Firefox’s address bar now has advertisements, but you can turn them off

Mozilla introduced a new suggested search result feature in the Firefox address bar as part of its browser version 93.0. This is not too surprising – Firefox Suggest, Mozilla’s feature to “display relevant information and sites to help you achieve your goals”, is similar to the suggestions offered by most browsers. But as Geek user manual Spotted on the company’s support pages, it also includes content from paid advertisers.

“When contextual suggestions are enabled, Firefox Suggest uses your city location and search keywords to make contextual suggestions from Firefox and our partners, while keeping your privacy in mind,” reads. on in the assistance message. “Relevant suggestions” from “trusted partners” appear at the bottom of the usual search suggestions pulled from your bookmarks, browser history, and open tabs – a less intrusive version of a search ad, but technically still a announcement.

Image: Mozilla

According to the support page, Firefox Suggest does not require that new data be “collected, stored or shared to make these new recommendations,” and the company only works with partners who adhere to Mozilla’s privacy standards to Firefox. The feature has also been released since at least the previous version 92.0, although it first appeared in the release notes for the current version.

Image: Mozilla

After updating to the latest browser version, Firefox may present you with a pop-up window asking if you want to enable “pop-up suggestions” or adjust your settings. If you’ve accidentally turned on any of Firefox Suggest’s features without realizing it, you can always turn them off:

• Click on the hamburger menu then select Settings
• Click on Privacy & Security in the sidebar and scroll down to the address bar – Firefox Suggest
• Check or uncheck the box for pop-up suggestions to turn the feature on or off
• Check or uncheck the “occasional sponsored suggestions” box

It’s a bit disappointing to have to deal with a feature like this. Firefox is a popular alternative to browsers like Google Chrome because it is stricter on user privacy and generally less data intensive. If you trust Mozilla and want to support it, Firefox Suggest might not be a big deal. This isn’t the first time the company has dabbled in advertising, either – in 2018 Mozilla incorporated paid advertiser links and Pocket article reading suggestions into new tabs.