Mozilla partners with Google, Microsoft and many others to protect Internet users

Mozilla partners with Google, Microsoft and many others to protect Internet users

Mozilla has announced that it will work together with Google, Microsoft and Apple to help protect the privacy of Internet users in Kazakhstan. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across the country recently informed their customers that they should install a government-issued root certificate on all their devices in order to continue accessing Internet services. However, when a user installs the certificate, they choose to trust a certificate authority (CA) that allows the government to intercept and decrypt network communications sent from their web browser. If that sounds familiar, it's because ISPs in Kazakhstan tried the exact same thing last year, and at the time, the maker of Firefox said the move directly contradicts Principle 4 of Mozilla's manifesto which states: "Security and privacy of people on the Internet are fundamental. and should not be considered optional.”

Block Kazakhstan root certificate

To protect the privacy of Internet users in Kazakhstan, Mozilla, Apple, Google, and Microsoft have agreed to block the use of the government root CA certificate in their respective browsers. This means that Firefox will not trust the certificate, even if a user has it installed on their devices. When trying to access a website that responds with the certificate, Firefox users will now see an error message stating that the certificate should not be trusted. In a new blog post explaining its certificate policy, Mozilla urged users in Kazakhstan to look to VPN services or Tor Browser for unrestricted web access. The company also encouraged users who installed the government root certificate to remove it from their devices and immediately change their online account passwords. This can be easily done using Firefox's built-in password manager.