Firefox Private Network: Mozilla is preparing to release the first public beta of its upcoming VPN service for Firefox in the coming weeks.
Mozilla developers began developing Firefox's virtual private network (VPN) in September 2019.The new service adds a proxy server to the browser. It's currently only available to users in the United States, and it's more like the VPN feature in the Opera browser, meaning it works like a proxy rather than a VPN.
Firefox VPN protects user data by encrypting it while hiding the true IP address of the connection. Mozilla has chosen Cloudflare as a partner for its service. Firefox users are connected to the nearest Cloudflare data center when they enable the virtual private network in their browser.
The first version released for the United States lacked enough features: there was no option to select servers by country to connect to and it didn't provide any information about the connection.
Mozilla revealed the next steps for the project in a new announcement on the official Firefox Private Network website:
One of the VPN packages available for Firefox will be free.
Those testing the beta versions will be automatically upgraded to the new versions of Firefox Private Network.
Beta testers will get 12 hours of Private Network in the form of four three-hour increments. So if you're on public Wi-Fi, and you turn on Private Network, it will run non-stop for three hours. Beta testers will get four three-hour increments at the beginning of each month.
We're almost ready to invite beta testers to try out Firefox Private Network protection. You can sign up for the waitlist. This beta will protect your entire device and offer the option to switch between servers in 39 countries.
The upcoming VPN service looks like it will work on the device just like any other VPN service, e.g. NordVPN or Private Internet Access.
Mozilla is revealing little in its announcement, with the only information it has provided being that it will have servers in 39 countries. The beta will be invitation-only and will begin in the coming weeks.
