. You just need to enter your CVV number, which Firefox doesn’t save as a security measure. For extra protection, you can choose to require your device’s password, face ID or fingerprint before Firefox autofills your credit card data. Here’s how to turn that on. 

While this works both on desktop and mobile devices when you’re signed into your Firefox account, you can also opt to start shopping on one device and send your browser tab to another to complete your purchase. For example, you can add items to an online shopping cart on your phone but choose to check out on your laptop. 

4. Stay productive now, save that article or video for later

The internet is full of stories, whether it’s a long read about Gen Z’s internet habits or a video about nerdcore hip-hop. They’re a fun way to learn about the world, but sometimes, we need to set them aside so we can finish that research paper for class or slide deck for work. Just hit the Pocket button in the toolbar to easily save an article or video. When you’re ready, just log into Pocket with your Firefox account and you’ll find everything you’ve saved.

Switching to Firefox on your iOS or Android device is easy

If you already use Firefox on desktop, then you already know how Firefox beats other major browsers on security, privacy and functionality. You can easily enjoy the same benefits with a Firefox account on your phone or tablet by making Firefox your default browser on mobile. Here’s how to do that: 

• Set Firefox as default browser on iOS
• Set Firefox as default browser on Android

The internet can bring us to our favorite online spaces and take us to new, fascinating places at the tip of our fingers. A Firefox account lets you enjoy all the web has to offer while keeping your data safe – wherever you are. 

Get Firefox

Get the browser that protects what’s important

The post 4 ways a Firefox account comes in handy appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Parenting has never been easy. But with a generation growing up with groundbreaking technology, families are facing new challenges along with opportunities as children interact with screens everywhere they go — while learning at school, playing with friends and for on-the-go entertainment. 

We are previewing a new Mozilla Firefox survey conducted in partnership with YouGov to better understand families’ needs in the United States, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom that we will release fully in January 2023. We wanted to hear parents’ thoughts around online safety, as well as their biggest concerns and questions when their kids navigate through the sticky parts of the web before getting to the good stuff. Here are the top insights we learned from the survey:

• Many parents believe their kids have no idea how to protect themselves online. About 1 in 3 parents in France and Germany don’t think their child “has any idea on how to protect themselves or their information online.” In the U.S., Canada and the U.K., about a quarter of parents feel the same way. 

As far as the safety of the internet itself, parents in the U.S. seem to be more trusting across all the countries surveyed: Almost 1 in 10 said they believe the internet is “very safe” for children. Parents in France trust the internet the least, with almost 75% finding it to be unsafe to some degree. 

• U.S. parents spend the most time online compared to parents in other countries, and so do their children. Survey takers in the U.S. reported an average of 7 hours of daily internet use via web browsers, mobile apps and other means. Asked how many hours their children spend online on a typical day, U.S. parents said an average of 4 hours. That’s compared to 2 hours of internet use among children in France, where parents reported spending about 5 hours online everyday. No matter where a child grows up, they spend more time online a day as they get older.  

• Yes, toddlers use the web. Parents in North America and Western Europe reported introducing their kids to the internet some time between 2 and 8 years old.  North America and the U.K. skew younger, with kids first getting introduced online between 2 and 5 for about a third of households.  Kids are introduced to the internet in France and Germany when they are older, between 8 to14 years. 

Overall, the survey showed parents to be content with the time in which they chose to introduce their children to internet safety. Although in retrospect, over 1 in 5 parents in the U.S, Canada and France would have preferred to do so at an even younger age. 

Most parents speak to their children about internet safety between the ages of 5 and 8. Whatever age, these conversations don’t have to be difficult. OK, it may be a teeny-bit awkward – but you can lean on Firefox to help out with a few starter topics to get the conversation started. To find out more about starting a Tech Talk, here is our Firefox guide to help steer the conversation in the right direction. 

Methodology: 

This survey was conducted among parents between the ages of 25 and 55 years old living in the U.S., Canada, Germany, France and the U.K., who have children between 5 and 17 years old. The survey interviewed 3,699 participants between Sept 21 – Sept. 29, 2022. 

The internet is a great place for families. It gives us new opportunities to discover the world, connect with others and just generally make our lives easier and more colorful. But it also comes with new challenges and complications for the people raising the next generations. Mozilla wants to help families make the best online decisions, whatever that looks like, with our latest series, The Tech Talk.

The post Over a quarter of parents believe their children don’t know how to protect their information online – Firefox can help with that  appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Joy Cho is the founder and creative director of the lifestyle brand and design company Oh Joy! For two years in a row, she was named one of Time’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet and has the most followed account on Pinterest with over 15 million followers. You can also follow her on Instagram and learn more about her work on ohjoy.com.

I’m part of the first generation of parents of children who’ve been exposed to the internet since birth. I remember the days without cellphones, email, social media, streaming TV shows and quick access to the web (hello, that AOL dial-up ringtone!). So often, I feel unsure about how to set up my kids for success with their own technology use – something my own parents never had to figure out. 

Social media in particular can be scary to think about when it comes to my kids, but I know it can be great too. I’m a designer and business owner who has made amazing connections online, and it has allowed me to create my own community on the internet.

But I have also seen the toll social media takes: making unhealthy comparisons, doomscrolling and being unable to focus on one thing at a time. Do you often find yourself watching TV while also scrolling through Instagram on your phone? I sure do. 

So how do we talk to our kids about social media?

First, consider your own habits

Every family is different and should handle the topic in the way that works for them. Just like rules for treats, chores, bedtime and allowance, social media is just another part of parenting that involves making the best choices for their family. 

From my experience, as someone who spends a lot of social media for work, I believe that we should model the behavior we want our kids to have. Here are some things I’m doing and asking myself: 

Reflect as a family

Once you’ve reflected and maybe changed a few of your own online habits, here are some questions to ask yourself about your kids’ tech use:

1. What devices and apps feel right for my kids at their current ages?

What am I OK with having my kids seeing or using based on their ages? And how will it change as they get older? At what age can they have their own iPad or their own phone?

My kids are 8 and 11 and neither of them have their own phones yet. They have iPads, and they have access to apps that my husband and I have approved and feel are age-appropriate. They both can be on YouTube Kids solo but can only watch YouTube on our family TV (where the adults can more quickly see and hear what they are watching). They have access to streaming channels under the child settings, which help us feel better about the things they may come across on their own.

Keep safety and privacy in mind

One thing to remember: Whatever I (or my kids) post on social media stays there forever.

While images, videos, tweets and messages can be deleted, information can resurface for others to still see, screenshot or save your content before it goes away. We’ve seen so many examples of past social media postings come back to hurt someone’s career or reputation, so make this clear to your children and keep the conversation going as they grow older.

I hope asking yourself these questions can help prepare you for having the “social media talk” with your own kids. You can always change it up and evolve your family’s take on it. Just as we need to modify things in other aspects of parenting, how our families handle the internet can evolve as technology changes, and as our kids, hopefully, grow up to be the most joyful versions of themselves. 

The internet is a great place for families. It gives us new opportunities to discover the world, connect with others and just generally make our lives easier and more colorful. But it also comes with new challenges and complications for the people raising the next generations. Mozilla wants to help families make the best online decisions, whatever that looks like, with our latest series, The Tech Talk.

Talk to your kids about online safety

Get tips

The post How to talk to kids about social media appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Dr. Naomi Fisher is a U.K.-based clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and autism. She’s the author of “Changing Our Minds: How Children Can Take Control of Their Own Learning.” Her writing has also appeared in the British Psychological Society’s The Psychologist, among other publications. You can follow her on Twitter. Photo: Justine Diamond

I spend a lot of time talking to parents about screens. Most of those conversations are about fear.  

“I’m so worried about my child withdrawing into screens,” they say. “Are they addicted? How can I get them to stop?”  

I understand where they are coming from. I’m a clinical psychologist with 16 years of experience working in the U.K. and France, including for the U.K. National Health Service and in private practice. I’m also the mother of an 11-year-old girl and a teenage boy. 

“Screen time” has become one of the bogeymen of our age. We blame screens for our children’s unhappiness, anger or lack of engagement. We worry about screen time incessantly, so much so that sometimes it seems that the benchmark of a good parent in 2022 is the strictness of your screen time limits.

Defining screen time

The oddest thing about this is that “screen time” doesn’t really exist. You can’t pin it down unless you think that the screen itself – a sheet of glass – has a magical, harmful effect. A screen is merely a portal to many activities that also happen offline. These include gaming, chatting, reading, writing, watching documentaries, coding, learning languages and art – I could go on.  

Just yesterday, my teenager and I played the online word puzzle Redactle together. We’ve been doing it daily for months, and we’ve learned about history, science, poetry and bed bugs along the way. Do word puzzles become damaging because they are accessed via a sheet of glass? 

Still, parents are afraid of “too much” screen time, and they want firm answers. “Is 30 minutes a day too much?” they ask. When in turn I ask them what their children are doing on screens, they rarely have much idea. “Watching rubbish” or “wasting time” are common responses. It’s not often that parents spend time on screens with their children, many of them saying that they don’t want to encourage it.

Stop counting the minutes

I tell parents to stop counting the minutes for a moment, and instead spend some time watching their children without judgment. They return surprised. 

Parents see their children socializing with friends as they play. They’re designing their own mini-games, or memorizing the countries of the world. They’ve built the Titanic in Minecraft. The “screen time bogeyman” starts to melt away.

For me, screens give families an opportunity.

Photo: Lauren Psyk

They are a chance to connect with our children by doing something they love. And for some young people, there are benefits that they can’t find elsewhere.

Some children I meet don’t feel competent elsewhere in their lives, but feel good about themselves when they play video games. They tell me about Plants vs. Zombies and they come alive. We exchange tips on our favorite way to defend the house from marauding zombies.  They love games, but everyone is telling them that they should be doing something else. Often, no other adult seems interested.

I see young people who are really isolated. They have difficulties making friends, or they have been bullied at school. Online gaming can be their first step towards making connections. They don’t have to start with talking: They type on the in-game chat and when they feel ready, move onto voice chat. They emerge in their own time.  

Some of the young people I work with have difficulty keeping calm throughout the day. For them, their devices provide a way to take up space. They put on their headphones and sink into a familiar game. They recharge, letting them cope with their day for a bit longer. It’s a wonderfully portable way to decompress.

Do games cause unhappiness?

I’m not saying that there’s never a reason to worry. I meet some young people who are very unhappy. They use gaming to avoid their thoughts and feelings, and they get very angry when asked to stop. The adults around them usually blame the games for their unhappiness, thinking that banning them would help improve their well-being.

But here’s the issue: Gaming is rarely the cause of the problem. Instead, it’s a solution that a young person has found to cope with the way they are feeling. Sometimes, gaming can seem like the only thing that makes them happy. Banning video games takes that away, causing a child to feel angry with their parents at the same time. 

We need to address the root of their unhappiness rather than ban something they love, and we need to nurture that relationship. Sometimes, dropping the judgment around gaming can lead to parents and children reconnecting rather than fighting.

Valuing our children’s interests

Appreciating our children’s love of screens is far more than just showing an interest in what they do. When they were little, we looked after their most precious toys, even if they were ragged and dirty. They were important because they were important to our child. We didn’t tell them that their teddy bears were rubbish and we’d like to get rid of them (even if we secretly thought exactly that), because we knew that would hurt them.  

Now they’re older, games and digital creations have replaced stuffed toys. When we demonize screens, we demonize the things our children love. We tell them that the things they value aren’t valuable. We tell them the things they enjoy most are a waste of time. That is never going to be a good way to build a strong and supportive relationship.

Instead, I encourage parents to join their kids. Gaming might bore you, but you can be interested in your child and what makes them come alive. You can value their joy, their curiosity and their exploration. You can give the games a go and see what they find so enthralling. Download Brawl Stars, Minecraft or Roblox, and see if your child will show you how to play. If they don’t want to, find a tutorial video for yourself.

Let them see that you are interested in their passions, because you are interested in them. They will see that you value them for who they are. And from that seed, many good things can grow.  

The internet is a great place for families. It gives us new opportunities to discover the world, connect with others and just generally make our lives easier and more colorful. But it also comes with new challenges and complications for the people raising the next generations. Mozilla wants to help families make the best online decisions, whatever that looks like, with our latest series, The Tech Talk.

Talk to your kids about online safety

Get tips

The post How to talk to kids about video games appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Early next year, we will launch Mozilla Ventures, a first of its kind impact venture fund to invest in startups that push the internet — and the tech industry — in a better direction 

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Many people complain about today’s tech industry. Some say the internet has lost its soul. And some even say it’s impossible to make it better. 

My response: we won’t know unless we try, together. 

Personally, I think it is possible to build successful companies — and great internet products — that put people before profits. Mozilla proves this. But so do ProtonMail, Hugging Face, Kickstarter and a good number of others. All are creating products and technology that respect users — and that are making the internet a healthier place.

I believe that, if we have A LOT more founders creating companies like these, we have a real chance to push the internet  — and the tech industry — in a better direction. 

The thing is, the system is stacked against founders like this. It is really, really hard. This struck us when Mozilla briefly piloted a startup support program a couple of years ago. Hundreds of young founders and teams showed up with ideas for products and tech that were ‘very Mozilla’. Yet, they also showed up with stories of not being able to find mission aligned investors, or mentors and incubators who shared their vision for products that put people first. They felt frustrated before even getting going. 

Mozilla did what we could to help — offering mentorship and small pre-seed investments to dozens of companies. But we also saw the huge need to do more, and to do it systematically over time. Mozilla Ventures will be our first step in filling this need. 

Mozilla Ventures will be a $35M+ venture capital fund for early stage startups whose products or technologies advance one or more of the values in the Mozilla Manifesto. Privacy. Inclusion. Transparency. Accessibility. Human dignity. The fund will look for companies and founders who are aligned with these values — and then, like other investors, will look at their team, their product and their business. And, where all these things add up, we’ll invest. 

The fund will be led by Managing Partner Mohamed Nanabhay, whose appointment I am announcing in this blog post. Mohamed brings a decade of experience investing in digital media businesses designed to advance democracy and free speech where those things are hard to come by. Which perfectly sets him up for the job ahead — finding and funding founders who have the odds stacked against them, and then helping them succeed. 

Over the past few months, Mohamed and I have spent a good amount of time thinking about the basic thesis behind the fund (find great startups that align with the Mozilla Manifesto) — and testing this thesis out through conversations with founders. 

We’ve already found three companies that validate our belief that companies like this are out there — Secure AI Labs, Block Party and HeyLogin. They are all companies driven by the idea that the digital world can be private, secure, respectful, and that there are businesses to be built creating this world. We’re honored that these companies saw the same alignment we did. They all opened up space on their cap table for Mozilla.

Our first few months of conversations with founders (and other investors) underlined something else: we have more questions than answers. Almost everyone we talked to was excited by the idea of pushing the tech industry in a different direction, especially the younger founders we talked to. On the flipside, everyone sees huge challenges — existing tech monopolies, venture funding growth at all costs, public cynicism. It’s important to be honest, we don’t have all the answers. We will (collectively) need to work through these challenges as we go. 

So, that’s what we will do. Our plan is to continue talking to founders — and making select investments — over the next few months. We’re also talking to fellow travelers like: Lucid Capitalism, a brilliant team of venture + ESG experts helping us to design the fund; and also networks like Startups and Society and Responsible Innovation Labs that are building communities to tackle these tough questions. And, we’re speaking with a select group of potential co-investors (LPs) who share our values. We will launch the full fund with at least $35M during the first half of 2023. 

If you are either a founder or potential co-investor, we would be happy to talk to you. Email hello@mozilla.vc

The post Mozilla Ventures: Investing in Responsible Tech appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Initial $35M will foster an ecosystem of startups that push the internet — and the tech industry — in a better direction  

Industry veteran Mohamed Nanabhay will head the venture 

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November 2, 2022 (LISBON, Portugal) — Today, amid a sea of internet companies and products that routinely put profits ahead of people, Mozilla is unveiling an ambitious new venture capital fund to transform technology investment — and the internet more broadly. 

Says Mark Surman, Executive Director, Mozilla: “Many people say the tech industry has lost its soul. Some even say it’s impossible to make it better. My response: We won’t know unless we try, together. Mozilla Ventures is about fueling companies and products that put people before profits. And it’s about fueling enough of these companies and products that we can ultimately push the internet in a better direction.”

Mozilla Ventures is a venture capital fund for early-stage (seed to series A) startups whose products or technologies advance one or more of the values in the Mozilla Manifesto, like privacy, inclusion, transparency, and human dignity. The fund will seek companies and founders who embody these values, and investors who are aligned with them.  

To start, Mozilla will invest an initial $35 million in internet companies that protect privacy, decentralize digital power and build more trustworthy AI — and that also have big potential for commercial success. Three initial investments (below) are being announced today, and the full roll out of the fund will occur in early 2023. The fund will be led by Managing Partner Mohamed Nanabhay, who has spent his career working on innovation, digital media, technology, and as an investor. Nanabhay has held leadership positions at Al Jazeera and the Media Development Investment Fund, and was previously a Mozilla Foundation board member. 

Says Nanabhay: “Many of us can’t imagine life without the internet. But are we willing to imagine life with a better internet for us all? That’s why we’re starting Mozilla Ventures — to create an ecosystem of entrepreneurs from across the world who are building companies that create a better internet. We want to support founders who are working on the many challenges we face online — from misinformation to censorship, security to privacy, and the ability to harm instantaneously and at scale. These issues are too important to leave to any one institution to solve.”

Says Mitchell Baker, Chief Executive Officer of Mozilla: “Mozilla is the only technology organization designed from day one to represent people and their interests over profit online. We are a mission-driven business and we pride ourselves in championing not only an open internet, but also human dignity, privacy and a global community of millions of people who support that mission. Our values — privacy, security and joy — both drive our advocacy and shape our products. This unique position enables us to strengthen the responsible tech ecosystem at a critical time for the technology industry — and we will support that ecosystem by investing in a new generation of companies and products that share a vision of a safe, open internet.”

Mozilla Venture’s portfolio includes a range of mission-driven start-ups and companies. Three initial investments are being announced today:

• Secure AI Labs (SAIL) — SAIL uses advanced security and AI technology to keep patient data secure and advance medical collaboration. They aim to advance bioinformatics research and innovation with a platform that allows faster, more secure access to data, powering the future of better healthcare for all.

• Block Party  — Block Party is a social media safety app designed for the realities of online harassment. It allows individuals who experience regular harassment to safely engage in public conversation on social media by setting their own content boundaries. 

• Hey Login — Hey Login is a ‘swipe-to-login’ password management solution designed for businesses. Primarily aimed at SMEs, Hey Login charges per user and allows for businesses to manage shared passwords as well as individual accounts. 

Mozilla is working actively with a wide variety of founders, investors and experts to shape the final design of the fund. Lucid Capitalism, a brilliant team of venture and ESG experts, is playing a key role in supporting Mohamed with fund design. 

Mozilla Ventures is just at the start of its journey. Startups who would like to get in touch with Mozilla Ventures or investors who are interested in partnering can contact Mozilla at hello@mozilla.vc

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About Mozilla Ventures

Mozilla Ventures is a first-of-its-kind impact venture fund that invests in startups pushing the internet — and the tech industry — in a better direction. The fund supports early-stage startups whose products or technologies advance one or more values in the Mozilla Manifesto, like privacy, inclusion, transparency, accessibility, and human dignity. Its long-term strategy: To fuel an ecosystem of products and technology that respect users and that make the internet a healthier place. The fund is led by Managing Partner Mohamed Nanabhay.

The post Mozilla Launches First-of-its-Kind Venture Fund to Fuel Responsible Tech Companies, Products  appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Rachel Maksy has been Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, and, for one week, multiple Jane Austen characters. She goes to conventions to meet other cosplayers wearing costumes that she created. But mostly, her handmade outfits are seen and watched by her nearly 1.5 million followers across YouTube and Instagram. 

“Just like a kid dressing up on Halloween as their favorite superhero, there’s something special about making that costume and doing your makeup and hair like them. You just feel empowered,” the 30-year-old content creator said. 

Rachel loves Halloween so much that she starts planning her looks in January for what she calls “13 days of Maks-o-ween.” This month, her costumes include a raven dressed as a Victorian woman and a pinup wolfman. (If you still need Halloween costume ideas, check out her Instagram.)

Recently, outside of Halloween, she’s been dabbling in styles from the 19th and 20th centuries. 

“Even though the fashion that I choose has changed over the years, I think my theme has always been that I always wanted to express myself,” Rachel said. “It’s a lot more fun to put together outfits when you get to choose. How I dress now, I’m kind of just making myself my own main character.”

Read more from Rachel about being a content creator: 

On YouTube as a career

Rachel: In high school, there were these few YouTubers that I would watch all the time and I would think, “How cool would it be just to be able to do that?” I don’t think I even thought about making it a job because I was 14 or 15. So I started making really embarrassing little YouTube videos. 

After [attending] film school, I ventured into Boston film jobs. I was also exploring vintage fashion, and I decided to start a YouTube channel mostly doing vintage hair and makeup tutorials. There was this makeup competition that I ended up winning. The prize money that I won, I decided to use as a cushion to make the leap into YouTube full-time, which was absolutely terrifying. I remember handing my two weeks to my boss, and he was very confused.

On viewers taking comfort from her channel

Rachel: So the pandemic for me was kind of a 50-50 split. I had my personal life, which was scary and unpredictable. I think everyone was really frightened and didn’t know what was going to happen. But then the work part of me was really able to, since I was home all the time, delve into projects. People were sort of craving that wholesome corner of the internet. I was able to, hopefully, provide that. Everything else in the world really, really just sucked, and it was chaos. So being able to provide soothing, calming videos of just something silly was a way for me to combat the scariness of real life. I was escaping into my own projects, and also allowing that escapism for other people.

On hitting 1 million YouTube subscribers

Rachel: I hit 1 million subscribers I think back in August. It’s wild because it was sort of this mythical number that I had just in my head from when I started my channel. I thought if I ever hit a million, that’d be crazy. It’s weird to think that many people actually care about what I put out into the world. 

On mental health

Rachel: A huge part of being a content creator online is the mental game that goes with it. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparing your content to other people’s. Or, comparing your own content to months before. Something maybe did well the first time you posted it, and then not so well the second time. 

There’s always that potential disappointment when you think something is gonna do really well and it doesn’t. That’s why I’ve shifted into just making videos that I’m really, really excited about and learning new crafts because even if it doesn’t do well by my own fake standards in my brain, it’s something that I had a ton of fun with making.

On comments

Rachel: There are definitely times when people can be hurtful. But I am honestly a little bit impressed with how I have learned that a lot of times, they’re just saying stuff to vent, or they’re going through things in their own life that they feel like they need to project onto other people. I’ve gotten a lot better with not letting it affect me because then for every negative comment you have, you know, 10 great people who are really feeling like your content is changing their life and giving them a wholesome space online.

On the internet

Rachel: My job wouldn’t exist without the internet, but not only that, it’s where I get inspiration. It’s where I research and learn new crafts by watching videos. It’s had a huge role in my life, whether it’s just sharing things I like or connecting with a community of people who are excited about the same things as me. It makes me more excited to make cool stuff because the more people I can convert into my little weird community, the better.

Firefox is exploring all the ways the internet makes our planet an awesome place. Almost everything we do today ties back to the online world in some way — so, join us in highlighting the funny, weird, inspiring and courageous stories that remind us why we love the world wide web.

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The post Firefox Presents: Cosplayer Rachel Maksy gives main character energy appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

As a staff product manager for Mozilla’s security and privacy team, Tony Amaral-Cinotto thinks a lot about how you can protect your personal information, including, most recently, your phone number. 

Firefox Relay has been protecting email addresses from spammers since 2020. Tony’s team just released a new feature applying the same idea to your phone number: You get a uniquely generated number mask so you don’t have to enter your true number on website forms, or in other places like restaurants when making reservations and online marketplaces when putting up items for sale.

This new phone masking feature prevents companies from sending your true number to their third-party partners, so you get to do what you want online and in real life while preventing more spam calls and texts on your phone. Not sure if you want to give somebody your number just yet? You can also use Firefox Relay’s phone number mask for that.

Email addresses and phone numbers are part of Mozilla’s security and privacy efforts over the last two years: Mozilla VPN, launched in 2020, hides your IP addresses. Firefox’s Total Cookie Protection, rolled out to all users last June, prevents companies from using internet cookies to track your online activities. 

“We do this work for the good of the internet,” Tony said. “It’s easy to fall into this trap of acquiring users in ways that maybe aren’t ethical, but we live by what we stand for. Sometimes, it takes us longer to do things because we’re doing what’s right for the internet, what’s right for our users and being very intentional about that.”

We talked to Tony about his career path as a product manager, what he loves to do online and off, and why creating safe spaces on the internet means a lot to him. 

What’s a typical day for you as a product manager at Mozilla?

Right now my typical day is doing a lot of research, strategy and workshop sessions with team members to uncover different user segments for security and privacy products, and then taking all that information to build and prioritize for those users. Luckily, I have a lot of great counterparts who are helping me out.

In an interview about leaving and returning to work at Mozilla, you mentioned that working in privacy and security means a lot to you as part of the LGBTQI+ community, and that you want other people to be able to ask questions and learn like you did in a comfortable environment. Can you talk more about that?

When my parents didn’t know yet that I was gay, private browsing mode was a safety shield until I felt ready to have that conversation with them. That’s where I feel like private browsing is very important and using tools like Firefox Focus.

The other thing, too, is having cookie protections, which are on by default on Firefox. Without them, you could start getting targeted ads about yourself based off cookies — like Google ads or Facebook inferring that you’re gay, for instance. Imagine I was back in high school or college and I’m not out and I’m showing my friends something on Facebook, and something that could be detrimental pops up.

People could also use Firefox Relay [which masks email addresses from public view] if they wanted to sign up for forums or communities but fear being hacked or exposed. 

Besides your job, what do you love doing online?

I love music from around the world. I use apps to listen to music or watch music videos. I love traveling so anything around travel makes me very happy, like looking for cheap flights. I’ve had a lot of really cool unique experiences using online vacation rental platforms that have just warmed my heart every time I think about them.

I am also going back and playing Final Fantasy 9, even though it came out in 2000, I never got the chance to play it and I love the Final Fantasy series. I’m also playing Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which is a beautiful mix of nostalgia and a new adventure.

Do you have any advice for someone aspiring to become a product manager?

There isn’t really formal training at school, and a lot of people don’t get hired as a product manager. I’d say do internship opportunities as much as you can if you’re still in college. Email people. When you’re a student, people are so kind to you. Take the opportunity to get some help and to learn from people with internships, even shadowing.

What I see a lot of people struggle with in their career is learning about product management and making that shift. I really recommend networking inside your company. A lot of times it’s easier to move roles within the company because people know you. They know what your skill sets are, and they’ll take a bit of a risk to help you. That’s compared to, say I want to be a product manager and I’m gonna go apply to a bunch of different companies but my background is not product management. It’s a lot harder to get into that role. 

I think the other thing that’s really great too is reaching out to other product managers, saying, “Hi, I’m very interested in product management. Could I maybe dedicate 15% of my time to a small product project to learn how to do product management, see if I like it before fully diving in?”

Something else I did too, was diving into it myself. I actually built my own website where I felt like I was the product manager. If I had failed, it was all on me. So it was really good practice for getting into product management. And then also, if your company has anything like hackathons, innovation weeks, that’s a great time where you can serve as a product manager just for a week as well to see what that skill set looks like.

Visit blog.mozilla.org/careers to learn about life at Mozilla. Check out the following stories for more about what our team has been working on lately:

• Keep your family’s internet private with Total Cookie Protection on Firefox
• Privacy online just got easier with the new Firefox release
• Firefox makes browsing more colorful with new ‘independent voices’

Layer on even more protection with phone number masking

Sign up for Firefox Relay

The post A Mozilla product manager on his career path and what creating safe spaces online means to him appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

By the time a kid turns 13, more than 72 million pieces of personal data have been collected about them on the internet, according to a 2018 report. These can include name, date of birth, address, family members, where they hang out, the people they interact with, what they do in the classroom, and which websites they visit. In other words, TMI.

As a product manager working on Total Cookie Protection, which Firefox rolled out by default to all users in June, I wanted to learn more about how this privacy feature could benefit families. So I designed a family cookie experiment. While it wasn’t as yummy as it sounds, the experience reminded me of why online privacy is so important, especially for kids and teens.

First, let’s talk about cookies 

Who knows you better than you do? Probably the internet, or at least it sometimes feels that way. 

One minute you’re daydreaming, casually browsing a travel website. Next minute, you’re seeing ads for luggage, including one in a snazzy shade of green. You hit “Buy.” By the way, there’s a “flash sale for flights to the Bahamas!” according to an email you just got from your favorite airline. Perfect. Now you really have to book that trip. How did the internet know that you need a vacation, and that you need it now?

If you’re someone who has spent time online since the days of dial-up, then you’ve probably noticed how internet ads have become a lot more personal. That’s made possible by cookies, or small text files that a web server stores in your computer. 

These files contain bits of information like your username, location and language preference so that you can return to a website without having to enter your credentials over and over again. Did you close your browser window while shopping? No worries, the website will remember you’re an English-speaker who lives in the U.S. Your items will still be in your cart. 

Not all cookies, however, are created equal. Other entities, including analytics, advertising and data collection companies, also deposit what we call third-party cookies in your computer through ads, social media widgets, background scripts, and pixels (tiny images tucked into website code) that are on the pages you visit.

Cookies are sent by different websites to identify you, enabling third-party companies to collect crumbs of your personal data and piece them together to create a profile of the person the internet thinks you are. Data brokers sell that profile to businesses, which then target you with seemingly tailored ads for products you’re more likely to buy. 

This practice is an industry so lucrative that it made Facebook, through its ad business model, the tech giant it is today. (You can read more about cookies here.)

This may sound harmless to some people. The internet offers us a world of possibilities after all, and it seems giving away some of our information to advertisers for some conveniences is a small price to pay. Plus, you’ve got nothing to hide or be embarrassed about.

Now here’s the big but: As our Bahamas example shows, browsing behavior – in the name of profit – can be used to shape people’s thoughts and actions. Why did you buy a suitcase in a color named “springtime parsley”? And why are you booking a trip to the Bahamas when it’s hurricane season? No wonder those plane tickets are so cheap.

The family cookie experiment

Now onto my experiment: I started browsing the web to mimic the experience of a parent looking to book a vacation for two adults and two young children. 

I visited multiple travel websites to find and compare flight, hotel and car rental prices for a trip to Costa Rica. Additionally, I used Google to search for resources on sightseeing (videos, tourism and travel websites), traveling with children (blogs) and the best suitcases (trusted magazine articles and major e-commerce sites). Sometimes, I chose the top hit on Google’s results page, which tends to be ad-sponsored and therefore prioritized.

Here’s what happened:

• My browsing activities generated 1,620 total cookies, about 20% of them third-party cookies.
• Many of the third-party cookies came from websites linked to analytics and ad companies. 
• Surprisingly, cookies deposited via major media publications were worse: An article from a prominent magazine about suitcases inserted third-party trackers from other brands under the publication’s parent company umbrella, ranging from fashion to food to architecture.
• When I checked the forecast for Costa Rica on a major weather website, I saw so many ads that dropped third-party cookies, suggesting this may be a big revenue source for the website.

My takeaway from this experiment: There’s something insidious about doing something that should make you feel empowered and excited – only to feel like you’re spilling details that unknown figures can exploit. In the act of planning a trip online without anti-tracking protection, someone out there now knows about the ages of your children, your partner’s interests, which family scuba lesson you’ve booked and with whom.

The effects of this surveillance extend beyond your flight back once the trip ends. Data brokers can sell the growing swarm of information they have not only on you but also your family. Interested parties will already have rich data profiles on your children by the time they start using the home computer.

Talk to your kids about online safety

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Cookies and kids

They may not be making their own travel plans just yet, but children have had data collected about them long before you entered their ages into an airline’s website for their first flight. Maybe you created an online baby registry, or relied on certain websites to find answers to questions about your child as a new parent. Later, kids’ own online activities – for entertainment, education or otherwise – enhance their data profiles.

How much this data economy is shaping children’s development is a concern highlighted in a recent report by the Human Rights Watch, which looked into the collection of kids’ information through online learning tools schools used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Because children are at high risk of manipulative interference at a time when their capacities are evolving, they may be particularly vulnerable when they come into contact with algorithms that can be used to target and influence their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs through the curated display of content,” the organization said. 

Even teens are worried about how technology seems to promote decreasing attention spans and leave misinformation unchecked. Do you have a high schooler considering colleges? The Markup and Mozilla Rally found that applying for federal financial aid could automatically send students’ personal data like their names, phone numbers and email addresses to Facebook – even when they didn’t have a Facebook account. And during a time where legislation can target vulnerable groups, data can be used to infer information about the identity and health care needs of internet users, no matter their age. 

Take back your family’s privacy with Firefox’s Total Cookie Protection 

Preventing your kids from having their data collected doesn’t mean cutting their internet access or sacrificing the quality of your family’s browsing experience. That’s why when you use Firefox, Total Cookie Protection is built-in and already turned on by default. 

This means for every website you visit, Firefox creates a digital “jar” that confines cookies to that website. So when you enter your children’s ages to book a flight, that information won’t be picked up and tracked by Amazon to recommend toys your kids might like, or by YouTube to show videos they can watch on your way to Costa Rica. 

Online privacy lets our families decide our own life experiences without third party interference. 

The internet is a great place for families. It gives us new opportunities to discover the world, connect with others and just generally make our lives easier and more colorful. But it also comes with new challenges and complications for the people raising the next generations. Mozilla wants to help families make the best online decisions, whatever that looks like, with our latest series, The Tech Talk.

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The post Keep your family’s internet private with Total Cookie Protection on Firefox appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Avoiding misinformation online can be tricky, especially during election season. And while the media cycle may be more low-key than it would be for a U.S. presidential election (coming up soon in 2024), this November’s midterm has not been immune to internet discord. Americans have got some big decisions to make after all, like how power is balanced in Congress and who gets to make decisions about important issues in your state and local community. 

We’re not here to tell you who to vote for. But as an organization that advocates for a healthy internet, we consider online misinformation to be a huge barrier to seeing that better internet. Here are some nonpartisan, online resources to help us all do the responsible thing: Make informed choices and get ready to vote. 

Outsmart election misinformation

The News Literacy Project is a nonprofit that works with educators across the U.S. to teach the next generation how to identify credible news sources. We recently worked with them to explore how Gen Z consumes information online. We even co-created a guide to fighting misinformation on social media. 

This election, Mozilla has partnered again with the News Literacy Project to spotlight reliable information and help voters avoid misinformation on the internet. Check out this handy page of election resources, and sign up for their free upcoming webinar series:

• Oct. 25, Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET: Spotting election misinformation and understanding motivations behind how and why it spreads
• Nov. 1, Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET: How to debunk misinformation and engage in productive conversations without confrontation

Verify your voter registration

With very few exceptions, we can’t vote online (learning more about our complicated voting systems may give you some idea why). What we can do digitally is make sure we’re registered to vote, choose to sign up for vote-by-mail and preview what we’ll see on our ballots. 

Our friends at Vote.org, a nonprofit that uses technology to simplify political engagement and increase voter turnout, put all the tools you need in one place to help make sure you’re ready to vote. 

Navigate the midterms with Pocket 

So you’re registered to vote. Now what? First, take a breather from your social feeds. There is such a thing as information overload, especially during election season. Next, do your election prep with this Pocket collection of nonpartisan stories curated by the News Literacy Project. No opinions, just facts. 

Election cycles may be an exhausting time to be online. Lucky for us, the internet also makes it easier to have our say at the ballot box. We can’t predict how outrageous next year’s political trends will be, but one way to influence tomorrow’s headlines is by making your voice heard now.

Related stories:

• 5 ways to fight misinformation on your social feed
• Why running secure elections efficiently is hard
• Protect your phone number from spam texts with Firefox Relay

The post Prep for the U.S. midterm elections with these online tools appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

This month, Mozilla Hubs, a place where you can get together with friends online in a virtual-social space, partnered with conceptual artist Ashley Zelinskie on her New York exhibition, “Unfold the Universe: First Light.” The exhibition features her VR artwork “Unfolding the Universe: A NASA Webb VR Experience” in Mozilla Hubs. The exhibit runs through October 23rd (more details visit here), and for those who want to visit virtually, you can visit the VR portion of the exhibition here: https://unfoldtheuniverse.myhubs.net/.  

Earlier this year, Mozilla Hubs was contacted by conceptual artist Ashley Zelinskie on a project with the NASA James Webb team. They wanted to make space exploration accessible to everyone. Mozilla Hubs seized this out-of-world opportunity as a chance to do real life testing with their subscription service before making it available next week.

On December 25, 2021, the James Webb telescope launched into space. Conceptual artist Ashley Zelinskie wanted to commemorate the launch in a way that was approachable and reachable to many people. She worked with Mozilla Hubs to create an immersive experience featuring an animated sculpture and interactive portraiture of the NASA James Webb team. She featured the Mozilla Hubs installation titled “Unfolding the Universe: A NASA Webb VR Experience” in her solo exhibition, “Unfolding the Universe: First Light.” It includes the telescope’s “First Images” data released this past July. The immersive experience could be seen through live projections on the gallery walls as part of the installation or directly through a web browser which is also available here. We caught up with Ashley Zelinskie to hear more about her experience working with Mozilla Hubs. 

How did you learn about Mozilla Hubs?

I had been to a few events in Mozilla Hubs. During the pandemic friends were hosting art exhibitions in Hubs as a way to share their work while in lock down. Through a virtual residency I was doing with Agora Digital Arts I met Pierre-Francois Gerard of Metaxu Studio and began building my own VR experience.

Did you have any previous experience working in virtual spaces prior to Mozilla Hubs?

Not really. All my artwork starts out digital and then I have it fabricated. So I wasn’t a stranger to working digitally but I had never focused on that being the final outcome. It was interesting to see all the steps it takes to polish and produce a piece that is fully digital.

Did you face any challenges working with this new form of medium?

I had never made anything in VR when the Webb team approached me, and they wanted something accessible especially during the pandemic. Most of my work starts digitally where I’ll use 3D models. I don’t use shaders nor animation. I’ll use a grey model and then have it printed in 3D and finish it in the real world. I had never created it in this new environment. There were steps I hadn’t thought of as an artist. I worked with Pierre who helped me see that I don’t have to deal with reality, and I can make things fly and float. It was really eye-opening to see that I can make things spin and fly. I no longer had to worry about the real world issues I had previously with 3D printed items like it sagging under gravity when I design. Once I switched my mindset, I could create stars, planets, a black holes, and accretion disks. None of it could ever be produced in the real world. I was able to make the impossible and flip the design process on its head. 

Did you have a technological background like a developer/coder? How was your experience in creating this art installation?

I have no background as a developer or coder. I found Hubs to be extremely approachable. I don’t think there is another VR service on the market that would be this accessible to people with no experience. 

What made you decide to use Hubs for this specific project with NASA and the Onassis Foundation?

Hubs was an easy choice for this project. When I was brainstorming a way to do public outreach during a pandemic with Maggie of the Webb team we landed on VR. It seemed to be the most immersive and interesting way to get people involved and interested. However we didn’t want to cut people out that didn’t have fancy VR headsets or little experience in VR. Hubs was the democratic solution to all these logistics. If we were going to invite the world to experience the Webb Telescope we wanted everyone to be able to attend.

For the upcoming event, what specific art installations will be in Mozilla Hubs? 

We will be exhibiting a few different works of art in Mozilla Hubs. The first one being the one we created to commemorate the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope called “Unfolding the Universe: A NASA Webb VR experience”. This piece includes interactive portraits of scientists and engineers on the Webb team, a custom musical soundscape, and digitally animated version of sculptures that will be shown in the ONX gallery. Since the first images were released we created two new works to reflect the new discoveries. One of the works depicts exoplanet spectroscopy data in the form of a rainbow aurora mountain landscape and the other is a totally new VR world inside the black hole at the center of the cartwheel galaxy. 

Note: All photos credited to Caroline Xia, ONX Studio

The post You don’t have to be an astronaut to explore space, Mozilla Hubs can take you there appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

October is one of our favorite months of the year with Autumn and Cybersecurity Awareness Month. We’re supporting Cybersecurity Awareness with Private Browsing mode upgrades. Additionally, we’re rolling out new features to help you pick up where you last left off with Firefox View and new Colorways and wallpapers to refresh your look.

Earlier this year we celebrated our 100th Firefox release and reaffirmed our commitment to put people first. For today’s release, we’re rolling out new features that deliver on our user promise to provide web experiences that prioritizes people’s privacy and needs whenever they go online.

Today’s new features on Firefox:

Your go-to button for Private Browsing 

Last year we upleveled our Private Browsing mode by adding new privacy protections like Total Cookie Protection and HTTPS by default. Today, we’ve made it even easier to use by adding a new shortcut button you can pin to your desktop so you can quickly go to Private Browsing mode whenever you want. We also added a modern look and feel with a new logo and updated it so Private Browsing mode now defaults to dark theme, making it easier to know when you are in Private Browsing mode. 

Start your day with Firefox View

Our days consist of multiple tasks. Most tasks are easy to jump back into like a dog-eared page in a book or selecting the recently watched show in your streaming service app. We created Firefox View to help users navigate today’s internet. For today’s launch of Firefox View you will see up to 25 of your recently closed tabs within each window of your desktop device. Once you’ve synced your mobile devices, you’ll see the last three active tabs you had open on your other devices. You’ll also get to refresh your Firefox with a new Colorway inspired by the Independent Voices collection. Firefox View will continue to be a place where you can quickly get to the information that matters most to you.

Fall into our new Colorways and wallpaper collections

Last year we launched Firefox Colorways, a new desktop feature that allowed our users to express their most authentic selves and bring joy while browsing the web. Then, in March we rolled out a mobile version with wallpapers. Today, we’re releasing the latest limited edition of the Colorways and wallpapers collection inspired by Independent Voices. Behind this collection is streetwear and sneaker designer Keely Alexis, best known for the Air Jordans and other sneakers she created at Nike. The Colorways collection was her first collaboration with a technology company where she created bold and vibrant colored themes. To read more about the Colorways collection, visit our joy of color stories series here. 

Two new shortcuts to boost your productivity

Get things done faster with today’s updates with PDF editor and Text Recognition. 

Productivity boost #1: You know those PDF forms you receive either from your doctor or other service provider that you have to print out and send back to them? Now, you can write directly within those forms in the PDF editor. All that’s left to do is add your signature (which you can now do!) and you’re done!

Productivity boost #2: For users of macOS 10.15 and higher, now you can save a step with our Text Recognition feature. For those times when you want to separate and reuse text from an image (like that hilarious meme or screenshot), this new feature will enable you to copy only the text so that you can share and store without having to manually retype it. Timesaver! This feature is also compatible with VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader. 

Check out all these new features today and download them on your desktop and mobile devices: Firefox, Firefox on Android and Firefox for iOS.

The post Privacy online just got easier with today’s Firefox release appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

The internet we know today has evolved from a place to perform a specific task into a creative and essential platform touching most aspects of our lives. 

Despite advances since the personal computer was invented decades ago, the same lackluster color palette that plagued its original design still remains present on many digital spaces today. Because of this, Firefox has decided now is the time for a more colorful web, one that can spark joy and offer a richer user experience. 

With Firefox version 106, the Colorways library has been updated with 18 new color options to make browsing all your own. With Colorways – a browser feature that brings the internet to life with color – Firefox users can customize their browsers by choosing from seasonal shades and limited-edition color drops (and change them as often as they like). Each limited edition colorway presents its own individual bespoke characteristic allowing users to select color that best resonates with them.

“Privacy has been part of Mozilla’s vision from day one, and now we’re making the connection that a safe and joyful internet is a colorful one,” said Mikal Lewis, senior director of product management at Firefox. “We know we are spending more time in this digital ecosystem — not the concrete jungle, but the digital jungle. So much more of our life is flowing through what have historically been these gray boxes. And we don’t really tolerate this type of what I would say are one-size-fits-all tools anywhere else in our lives.”

“‘Independent Voices’ are the voices of the past and present that create a better future,” Lascio said. “I chose this [analogy] as my inspiration for the collaboration because it feels authentic to me but it also aligns with Firefox and the vision that we can make the world better, on the internet and beyond.”

Keely Lascio, Street-wear and sneaker designer

Behind “independent voices,” the new Colorways drop, is streetwear and sneaker designer Keely Lascio. In choosing to work with Mozilla for her first collaboration with a technology company, Lascio created bold and vibrant colored themes based on values she shares with the company. “‘Independent voices’ are the voices of the past and present that create a better future,” she said. “I chose this [analogy] as my inspiration for the collaboration because it feels authentic to me but it also aligns with Firefox and the vision that we can make the world better, on the internet and beyond.”

At Firefox it’s important to create what feels like an instinctive connection to the world and what is relevant for us. The Colorways names are culturally relevant to trends and experiences happening now:

• Expressionist – You see the world differently and your creations stir the emotions of others.
• Playmaker – You create opportunities to win and help everyone around you elevate their game.
• Visionary – You question the status quo and move others to imagine a better future.
• Activist – You leave the world a better place than you found it and lead others to believe.
• Dreamer – You believe that fortune favors the bold and inspire others to be brave.
• Innovator – You see opportunities everywhere and make an impact on the lives of everyone around you.

You can download the latest version of Firefox here to experience the all new Colorways yourself!

The post Firefox makes browsing more colorful with new ‘independent voices’ appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Here at Mozilla, we are the first to admit the internet isn’t perfect, but we are also quick to point out that the internet is pretty darn magical. The internet opens up doors and opportunities, allows for people to connect with others, and lets everyone find where they belong — their corners of the internet. We all have an internet story worth sharing. In My Corner Of The Internet, we talk with people about the online spaces they can’t get enough of, what we should save in Pocket to read later, and what sites and forums shaped them.

This month we chat with Anya Kamenetz, who, until recently, covered education for NPR. She’s the author of the new book “The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now” and serves as an advisor to the Aspen Institute on a new initiative to end climate silence in children’s media. Anya talks about what she’s currently reading, using pre-AOL chat rooms in the ‘90s and why she’s hopeful about how kids these days are using technology.

What is your favorite corner of the internet?

I spend the most time on Twitter where I have my education people, my climate people and current and former colleagues (and Raffi). But my WhatsApp groups keep me going.

What is an internet deep dive that you can’t wait to jump back into? 

This summer I went down a rabbit hole on the amazing literary history of Fire Island where we take an annual family vacation. You knew about Frank O’Hara getting run over by a dune buggy, but did you know that Auden visited and wrote a poem called Pleasure Island? And Claude Levi-Strauss, the French theorist?

What is the one tab you always regret closing? 

Google Drive, where the actual work takes place.

What can you not stop talking about on the internet right now? 

I started calling the common thread of what I do generational justice. With my new book “The Stolen Year” I’m exploring the idea that we need to build a child-centric society — such a society would value care adequately and would be more compassionate, prescient and interdependent. And the public spaces would be shadier and safer.

What was the first online community you engaged with? 

My parents were university professors, so I have a dim memory of text-based chat rooms in the early ‘90s, pre-AOL, and the amazingness of exchanging stilted public posts with some people who identified themselves as soccer players in Italy. 

What articles and videos are in your Pocket waiting to be read/watched right now? 

Top row, no cheats: a Substack essay on public education and integration, which references my recent New York Times piece; Timothy Snyder in Foreign Affairs on Ukraine (I reported for NPR from Ukraine in May of this year); a website that tracks indigenous resistance movements to fossil fuel expansion; and a poem by Marge Piercy. 

You explore the effects of the pandemic on young people in your latest book. Is there anything that we’ve learned as a society in the past couple of years that makes you hopeful?

From a child rights perspective, young people have a right to access technology safely to use for communication, for civic engagement, and to express themselves creatively and culturally. I see young people including my own children using media and social media to make sense of the world, themselves, and each other. They are not passive observers or victims; they have agency and they are hope in action. And concentrating on their needs and potential is my form of hope in action.

If you could create your own corner of the internet what would it look like? 

Honestly it would likely be full of terrible cut-and-paste graphics and GIFs, but otherwise plain text-based, like some messy meme version of a zine from my long-ago ‘90s childhood. Lots of Lisa Frank rainbows, cats, aliens and unicorns.

Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes and thinks about generational justice, and how children learn, grow and thrive on a changing planet. She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting, and currently serves as an advisor to the Aspen Institute on a new initiative to end climate silence in children’s media. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

The post A longtime NPR education reporter on her favorite corners of the internet appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

When you share your personal phone number with anyone outside your circle of family and friends, it essentially gives them permission to call you anytime of the day. This can mean robocallers at lunch and dinner, not to mention spam text messages throughout the day. 

Think about it: How many times have you shared your number without giving it much thought? Take those retail loyalty programs that promise big discounts and hot deals. When you sign up and accept the terms of service, you’re also agreeing to share your personal information like your phone number with those companies – plus all their third-party partners. Having your data shared across multiple companies increases the chances of your information getting leaked. Before you know it, your number has landed on a spam caller list. 

Since launching in 2020, Firefox Relay – a privacy-first product that hides your real email address to help protect your identity – has blocked more than 1.3 million unwanted emails from people’s inboxes while keeping true email addresses from trackers across the web. For Firefox Relay users, privacy protection doesn’t stop there. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re excited to announce a new user-requested feature to protect personal phone numbers. 

The new Firefox Relay phone number masking feature is available to Firefox Relay subscribers and can be accessed via the Firefox Relay website. Once you upgrade your subscription to the phone number masking plan, we will generate a phone number for you to use. You will receive up to 50 minutes for incoming calls and 75 text messages. All phone number masking plans will include unlimited email masking. The cost is $3.99 a month for an annual plan or $4.99 a month for a monthly plan. Currently, this feature is available in the U.S. and Canada. As we roll out this feature, we will explore how we can expand this offering to outbound calls and texts, as well as to other regions. 

How Firefox Relay’s new phone number masking feature works

Whether you are signing up for loyalty programs, booking a restaurant reservation, or making purchases that require your phone number, now you can feel confident that your personal phone number won’t fall in the wrong hands with Firefox Relay. 

Step 1: Go to relay.firefox.com

Step 2: Select Upgrade now to phone number masking. 

Step 3: Next, you will be prompted to verify your true phone number where the calls and texts will be forwarded to via text message. After verification, we will generate your phone number mask. Bonus: To help you find an easy-to-remember phone number mask, we’ll recommend phone numbers for you to choose. 

Step 4: Now, phone calls and texts will automatically forward to your true phone number. You won’t need to download another app, and you can check your calls on your phone and your Firefox Relay dashboard. 

Also, if you receive a text message, you can reply directly to the last sender, which is helpful when that retailer or company wants to send a confirmation text to the phone number. If you find yourself receiving too many unwanted spam calls or texts, you can easily turn it off for all phone numbers or select the specific ones you want to block. 

The Firefox Relay Product team is excited to add this new privacy-first feature! Check it out at relay.firefox.com.

Check these out to learn more about Firefox Relay and other Mozilla products:

• How Firefox’s Total Cookie Protection and container extensions work together
• How to easily switch from Chrome to Firefox
• Firefox rolls out Total Cookie Protection by default to all users worldwide

The post Protect your privacy and your phone number with Firefox Relay appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

I am pleased to announce that starting today, September 12, Carlos Torres has joined Mozilla as our Chief Legal Officer. In this role Carlos will be responsible for leading our global legal and public policy teams, developing legal, regulatory and policy strategies that support Mozilla’s mission. He will also manage all regulatory issues and serve as a strategic business partner helping us accelerate our growth and evolution. Carlos will also serve as Corporate Secretary. He will report to me and join our steering committee.

Carlos stood out in the interview process because of his great breadth of experience across many topics including strategic and commercial agreements, product, privacy, IP, employment, board matters, investments, regulatory and litigation. He brings experience in both large and small companies, and in organizations with different risk profiles as well as a deep belief in Mozilla’s commitment to innovation and to an open internet.

“Mozilla continues to be a unique and respected voice in technology, in a world that needs trusted institutions more than ever,” said Torres. “There is no other organization that combines community, product, technology and advocacy to produce trusted innovative products that people love. I’ve always admired Mozilla for its principled, people-focused approach and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Mozilla’s mission and evolution.”

Carlos comes to us most recently from Flashbots where he led the company’s legal and strategic initiatives. Prior to that, he was General Counsel for two start ups and spent over a decade at Salesforce in a variety of leadership roles including VP, Business Development and Strategic Alliances and VP, Associate General Counsel, Chief of Staff. He also served as senior counsel of a biotech company and started his legal career at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

The post Announcing Carlos Torres, Mozilla’s new Chief Legal Officer appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

Here at Mozilla, we are the first to admit the internet isn’t perfect, but we are also quick to point out that the internet is pretty darn magical. The internet opens up doors and opportunities, allows for people to connect with others, and lets everyone find where they belong — their corners of the internet. We all have an internet story worth sharing. In My Corner Of The Internet, we talk with people about the online spaces they can’t get enough of, what we should save in Pocket to read later, and what sites and forums shaped them.

This month we chat with writer Keah Brown. She created the viral #disabledandcute hashtag and just published “Sam’s Super Seats,” her debut children’s book about a girl with cerebral palsy who goes back-to-school shopping with her best friends. She talks about celebrating the joys of young people with disabilities online, her love for the band Paramore, other pop culture “-mores” she’s obsessed with and a deep dive into a TV show reboot that never was. 

What is your favorite corner of the internet?

Film and TV chats with my friends, the corner of the internet that loves Drew Barrymore (because duh!), the new “A League of Their Own” discussions corner, the Paramore fandom because they are the best band in the world, and the rom-com corner of the internet.

What is an internet deep dive that you can’t wait to jump back into? 

The deep dive into why we won’t see “Lizzie McGuire” the reboot.

What is the one tab you always regret closing? 

The YouTube video I [opened] in a new tab so I wouldn’t lose it when the video I was watching ended.

What can you not stop talking about on the internet right now? 

My new children’s book, “Sam’s Super Seats,” Paramore, Drew Barrymore, “A League of Their Own” the series, getting ready to move into my first apartment, Meg Thee Stallion, and Renaissance, Beyonce’s [new] album.

What was the first online community you engaged with? 

The “Glee” fandom on Tumblr.

What articles and videos are in your Pocket waiting to be read/watched right now? 

Abbi Jacobson on “The Daily Show,” apartment tours on the Listed YouTube channel, “10 Renter-Friendly Fixes for Your First Apartment,” Tracee Ellis Ross on “Hart to Heart,” and Meghan Markle’s podcast interview with Serena Williams.

How can parents or other caretakers of young people with disabilities use the internet to fight stigma and celebrate their joys?

By being aware that the disabled people in their lives are people first and deserve to be treated as such. Ask them for permission before posting about them online. Fight for them like you would anyone else you love and treat them like fully realized human beings What I think is also important is that we center disabled people themselves and give them the space to share their own stories and celebrate joy while fighting stigma, too.

If you could create your own corner of the internet what would it look like? 

The really cool thing is that it looks exactly like the one I have now. I talk about all my favorite things starting with the more’s: Drew Barrymore, Mandy Moore, Paramore and then there is what I’m watching for film and TV, then we have house tours, book promotion (buy “Sam’s Super Seats”!) and people who love cheesecake and pizza. 

Keah Brown is a journalist, author and screenwriter. Keah is the creator of the viral hashtag #DisabledAndCute. Her work has appeared in Town & Country Magazine, Teen Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire UK, and The New York Times, among other publications. Her essay collection “The Pretty One” and picture book “Sam’s Super Seats” are both out now. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Talk to your kids about online safety

Get tips

The post The children’s book author behind #disabledandcute on her favorite corners of the internet appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.

The internet is a great place for families. It gives us new opportunities to discover the world, connect with others and just generally make our lives easier and more colorful.

But it also comes with new challenges and complications for the people raising the next generations. Mozilla wants to help families make the best online decisions, whatever that looks like, with our latest series, The Tech Talk.

Concerned about screen time?

Here’s what experts are saying.

A back-to-school checklist for online safety

This school year, make the best use of the internet while staying safe.

Are parental controls the answer to keeping kids safe online?

There are a few things to consider before giving parental controls a go.

5 ways to fight misinformation on your social feed

Slow your scroll with this guide that we created with the News Literacy Project and the Teens for Press Freedom.

A little less misinformation, a little more action

How do teens engage with information on social media? We asked them.

Talk to your kids about online safety

Get tips

The post The Tech Talk appeared first on The Mozilla Blog.