Hasta La Gadget!

Mozilla’s privacy services might be more compelling if you were previously on the fence. The company now offers its virtual private network (VPN) and Firefox Relay Premium together in a $7 per month bundle when you pay for an annual subscription. Given that the VPN normally costs $5 per month (on a similar yearly basis) by itself, this may be a solid choice if you want more than the fundamentals.

The VPN secures traffic for up to five devices, with servers in over 30 countries, no logging and perks like “multi-hop” access that uses more than one server to further protect your connection. However, Firefox Relay may be more intriguing. You get both email aliases to hide your real accounts as well as phone number masking to prevent your digits reaching spammers and hackers. You might not worry so much that signing up for a service will eventually lead to a privacy breach.

Firefox Relay isn’t necessarily for everyone. Email sizes are still capped at 10MB, and you’ll want a Chrome extension if you aren’t using the Firefox browser. We’d add that some privacy services may represent better values depending on what you’re looking for. Apple offers email aliases and connection relays if you’re part of its ecosystem, while Google bundles its VPN with cloud storage and other perks. At this price, though, Mozilla’s services may well be viable if you’re looking to remain more platform-independent.

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The Federal Communications Commission didn’t take long to start isolating voice providers that don’t do enough to block robocalls. The regulator has cut off provider Global UC from other networks after allegedly failed to meet requirements for protecting against scam robocalls. Now that the company is no longer in the Robocall Mitigation Database, other carriers (including intermediaries) will have to stop accepting its traffic.

The FCC said in October that it planned to cut off Global UC and six other firms that didn’t share their anti-robocall strategies despite warnings. The Commission required that all US-based carriers with IP-based networks use STIR/SHAKEN anti-spoofing measures by the end of June 2021, and told providers to start blocking companies outside of the Robocall Mitigation Database after September 28th of that year.

It’s not certain when other offenders might face punishment. However, the FCC said it was still reviewing responses from firms that had been asked to show their strategies for limiting robocalls. Those that can provide concrete plans should avoid cutoffs.

The crackdown isn’t guaranteed to reduce the volume of robocalls, particularly those originating outside the US. Even so, the FCC clearly hopes Global UC’s fate will send a message to American companies hoping to skirt the rules. If they don’t take action, they risk losing business as customers are forced to head elsewhere.