Mozilla rolls out new privacy features to its mobile and desktop VPN – TechCrunch

Mozilla is rolling out new updates to its mobile and desktop VPN offerings, the company announced on Tuesday. With the launch of Mozilla VPN 2.7, the company is bringing one of Firefox’s popular add-ons, Multi-Account Containers, to the desktop platform and also introducing a multi-hop feature to the Android and iOS version of the VPN service.

Firefox’s Multi-Account Containers allow users to separate different parts of their online activities, such as work, shopping and banking. Instead of having to open a new window or different browser to check your work email, you can isolate that activity in a container tab, which prevents other sites from tracking your activity across the web. The company says combining the add-on with Mozilla’s VPN adds an extra layer of protection to users’ compartmentalized browsing activity and also adds extra protection to their locational information.

“For example, you are traveling for work and using your computer to check your work email from Paris, France but want to also check your personal banking accounts in New York City. That’s where you can separate your work and personal finances’ online activity with Multi-Account Containers plus the added privacy of the Mozilla VPN and choosing from over 400 servers in 30 countries,” Mozilla wrote in a blog post about the new launch.

Last year, Mozilla launched a multi-hop feature on desktop that allows people to use two VPN servers instead of one VPN service, which is now rolling out on mobile. The feature works by first routing your online activity through an entry VPN server followed by an exit VPN server. Mozilla says bringing this feature to the Android and iOS version of the VPN service gives users a little extra privacy when browsing. The company notes that this feature is also helpful for people who want to be extra careful about their privacy, and could be useful for political activists and journalists writing about sensitive topics.

The launch of these new updates comes as Mozilla recently introduced its Total Cooke Protection offering, which is used to combat cross-site tracking, to Firefox Focus on Android. The goal of Total Cookie Protection is to help mitigate the cross-site tracking where companies collect information about you like the sites you visit every day or the products you are searching for. Last year, Mozilla also launched Firefox Relay, which is a product that hides users’ real email addresses to help protect their identity.