Firefox 148 adds AI kill switch and enhanced privacy controls
Firefox 148 includes a new "AI kill switch" feature that allows users to disable AI functionalities like chatbot prompts and AI-generated link summaries. Mozilla states that once AI features are turned off, future updates won't override this choice.
How to disable AI features
To disable AI features, navigate to Settings > AI Controls and toggle the 'Block AI Enhancements' option. This prevents in-app notifications about AI features and removes previously downloaded AI models from the device.
For selective blocking, users can maintain some AI functionalities while avoiding cloud-based services, such as keeping on-device translations.
Additional privacy controls
Firefox 148 offers more control over remote updates while minimizing data collection. Users can set these preferences under Settings > Privacy & Settings > Firefox Data Collection.
Technical enhancements
- Integration of Trusted Types API and Sanitizer API to combat cross-site scripting (XSS) issues
- Improved screen reader compatibility for mathematical formulas in PDFs
- Firefox Backup now available on Windows 10
- Translation capabilities added for Vietnamese and Traditional Chinese
- New tab wallpapers in container tabs
- Service worker support for WebGPU
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