alt.hn

3/19/2026 at 3:31:01 AM

Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

 https://cyberinsider.com/mozilla-to-launch-free-built-in-vpn-in-upcoming-firefox-149/

by adrianwaj

3/19/2026 at 4:15:51 AM

As a Firefox user: if I want a VPN I'll use an actual VPN. Focus on making a great browser, and not all this distraction.

Also, "free": "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

by userbinator

3/19/2026 at 6:16:12 AM

> "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

This is such a un-nuanced take.

In this case Firefox's route-to-market is the product. It's a distribution channel where some people who receive the free version will upgrade.

Free tiers for products where some will pay to upgrade seems like a reasonable compromise, but it does depend on how the deal is structured.

If Mullvad pays Firefox for the free users then Firefox's incentives are aligned with its users.

If Mullvad pays per conversion then it's a different story.

by nl

3/19/2026 at 7:22:28 AM

I doubt Mullvad would be doing this if they weren't getting compensated given they've always said (even right now[1]) they don't offer a free tier since they don't believe it makes sense.

The other aspect is I expect it would stain the IP pool further. VPN IPs often end up on various blacklists due to abuse and introducing a wave of free users would only make it worse for paying customers.

[1] https://mullvad.net/en/pricing

> Why no free plan? "Free" services nearly always come at some cost, whether that be the time you spend watching an intro ad, the collection of your data, or by limiting the functionality of the service. We don't operate that way – at all.

by Springtime

3/19/2026 at 10:18:54 AM

It's already pretty bad for mullvad. 3/4 of the websites I visit do bot checks it used to just be a few.

by pydry

3/19/2026 at 3:46:36 PM

I get that without any vpn in 2026. In fact theres been times I’ve been locked out, returned my user agent and ip and asked to email a webmaster to prove I am human. I guess because I use firefox.

by kjkjadksj

3/19/2026 at 10:39:27 AM

That's true. Definitely getting worse.

by ekianjo

3/19/2026 at 1:25:34 PM

It's mainly because nearly all VPN providers all use the same shady providers - M247, xtom, fdc, datapacket etc.. Most CDN setups will "challenge" those ASNs.

People think Mullvad is special but it's same shit as all the others in most cities/markets, I wish they would use some of their big ad money spend to deleverage from these typical dodgy scam hosting ASNs.

by cffan2

3/19/2026 at 8:39:20 AM

"Firefox’s free VPN won’t be using Mullvad’s infra though; it’s hosted on Mozilla servers around the world (if beta testing of the feature done in late 2025 tracks)."

From OMG Ubuntu

by darkwater

3/19/2026 at 1:14:59 PM

What makes me not want to use it is I assume Mozilla has a legal presence all around the world.

Two huge reasons people use VPNs is piracy and saying things/accessing content that's not legal in their country. If that company has a legal presence in your country, then they'll hand over that data to the police should you criticize the wrong person or download a movie without permission. At which point a VPN becomes kind of pointless.

by kdheiwns

3/19/2026 at 1:43:23 PM

The only time i use a VPN is when i'm traveling and I don't trust "free coffee shop wifi"

I probably won't use Mozilla's offering, because i want any VPN to cover the whole system, not just the browser (correct me if i've made a bad assumption here)

by bigfishrunning

3/19/2026 at 6:57:57 PM

It depends on whether the company keeps records or not. They can't turn over records they don't have.

by amanaplanacanal

3/20/2026 at 12:26:16 AM

how is that any different from any other VPN provider?

by em-bee

3/19/2026 at 9:56:01 AM

>This is such a un-nuanced take.

I agree in principle, but we interact with hundreds of companies per day. Which ones are honest and which ones are taking advantage of us? I really don't have the cycles to run it all down, and keep up with it over time. Perhaps Firefox VPN will be totally private initially and then violate privacy 2 years in? Would I ever know? Maybe? I need to err on the side of caution for a lot of these decisions because so many companies are bad actors. I'm sure I don't always err correctly, but I don't have better options.

by everdrive

3/19/2026 at 12:21:11 PM

Firefox already had a rebadged Mullvad VPN service. I thought about switching but I found it had way fewer payment options and the log policy did not look encouraging when I read it. Made it sound like not only did it keep some kind of connection logs but that they'd cough them up pretty easily. Maybe their policy has changed but it did not seem to be a compelling offering.

by deltoidmaximus

3/19/2026 at 12:53:09 PM

True but you chose to post in the comment section of a news story, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for more nuance than for something you see randomly in the wild.

by some_random

3/19/2026 at 2:15:19 PM

And your point, HN would probably actually notify me if Mozilla became (more) evil. I'm just making a general point. Is my hardware store selling my information every time I enter it now that they have camera everywhere? I don't have a good way to audit it. Even if I did, I'd be failing to audit what some other evil company is doing.

by everdrive

3/19/2026 at 9:35:48 AM

> This is such a un-nuanced take.

It's still correct though. In this context Mozilla uses the firefox-users as their test and demo base. At the end is commercial benefit.

And I think the core criticism still applies. Mozilla gave up on the browser years ago, let's be honest. It may be interesting from a historic point of view to find out how, when and why, but meanwhile the rest of the world has moved on already, so ...

by shevy-java

3/19/2026 at 12:02:19 PM

>Mozilla gave up on the browser years ago, let's be honest.

They push million lines of new code every year, push thousands of patches, and regularly achieve performance measurable performance boosts to Webrender, the JavaScript and CSS rendering engines, on rapid release cycles that have improved speed and memory usage.

There are a lot of criticisms leveled at Mozilla some fair some unfair, but the amount of work poured into the browser is so extensively documented that there's no excuse for not knowing.

by glenstein

3/19/2026 at 10:15:44 AM

It’s not correct. ‘You are the product’ implies some aspect of you -your activity or data is being sold.

In this case, you stent being sold. They are providing a limited free version and hoping you upgrade.

by Angostura

3/20/2026 at 2:12:04 AM

Just facts:

- June 2024. Mozilla acquires Anonym, an ad metrics firm.

- July 2024. Mozilla adds Privacy-Preserving Attribution (PPA), feature is enabled by default. Developed in cooperation with Meta (Facebook).

- Feb 2025. Mozilla updates its Privacy FAQ and TOS. "does not sell data about you." becomes "... in the way that most people think about it".

- Oct 2025. Sponsored “Privacy-Focused Direct Results” added to address bar. Not yet exposed in Settings UI.

- Dec 2025. Privacy Notice updated to formalize on-device ad processing and content personalization on New Tab. New Tab is actively marketed to advertisers as a native ad surface.

by nuker

3/19/2026 at 12:05:03 PM

This feature actually sounds like something that is aligned to Mozilla's mission of an open internet (paraphrasing).

Now, from where this cost is going to be recouped, how seamless the integration will be (in-browser translation is useful but the UX is not good enough), or if their VPN exit points aren't flagged to death as bad IPs; will remain to be seen.

The other thing about this feature, is that it will prove interesting in France and the UK; where it could be seen as a circumvention technique of the currently in place age restriction laws. And at the very least, it will bring those topics back into discussion.

by mhitza

3/19/2026 at 12:17:24 PM

Uk gov already talking about age verification (my read: identify verification) for VPN services. Grim. I'm guessing they'd block Firefox if they don't comply.

by pipes

3/19/2026 at 12:22:03 PM

> (my read: identify verification)

My read: Identity theft

by LoganDark

3/19/2026 at 10:41:44 AM

I'd love to have a free VPN directly integrated into the browser, it's not a distraction. It's a developer tool for website developers.

by Nathanba

3/19/2026 at 5:28:07 PM

Vivaldi integrates Proton VPN into theirs. I think it's pretty useful.

by alternatex

3/19/2026 at 10:49:28 AM

It's a distraction.

by snarf_br

3/19/2026 at 1:51:43 PM

it's nice but i don't see why it has to be made and ran by the browser maker itself

by 1317

3/19/2026 at 4:44:26 AM

Mozilla only makes the integration between the browser and the VPN, not the VPN network itself - Mozilla VPN is white label Mullvad.

by piperswe

3/19/2026 at 5:10:12 AM

That's an existing product that may or may not be related. Unless you know something the article doesn't?

by Dylan16807

3/19/2026 at 8:56:21 AM

Do you live in 2010? Whether you pay for a service or not is irrelevant to selling your data nowadays.

by sunaookami

3/19/2026 at 7:46:42 AM 

  Also, "free": "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"
HN is "free" too. :)

by aurareturn

3/19/2026 at 10:27:22 AM

> > Also, "free": "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

> HN is "free" too. :)

Indeed: you deliver valuable information about market trends, market sentiments, technology, ... to SV startups and investors.

Additionally, Hacker News is basically a marketing expense of YC.

by aleph_minus_one

3/19/2026 at 11:51:16 AM

Well pointed. Sometimes being the "product" is not a bad thing.

by Xunjin

3/19/2026 at 12:35:27 PM

It's all about: do you derive an appropriate value for yourself from being the product?

For example, when you use the Google search engine, you are the product (Google's customers are advertisers). I hope you derive sufficient (average) value from each Google search so that you consider this to be worth it.

by aleph_minus_one

3/19/2026 at 1:56:39 PM

For a lot of people I think it's increasingly not worth it. Not only do we never click on ads, but results are getting worse, and often a (local) LLM can answer a large percentage of our questions faster and more privately.

by ranger_danger

3/19/2026 at 12:41:37 PM

And crowd sourced think tank.

by Bender

3/19/2026 at 1:45:42 PM

Eh, a think tank usually has some kind of minimum requirements, such as education or industry experience. The usefulness of hackernews lies in "farming the opinions of the kind of dork that hangs out on hackernews" -- this is useful data, but "crowd sourced think tank" is trumping it up a bit i think

by bigfishrunning

3/19/2026 at 4:38:06 PM

Eh, a think tank usually has some kind of minimum requirements

When paid for, I agree that is absolutely true.

When nearly free, thanks to team Daniel it's an input that can be weighted against paid options. The free but large crowd may have thought of things that paid think tank members members holding doctorates may not have. Great ideas are missed all the time and most often until it is too late. There may only be a few golden eggs and many bad eggs but there are quicker ways to sort that out nowadays without an Eggdicator and Oompa Loompas though I do miss the songs. One golden egg could pay for the entire cost of the staff running HN for a decade.

by Bender

3/19/2026 at 7:50:05 AM

At least free to data mine by everyone (as far as I know).

by mentalgear

3/19/2026 at 9:47:23 AM

that isn't the gotcha you think it is.

Y combinator absolutely profits from encouraging group think and positive attitudes about things they're involved in.

How else would you get a large part of the tech world to somehow believe that suckling on the teat of Venture capital until that elusive "exit" is the holy grail of business models?

by stephenr

3/20/2026 at 7:49:46 AM

Regardless of how you think HN makes the service free, I'm pointing out to the OP that he is using a service that is free and he is the product. It seems like he is ok with this concept. So why wouldn't he be ok with he Mozilla free VPN concept.

by aurareturn

3/20/2026 at 10:05:35 AM

How you are "valuable" as the product is absolutely a relevant distinction to make.

When the valuable part is data collection, you don't get a choice in how your user data is sold.

When the valuable part is influencing opinions, you do get a choice in what you believe.

by stephenr

3/19/2026 at 5:15:33 AM

> "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

This must apply to Firefox itself, right?

by crummy

3/19/2026 at 5:33:46 AM

of course it does.

Why do you think google buys the rights to firefox's search bar (as a default setting)?

by chii

3/19/2026 at 10:17:40 AM

And by extension, all users of FOSS must be the product, right?

by Angostura

3/19/2026 at 10:42:19 AM

I see it more like a question than a rule.

"The service is free. Am I the product?"

That is a valid thing to ask. Even with FOSS sometimes.

Some FOSS projects are backed by companies, then yes, plausible to ask.

Otherwise, I would answer with a clear no.

(Projects can still collect telemetry and other data and sell that, though the sell part should be very rare, imo...)

Edit: Was that a bad faith argument or a honest question?

Sometimes I can't tell, maybe because of old or ESL...

by fivetomidnight

3/19/2026 at 12:48:37 PM

When you use a FOSS product more, the person that wrote the code doesn't end up spending more money. When you use a free service more, someone is paying for that usage and resources.

by gkbrk

3/19/2026 at 12:43:46 PM

And by extension, all users of FOSS must be the product, right?

Crowd sourced Development and Quality Assurance for something multiple companies, governments and the military are using.

by Bender

3/19/2026 at 10:45:11 AM

> all users of FOSS must be the product, right?

i would default to this being the truth, until demonstrated otherwise. Call it cynical, but it's the cynical that survive.

by chii

3/19/2026 at 6:53:13 AM

That's not remotely the same? A default setting that can easily be changed for a feature the vendor didn't have a solution for?

To give you an example. Try to use Google Search without sending your data to Google. You cannot use the product without it, you cannot opt out. Firefox, you can use just fine with Google not being your search engine.

by hvb2

3/19/2026 at 7:00:10 AM

Why isn't it the same? The fact that it is possible to change that default means google simply pays less for it than they otherwise would if it wasn't changeable.

It's not a binary toggle - firefox is selling you as a source of revenue for themselves. They're just not making it as extreme as it is possible to be - in the hopes that you don't switch away.

You can compare same situation with safari in iOS. Except google pays a lot more, since you cannot switch away in iOS as easily, and culturally there's more reluctance compared to firefox users. This makes google pay more for iOS traffic, as those users are worth more.

by chii

3/19/2026 at 12:05:48 PM

The problem is that this is equivocating between "selling your data" and setting Google as the default search. The former implies Firefox is harvesting your telemetry and personally identifying you and selling it off to the highest bidder. The latter is setting Google search as an optional default, where any telemetry is part of customary interactions with Google search rather than anything specific that Firefox is doing.

The sense in which you are the product on Firefox is that they want to maintain a large enough user base that search licensing is valuable enough to sell to Google.

by glenstein

3/19/2026 at 7:54:36 PM

> Why isn't it the same? The fact that it is possible to change that default means google simply pays less for it than they otherwise would if it wasn't changeable.

Because I can change that default and still use the thing. That's how it's very different.

Typically when people say that when something is free you are the product. They mean that it's free because your data is being sold, implying that without telemetry it wouldn't be free. That's not the case here as far as I know

by hvb2

3/19/2026 at 7:55:27 AM

It isn't the same, but it's comparable.

Google is paying Mozilla to be the default search engine. Google is only paying Mozilla because Firefox has users, regardless if they use the default search engine or not. So, indirectly everyone is the 'product'.

I'm sure if 95% of people did swap to ddg, then google may change their mind.

Also I believe there is the possibility Google also pays Mozilla to offer competition so Chrome isn't considered a monopoly (but maybe Edge has changed that to some extent?)

by Incipient

3/19/2026 at 7:52:24 AM

Don’t they buy the search bar to have another competitor and not get forced to give away chrome for antitrust reasons? I don’t think they care about the search bar THAT much, it’s basically a donation right?

by echoangle

3/19/2026 at 7:56:08 AM

> for antitrust reasons?

well, a benefit is a benefit. It doesn't really matter how it manifests does it? It's not a donation, as it is not altruistic.

by chii

3/19/2026 at 7:58:05 AM

But then I’m not the product? The government is basically forcing google to pay my browser developer, how does that make me the product it is bad for me?

by echoangle

3/19/2026 at 8:03:39 AM

You are still "the product" even if google derives secondary benefits - because you are using firefox. Google doesn't pay the other forks of firefox money (at least, as far as i know). It's because you aren't using those browsers (you as in the royal you).

I didn't say you being a product is bad - but it does not align customer with software company. You may be OK with being sold as a product to google, as this relationship currently isn't damaging. But what if a future offer which would damage you is taken by mozilla because it's profitable?

by chii

3/19/2026 at 10:30:10 AM

Browser integration means one does not need to enable the VPN system-wide as do most VPN applications. Useful if you want to switch region quickly without the OS and many apps now thinking you're in a different country and starting behaving as such.

by Krssst

3/19/2026 at 11:15:52 AM

Could be useful to quick check simple things such i18n or default behavior of a website. But for actual use, I will wait for the technical "trade-offs" as mentioned in the article.

by Poudlardo

3/19/2026 at 8:49:06 AM

I think a VPN is a great add-on for Firefox and way for Mozilla to monetize itself, but I'm surprised it's free. Perhaps it's a free trial like Proton?

by gzread

3/19/2026 at 10:18:20 AM

Proton also has a free tier.

by freehorse

3/19/2026 at 5:22:18 PM

Now we're the product whether we pay for something or not.

by grounder

3/19/2026 at 9:35:39 AM

Can we go back to making all this garbage, I don’t know, a browser extension or something?

All of this crap that everyone keeps pulling into their browsers needs to be ripped back out and made a plugin or an extension. Stop shoving it in the core damn browser. I didn’t need the waste of space and I’m never going to touch it.

by kotaKat

3/19/2026 at 9:55:53 AM

Why would a VPN be a good browser extension?

by philipallstar

3/19/2026 at 11:22:36 AM

Convenience. I also don't mind it in the browser as it would not really add much complexity. Some lines of code at most? VPN's do not require complex client logic - they require actual servers that reroute the user traffic - that is the expensive part.

And for many non technical users that is very useful, if they can get that with a click. To get geoblocked content, etc.

Mozilla has done way worse things, much more distracting from their core mission - building a browser that people want to use and trust.

by lukan

3/19/2026 at 10:30:36 AM

Why does the VPN need to be integrated into the browser itself?

by kotaKat

3/19/2026 at 10:55:06 AM

I don't think it should. You think it should be a browser extension. I don't think it should either be integrated or a browser extension.

by philipallstar

3/19/2026 at 11:27:42 AM

I think we can interpret "browser extension" as a catch-all for "not directly built into the browser", in whatever form that takes.

by fortyseven

3/19/2026 at 12:12:56 PM

Quite frankly I don't think it should be either. I'm sick of browsers trying to sidestep my operating system's networking stack (be it forcing their own DNS implementations for 'security' or now this BS).

by kotaKat

3/19/2026 at 2:00:08 PM

There are other usecases that don't affect you which are very handy for others, such as testing site access from different countries with per-tab geo settings from a VPN extension.

by ranger_danger

3/19/2026 at 11:51:57 AM

Why is this always upvoted to the top? You realize that if they focus on only making a browser they'll run out of money?

by 2OEH8eoCRo0

3/19/2026 at 7:25:35 AM

Are you the product for Firefox too?

VPNs are no longer optional for the current internet. This is as controversial as Firefox speaking ftp.

by noosphr

3/19/2026 at 9:56:26 AM

Speaking ftp is a dev cost, not an ongoing infrastructure cost.

by philipallstar

3/19/2026 at 7:30:59 AM

Yes?

I mean it's very provable that they sell access to your data and your eyeballs other companies.

by nhinck3

3/19/2026 at 4:06:13 AM

I often use Opera browser's free proxy they offer for basic browsing or blocked sites. They advertise it as a free VPN but it's merely a proxy. As far as I know, it's unlimited traffic and you can choose the region it connects to.

Edge also has some Microsoft VPN with a very small amount of bandwidth for the free tier.

I'm fine with this kind of stuff as long as people are aware it doesn't offer the same connectivity as a full paid VPN.

by pogue

3/19/2026 at 5:11:44 AM

> They advertise it as a free VPN but it's merely a proxy.

What's the difference when you're accessing it through a browser?

> I'm fine with this kind of stuff as long as people are aware it doesn't offer the same connectivity as a full paid VPN.

Are you talking about it not reaching out and affecting other programs, or is there a restriction within the browser?

by Dylan16807

3/19/2026 at 6:09:29 AM

In the Firefox case, no difference. It doesn’t encrypt traffic from your device outside of Firefox but for whatever you do inside of Firefox it’s == VPN.

by corranh

3/19/2026 at 6:34:40 AM

In Opera, with their "VPN" it only affects traffic within the browser and it sounds like that's the same thing Firefox will offer.

A proxy isn't as secure as a full VPN. I had previously read a really good article on it but I hunted and hunted but couldn't find it.

This explains it well enough though:

https://www.quora.com/Is-Opera-browser-with-built-in-VPN-a-g...

However, reading the write up from Opera it's actually pretty decent tech that they've had audited by a third party and the whole nine:

Why browsing with Opera’s VPN is safer https://blogs.opera.com/security/2025/07/opera-vpn-is-safe/

Hopefully no one will start with the whole "they're Chinese owned" argument. If anybody is still on that whole trip, see this (and go watch SomeOrdinaryGamer's video on the subject) but in short it's really nothing to worry about.

Debunking misinformation about Opera’s browsers https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/07/debunking-spyware-m...

by pogue

3/19/2026 at 6:44:22 AM

> it only affects traffic within the browser

Yes because it's VPN for the browser. I can do the same kind of targeting with most VPN software. Applying it to specific programs doesn't make it stop being a VPN.

> This explains it well enough though:

Which answer? The dumb bot that contradicts itself? The first human answer says it is a VPN. Though that "cyber security expert" is also not someone I would trust since they seem to think AES 128 versus 256 is actually an important difference.

The first human "no" says it's not encrypted and I don't believe that for a second.

To say more about the bot answer, it basically repeats three times that only Opera traffic goes through the VPN as its main reason. And then it says it "doesn't offer split tunneling". Come on... The rest of the answer isn't much more grounded in reality.

by Dylan16807

3/19/2026 at 7:18:44 AM

Is an SSH jump server a VPN (or forwarding a port from another machine at VPN)? I'd suggest neither are because it's connection-based rather than setting up a network (with routing etc). Absent a network, it's a proxy (which can be used like some deployments of a VPN).

by aragilar

3/19/2026 at 8:15:18 AM

I see your point, but I think that might label many uses of wireguard in tailscale "not a VPN" because they use imaginary network devices that only exist inside the tailscale process. Saying that would feel very wrong. On the other hand if process internals can be the deciding factor, then optimizing the code one way or the other could change whether a system is "VPN" or "not a VPN" even though it looks exactly the same from the outside. That doesn't feel great either.

And do we even know if Opera uses internal network addresses for its "VPN"?

I think I'm willing to say that routing all internet traffic from a program through a tunnel can be called either a VPN or a proxy.

by Dylan16807

3/19/2026 at 8:50:57 AM

Really none of these VPNs are VPNs either since they don't establish a virtual private network. They are just tunnels for your internet access. Tailscale is actual VPN software. It simulates a private network.

by gzread

3/19/2026 at 11:36:27 AM

WireGuard is VPN software. Tailscale is WireGuard-as-a-service.

by Gormo

3/19/2026 at 5:54:24 AM

It comes down to encryption. Proxies aren’t usually encrypted, I don’t know what it does in opera or Firefox’s case.

by dyauspitr

3/19/2026 at 4:22:11 AM

I usually defend Mozilla with these things, but I'm a bit bearish on this. It's not like they're not relying on big partnerships already for their survival. I don't have a problem with free to long as there is a paid plan, which I don't see on their announcement page. I don't care who is running a free-only VPN is a huge red flag, and I am one of those people that recommends using VPN services instead of running your thing on a VPS or something.

What worries me is this will get adoption and they're start talking about profiting from it via "differential privacy"

Or, even worse for the web is a more realistic problem: Firefox is notoriously hard to manage in an enterprise fleet. Their biggest hurdle to marketshare is just that, chrome works well with windows, linux and mac a like and lends itself to management. I'm frequently fighting to be allowed to use Firefox already personally. This poses a direct threat to enterprise security policies. Anyone who bans random free vpns in their networks, now has to include Firefox to that list. And I don't need to mention how bad that is for the web given Google will effectively be the gatekeeper of the entire internet, even the tiny marketshare Mozilla has will be crushed. I wonder if in retrospect, this seemingly mundane feature would be the death-blow to the only alternative browser ecosystem.

by notepad0x90

3/19/2026 at 4:39:32 AM

Mozilla has offered paid VPN plans for over 5 years now. This is just adding a free tier to that.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/vpn/

by pavon

3/19/2026 at 12:42:41 PM

That's much better, but it is still a free VPN that bypasses network security measures. I can even imagine a threat actor deploying firefox for their command and control infra.

by notepad0x90

3/19/2026 at 5:06:41 PM

FWIW, we'll have a secure, enterprise version of Firefox available later this year.

by peterrojas

3/20/2026 at 7:53:33 PM

that would be amazing, without GPO or Intune manageability it's very hard to use in those environments.

Are you aware of Chrome Enterprise, it offers nice things like logging safe browsing hits, or TLS error page events (and when users navigate through one). it helps both IT and IT security manage their environment.

by notepad0x90

3/19/2026 at 3:11:30 PM

I self-host wireguard on a VPS for this exact reason. $5/mo and i know exactly what's running. the setup takes some effort but after that it's basically zero maintenance.

The bigger issue with browser VPNs for me is that they don't help against DPI at all. I'm in a country where the ISP fingerprints wireguard traffic and drops it - a browser VPN connecting to a known mullvad endpoint gets blocked just as fast. You need protocol-level obfuscation for that, which is a completely different problem.

by bivlked

3/19/2026 at 9:32:03 AM

I love the smell of bloatware in the morning

by pidgeon_lover

3/19/2026 at 5:47:47 AM

You know what would be actually cool and a transformative improvement? Mozilla to make an iOS port of Firefox and publish it in regions where Apple has been forced to allow it.

by isodev

3/19/2026 at 8:52:16 AM

Apple doesn't allow alternative browsers in those regions, it just does enough to convince the regulatory body that it allows them and the other browsers just don't want to for some reason.

by gzread

3/20/2026 at 10:26:17 AM

There used to be (is?) a Mozilla Web XR viewer app, which is a web browser with some experimental features enabled (tailored towards XR/VR as the name implies). Wonder if this is still Safari under the hood?

by thenthenthen

3/19/2026 at 8:48:29 AM

Wouldnt be suprised if they were working on it already

by Fizz43

3/19/2026 at 5:28:14 AM

As I understand it, it is just like in Opera. So a proxy not a VPN. I honestly find it distasteful that they may call it a VPN without it actually being one.

by looopTools

3/19/2026 at 5:53:34 AM

What makes a proxy a "VPN" again? Most popular "VPN" companies only offer a proxy that merely runs over a VPN protocol.

by m132

3/19/2026 at 6:08:55 AM

> Most popular "VPN" companies only offer a proxy that merely runs over a VPN protocol.

Well that doesn't seem true?

Mullvad, Proton, Private Internet Access, NordVPN, ExpressVPN etc are all VPNs. You can use them for whatever protocol you want.

by nl

3/19/2026 at 11:38:58 AM

Well, only some of them actually offer full VPN service. Most of them are still just traffic-forwarding proxies, just not limited to HTTP. NordVPN used to offer full VPN service under the name "Meshnet", but actually discontinued it last year.

by Gormo

3/19/2026 at 2:42:12 PM

[dead]

by snowwalker222

3/19/2026 at 6:22:05 AM

All of them offer only proxied access to the internet. They do not expose access to any "private network".

by tobz1000

3/19/2026 at 6:49:51 AM

Depends on the VPN, I remember Nord had a private p2p network that allowed users of their VPN service to communicate directly with each other without exposing their p2p services to the greater internet.

Granted, its been a lomg time since I used Nord, not sure if they still offer that service.

by DaSHacka

3/19/2026 at 6:34:51 AM

> You can use them for whatever protocol you want.

the two most commons protocols used for proxying traffic support arbitrary tcp traffic. socks is quite self explanatory but http is not limited to https either!

Of course most providers might block non https traffic by doing DPI or (more realistically) refusing to proxy ports other than 80/443 but nothing is inherent to the protocol.

edit: this is also mentioned on MDN: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Reference/...

> Aside from enabling secure access to websites behind proxies, a HTTP tunnel provides a way to allow traffic that would otherwise be restricted (SSH or FTP) over the HTTP(S) protocol.

> If you are running a proxy that supports CONNECT, restrict its use to a set of known ports or a configurable list of safe request targets

> A loosely-configured proxy may be abused to forward traffic such as SMTP to relay spam email, for example.

by ShowalkKama

3/19/2026 at 2:02:29 PM

IMO if it requires a new network interface to be created on the machine, then it's a VPN. But an application-level tunnel (such as SOCKS) would just be a proxy.

by ranger_danger

3/19/2026 at 6:01:55 AM

Because people understand VPN but not necessarily proxy. It's targeted to non-tech people.

by 7bit

3/19/2026 at 8:52:51 AM

A VPN as you refer to it isn't a VPN either. There's no private network that is virtualized. Actual VPN software is like Tailscale.

by gzread

3/19/2026 at 1:37:20 PM

From the perspective of the browser there is no difference.

by whalesalad

3/19/2026 at 5:41:21 AM

Is the proxy encrypted? If so then you might as well call it a VPN.

by dyauspitr

3/19/2026 at 6:13:26 AM

Why are they trying to sell a VPN in the countries where users barely need it?

by klntsky

3/19/2026 at 6:44:51 AM

https://www.pornhub.com/blog/age-verification-in-the-news

Over the past year, Pornhub had to make the difficult decision to block access to users in the following American states due to Age Verification laws:

    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    Florida
    Georgia
    Idaho
    Indiana
    Kansas
    Kentucky
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Nebraska
    North Carolina
    North Dakota
    Oklahoma
    South Carolina
    South Dakota
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Virginia
    Wyoming

by ShowalkKama

3/19/2026 at 7:13:31 AM

[flagged]

by yichk

3/19/2026 at 7:44:55 AM

Oh shove off with this Puritan attitude. First off, you're implying most of PornHub is rape. That'a ridiculous; no one is uploading videos of actual rape to PornHub.

Secondly, porn ≠ abuse. It's an actual industry and so obviously the treatment of women varies by company.

Simply put, if you don't like porn, DON'T WATCH IT. Don't try to shove your personal beliefs on everyoje else.

by encrypted_bird

3/19/2026 at 8:01:22 AM

[flagged]

by yichk

3/19/2026 at 8:08:33 AM

1. That's an opinion piece, not a piece of investigative journalism.

2. That's from 5 years ago; who knows if this is even still the case, even assuming it's as widespread as the opinion piece claims.

3. See my second point.

by encrypted_bird

3/20/2026 at 7:44:28 AM

For what it's worth, both the pieces are part of a smear campaign by an American far right Christian group called Exodus Cry.

Among other things, Benjamin Nolot who runs Exodus Cry is a holocaust denier

by JasonADrury

3/19/2026 at 8:21:32 AM

[flagged]

by yichk

3/19/2026 at 7:24:50 AM

Can gay men still watch porn, or should they feel bad too?

by JasonADrury

3/19/2026 at 7:40:17 AM

[flagged]

by yichk

3/19/2026 at 7:38:48 AM

I hate about full access to Reddit? Discord? Have you tried accessing the internet from a location with these laws in place?

by dawnerd

3/19/2026 at 8:49:24 AM

That feels weird to me as well. I get that they need to trial it, but United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom isn't really the countries I'd priorities for a free VPN.

I understand that a number of people in both the US and the UK is struggling right now and may not be able to affort a VPN, but their primary need is to avoid age restriction, while a large number countries are censoring the internet for political reasons. That latter seems more important to address.

by mrweasel

3/19/2026 at 8:58:02 AM

A VPN is more relevant than ever in Europe.

by sunaookami

3/19/2026 at 11:20:32 AM

OS age verification?

by trekkie99

3/19/2026 at 2:07:03 PM

> countries where users barely need it?

Why don't they need it? There is widespread corporate and government surveillance in those countries. Privacy is a major issue. What is your standard?

by mmooss

3/20/2026 at 12:56:06 AM

> the free tier will initially provide 50GB of monthly data Is it per machine or profile or ip address or something else? I switch from Firefox to Brave a few months ago because the markdown in aistudio.google.com is not displayed correctly in Firefox. I wonder if anybody has the same issue or that issue can be fixed.

by dxxvi

3/19/2026 at 5:35:06 AM

Do they name the service provider of this VPN or how it works? The official announcement is just as sparse on the details.

by prophesi

3/19/2026 at 7:03:37 PM

Firefox doing everything, but being a good browser.

by mdavid626

3/19/2026 at 2:31:22 PM

Who will be the first to write an extension (or utility) that allows this to be used as a general system proxy not limited to Firefox?

by xnx

3/19/2026 at 11:08:46 AM

I'm sure the UK government (which is against VPNs because they help people circumvent their Online Safety Act) will love them.

by cabalamat

3/19/2026 at 7:46:38 PM

Will our data be routed to Israel like every other vpn is required to do?

by asadm

3/19/2026 at 11:34:24 AM

This looks like it's just a traffic proxy, and isn't actually a full VPN.

by Gormo

3/19/2026 at 8:17:25 AM

The ability to nest proxy servers using TLS would be sufficient for me.

by ceving

3/19/2026 at 11:32:43 PM

We desperately need some AGI level AI to replace decision makers @ Firefox. Since the spanner that is between the cogs hinders progress big time, pig time.

by lofaszvanitt

3/19/2026 at 4:35:31 AM

Free VPN's are usually funded by agreeing to route some VPN traffic for other people though your own network. They basically work as mixers, randomizing traffic throughout the VPN population.

This can expose users to legal risks, but but can also add plausible deniability at the same time "it wasn't me, it was someone on VPN".

by ars

3/19/2026 at 7:41:35 AM

I’ve suspected that’s where these “ethical” (as they like to call it) residential proxy services get their access from. They’re really dodgy about it other than saying the people agree to it, which ya ok.

by dawnerd

3/19/2026 at 9:34:19 AM

That's useful, or? Does that work in all countries?

by shevy-java

3/19/2026 at 11:25:54 AM

Wait. A VPN in the browser? Isn’t the cat already out of the bag at that point?

by xtiansimon

3/19/2026 at 9:13:16 AM

Another Mozilla project to be discontinued in 18 months ...

by MikeDods

3/19/2026 at 4:28:01 AM

Where's the money for this VPN going to come from? The ads they insert into my home page or the CEO's inflated compensation?

by bobsmooth

3/19/2026 at 5:23:50 AM

Now, from the people who brought you Pocket.

Could they please stop integrating services into Firefox? Thank you.

by Animats

3/19/2026 at 5:25:55 AM

VPN is like SSL some time ago (and there were times when a browser would come without SSL, and you'd have to explicitly download it yourself) - it quickly becomes a basic necessity even in civilized societies, let alone say Russia, Iran and the likes.

by trhway

3/19/2026 at 7:37:26 AM

So you mean I can trust an American corporation that ships its software with telemetry on by default and has a history of data-mining its users more than my standard ISP? Ladybird(alpha) cannot come soon enough.

by spikewall

3/19/2026 at 6:52:53 AM

Tunneling all my traffic through someone else's machine is not the same as encrypting the communication between me and the destination website.

by DaSHacka

3/19/2026 at 9:52:06 AM

There's an oft repeated claim about "Modern Browsers are some of the most complex projects"

Yeah no shit, when you have browser vendors shipping features that have no place in browser, it's hardly surprising.

Why does a browser need screen sharing built in? Why does it need a vpn client?

You know there's a fucking operating system running under the browser that can run those things without worrying about how they impact on a fucking browser, right?

by stephenr

3/19/2026 at 9:54:10 AM

> Why does a browser need screen sharing built in?

Is that maybe used for video calls?

by Mashimo

3/19/2026 at 10:19:19 AM

Im not talking about an api. Im talking about an end user feature.

Or are you telling me that chrome has a fucking video call client built in as well?

by stephenr

3/19/2026 at 1:58:58 PM

Almost, it's about 50 lines of JS to setup a video call.

by megous

3/19/2026 at 9:54:02 AM

> Why does it need a vpn client?

Do think your web browser also should not have SOCKS and HTTP Proxy support? What about DNS-over-HTTPS?

by petcat

3/19/2026 at 10:18:14 AM

Proxies are protocol specific.

A vpn is a network layer tunnel. Does your browser also include its own built in ip stack? Maybe it should have its own window system.

DNS arguably would also be best left to the OS, yes.

by stephenr

3/19/2026 at 2:45:54 PM

It's not even "arguably" for me. Of course DNS should be left to the O/S otherwise I'm going to spend half my time diagnosing why the browser is going to the wrong destination.

by 6031769

3/19/2026 at 7:30:57 AM

These "official" privacy features tend to end up being hollow masquerades when the providers inevitably capitulate to other corporations and authoritarian countries.

Like Apple's iCloud Private Relay not working in China, UAE/Dubai etc. or letting Facebook and TikTok secretly track you across devices and reinstalls with their iCloud Keychain API

They WILL leak our shit to the highest bidder or the biggest stick

by Razengan

3/19/2026 at 4:38:35 PM

[dead]

by srdrm17

3/19/2026 at 12:33:46 PM

[dead]

by zeeshdev2887

3/19/2026 at 6:25:00 AM

[dead]

by HalawehMohann49

3/19/2026 at 8:31:57 AM

[dead]

by Good53139428015

3/19/2026 at 3:04:24 PM

[dead]

by AliEveryHour16

3/19/2026 at 7:55:16 AM

FireFox need to improve their integrations and offerings to be on par with Chrome at this stage. It, at times can be such a bainful browser to use and honestly I don't think a VPN is the next step. Improved account handling & switching would be huge.

by TRYEXCEPT

3/19/2026 at 8:06:25 AM

I'm not sure what you mean by account handling, but you can long-press the new tab, and you can choose a different profile (for example "work") which has a differently-colored tab. It's pretty great.

by bartvk

3/19/2026 at 5:32:17 AM

> Mozilla said the free tier will initially provide 50GB of monthly data to users in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Sadly no countries are mentioned where such VPN is really needed (due to strict internet censorship).

by Panzerschrek

3/19/2026 at 5:49:50 AM

With Ofcom I'd say the UK falls into that group nicely.

by russelg

3/19/2026 at 6:46:39 AM

At least now I'll be able to view all those broken Imgur links here in the UK.

by glitchcrab