Mozilla Launches Focus By Firefox, a Content Blocker For iOS 9 (mozilla.org)

An anonymous reader writes: Mozilla today launched an iOS content blocker called Focus by Firefox. It's a "content blocker" because although Focus is capable of blocking some ads, this latest project from the non-profit is aimed at stopping trackers. The free app is made possible thanks to iOS 9's content-blocking feature, which requires some setting up. Like with any content blocker, after you download Focus, you'll have to activate Focus' content-blocking features within your system-wide iOS settings (launching the app will provide a guide to finish configuration). It's worth noting that Focus only works with Safari. Mozilla says, "This was not our choice—Apple has chosen to make content blocking unavailable to third party browsers on iOS." Here is the Focus GitHub repo and its feedback tool.

Comments

Oh Apple, you so crazy

[phishybongwaters]

And there's Apple creating that wonderful eco system again, by limiting useful features to their dying dinosaur of a browser, because that's the only reason safari even shows up in any browser lists, because apple forces you to use it. And I thought it was bad when they enabled "other browsers" that infact are merely a skin ontop of safari, this right here takes the cake. "We've listened to your concerns about privacy and tracking, and we care. But only enough to position our browser to be the only one on our platform that can use these new features" Get bent with your IOS bullshit.

Oh good I was starting to worry.

[thegarbz]

With the news over the past week I was beginning to worry that Mozilla was going to actually focus on making Firefox a nice browser. Good to see my faith was not misplaced.

Re:Oh good I was starting to worry.

[KGIII]

Two things, both a bit disparate...

Do you use Firefox? (This may lead to a follow-up question.)

Have you tried Opera? (Opera is based on Chromium and has the spyware stripped out and is actually a very nice browser with a great ecosystem.)

Also, if you want to help curate a browser then maybe Vivaldi is something for you? They're still reasonably new and one might have more ability to influence the direction with a new project than they will with an entrenched project.

For the past few weeks, I've been mulling over Thomas Jefferson's turn of phrase about the tree of liberty needing to be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots. I'm thinking that the tree of software must be refreshed from time to time with the tears of users. When the tipping point is reached there will be a fork and, like a phoenix, a new browser will rise from the ashes. In order for that to happen, the old must die. So, I'm suggesting we avoid bloodshed over a simple software refresh but that we may want to consider writing something new?

It's not like we're a bunch of unskilled people. I mean hell, it's not like we don't have time. By default, I'm off in a browser somewhere and have at least one Slashdot tab open even if I'm not reading it. That could, just as easily, be reading and working on documentation or something. (We'll need trolls and mod points to get us motivated.)

Maybe we should build SlashFoxPaleExporaChromePeraNX? (Oddly, I picture this monstrosity containing every language known to man, some unknown, and having more "features" and bloat than anything else but, hey, it'd keep us busy for a little while.)

Okay, so more than two things. But I started off with just two things!

privacy.trackingprotection.enabled

[PineHall]

I wonder in regular firefox is the same Disconnect list used when you set privacy.trackingprotection.enabled? It is a nice feature that is unknown to most people. I like it because pages do load faster.

Not the right focus

[Kinwolf]

I've been asking them for years to get back their focus. Obviously they didn't understand my request.