Firefox multi-account containers require permissions to exchange messages with other programs
Firefox’s multi-account containers were updated to version 8.0.2 last week. If you’re using the Containers extension (and you really should), you may have noticed a warning about the latest update asking for new permissions.
Generally, I don’t like automatic updates, not for my browser, plugins, or even Windows. I prefer to read the changelog and decide if it is worth upgrading to the new version. So when I clicked the add-on update button in Firefox and saw that multi-account containers require new permissions, I thought it was normal. But I was surprised by the description of the Containers extension changes, it was a bit unusual to say the least. It said: ‘Exchange messages with programs other than Firefox. Check your browser’s proxy settings ».
Why does Firefox Multi-Account Containers require permission to exchange messages with other programs?
Wait, exchange messages with other programs? I think you need an explanation, right? Before we hit the panic button, let’s take a look at the situation. Clicking the More Info option takes you to a knowledge base article on the Mozilla site, which explains what permission request messages do in Firefox. That’s not what we’re looking for, but if you access the Release Notes section from your browser’s about: addons page, or the version history page in AMO, it will tell you what’s new. I think the popup should take users to the release notes, don’t you think?
This is what it says:
Added integration with Mozilla VPN – Mozilla VPN subscribers with multi-account containers can choose a different exit location for each of their containers
Added support for custom proxies – Users can set a custom proxy URL for each of their containers by going to: Manage Containers -> Advanced Proxy Settings
The new permissions are also mentioned in the plugin list on the AMO. The second part of the release notes explains why the Containers extension requires permissions to control proxy settings, it allows you to use a different proxy per container, which is great.
Now this is where I got a sense of déjà vu. Didn’t I read about this before? I did, Martin briefly mentioned it in his article on Firefox 94. In case you don’t know, Firefox has Containers functionality built in. The extension gives you more control, makes it easier to create and manage containers, and syncs them across devices.
Going back to the release notes, it mentions the Mozilla VPN integration. A recent discussion on GitHub explains what it does. Basically, the Firefox Containers extension will serve as a means for the browser to connect to the Mozilla VPN client, using the browser.runtime.connectNative()permission, to set a port for the VPN. It also helps to configure per-container proxy settings.
Yes, that’s what “Exchange messages with programs other than Firefox” means, it is used for the desktop client program for Mozilla VPN. Nice work not to confuse users, Mozilla. I guess this is kind of like Microsoft pushing Bing to users, I don’t like it, but it’s understandable from a marketing point of view.
There is an interesting discussion on reddit, where some people suggest that Mozilla should allow users to disable permissions for optional functions, that is, functions that we do not use. I think it would be quite useful, but it may not be easy to implement.
Do you use Mozilla VPN?
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