Firefox is granting all of its users the right to delete collected data

Web browsers are infamous for collecting data, from names and locations to passwords. And now, Firefox creator, Mozilla, says all of its users will be able to delete all that data collected by the browser. It comes after the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) took effect Jan. 1, 2020, which is intended to protect the privacy rights and provide consumer protection for residents of California.

Notably, though, Mozilla’s move will affect all users, not just those based in California.

You won't have to wait long — Starting Jan. 7, Firefox will be rolling out its deletion setting in a browser update, according to a news release. The setting will allow users to request deletion of desktop data, which Firefox categorizes as “telemetry” directly from the browser.

The company states it currently collects little user data, and the data it does collect is to “improve the performance and security of Firefox.” One example the company gave of the telemetry data it collects was the certain amount of tabs users have opened or how long their tab session was.

“For Firefox, privacy is not optional,” the company stated. “We don’t think people should have to choose between the technology they love and their privacy. We think you should have both. That’s why we are taking these steps to bring additional protection to all our users under CCPA.

“And why we will continue to press in 2020 — through the products we build and the policies we advocate — for an Internet that gives people the privacy and security they deserve.”

What comes next? –– Hopefully more companies will elect this feature. In November, Microsoft announced it would expand its privacy rights throughout the U.S. In a company blog post, Microsoft stated: “more than 25 million people around the world – including over 10 million people in the U.S. – have used our privacy dashboard to understand and control their personal data.”

As privacy and data breaches implode the internet, giving users expanded rights and control over their data is exactly the remedy we need.