Mozilla partners with Fastly and Divvi Up to enhance privacy in Firefox

Mozilla has announced collaborations with Fastly and Divvi Up, aiming to incorporate privacy-preserving technology in Firefox. The goal is to aggregate data for improved speed and reliability, while ensuring individual privacy. The approach involves the development of two technologies: Oblivious HTTP (OHTTP) and Prio-based Distributed Aggregation Protocol (DAP).

OHTTP routes encrypted data via an intermediary, masking its source. DAP/Prio, on the other hand, divides data into two shares, sending each to a different server. These technologies operate on a shared principle: data is processed jointly across two independent parties, thus preventing either from possessing enough information to disclose sensitive individual details.

For deployment, Mozilla requires collaboration with an independent, trustworthy organization. Fastly has been engaged to operate an OHTTP relay, while Divvi Up, backed by the nonprofit ISRG (also behind Let’s Encrypt), will operate a DAP aggregator. Both organizations are known for their integrity.