Mozilla has integrated its email masking service Firefox Relay into its Firefox web browser. The tool will be available to everyone with a free Firefox account over the next couple of weeks, the company announced on Tuesday. It was previously accessible through an add-on.
Launched in 2020, Firefox Relay is a relatively new privacy tool from Mozilla. It lets you create aliases for your email address. You can create multiple aliases for a single email address and use them across apps and websites. Whether you need to create an account for a one-off use or just don’t want to put your original email address everywhere, this tool comes in handy in all those situations.
Since your original email address is not visible on those online platforms, it is safe from data breaches and other privacy risks. Moreover, all emails sent to those aliases are forwarded to your original inbox after removing trackers. This adds another layer of security to your online activities. Firefox Relay can also block promotional and junk emails. Other perks include masks on the go, anonymous replies, phone number masking, and VPN. Some of these features require a paid subscription, though.
Firefox Relay now comes integrated with the Firefox browser
Firefox users have been able to use Firefox Relay for free with an extension since its launch. Earlier this year, Mozilla added support for third-party Chromium-based browsers as well, including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. It then updated the extension to add a persistent shortcut to the too. It appears on every website and lets you create email aliases whenever you want.
However, all this while, Mozilla didn’t bake Firebox Relay right into its browser. It is finally doing that. The email masking service now comes built-in with the Firebox browser. The integration isn’t yet live on the few Firefox accounts we checked, but it should just be a matter of time. As said before, the company expects to push the tool to millions of Firefox users globally within the next few weeks.
Mozilla has always taken pride in creating privacy-first products. “Wherever you go online, Mozilla’s trusted products and services can help you feel safer knowing that you have privacy protection for your everyday online life,” the company said in a press release. Firefox Relay is certainly something that can go a long way in protecting your online privacy. You can learn more about the tool here.