Firefox 14 encrypts Google searches for user privacy

Mozilla has shipped a security-centric Firefox makeover with a new feature to encrypt all Google searches by default.

The highlight of the new Firefox 14, now available for download, is HTTPS Google Search, a security feature that shields users from advertisers and snoops that gather data about users or modify and censure their search results.

“Encrypting our users’ searches is our next step into giving users better control over their data online. Enabling HTTPS for Google searches helps Firefox users maintain better control over who sees things they search for — queries that are often sensitive. We’re excited to see this improvement in our upcoming releases now that we, with Google’s help, have been able to provide our users a secure and responsive secure search,” Mozilla explained.

Google is currently the only search engine that allows Firefox to make your searches private but Mozilla says it plans to support additional search engines with this feature in the future.

In addition to HTTPS Google searches by default, Firefox 14 will make it easier to see a website’s verified identity by changing the way that the icon to the left of the URL is displayed.  This change is in direct response to phishing sites and mimic the padlock icon in Firefox.