To clarify, Windows Parental Controls mode is not a Firefox feature. That's a Microsoft feature that comes on the Windows operating system, which is why you need a Microsoft account.

In theory, yes Microsoft can track certain usage when you are signed into a Microsoft account. In theory, they can also track the same information when you aren't signed in too.

Firefox does offer the ability to block/allow specific websites using the WebsiteFilter policy. However, that feature requires a little work to either setup Windows Group Policy (on certain Windows versions only) or a policies.json file.

There are also other add-ons that you can install to block websites. However, those are usually easier to remove or disable than the policy method I've mentioned above.

As you've already mentioned, the majority of the add-ons offered for Firefox are "not recommended extensions". All this means is that the add-on is not part of the Recommended Extensions program, so they aren't monitored as closely by Mozilla. That doesn't make the add-ons inherently bad though. Not every add-on qualifies to be part of the RE program and some developers opt not to join the program because the required review process means that updates can take a long time to get published.

Hopefully this answers your questions.

Thanks Wesley.

My understanding (after brief research yesterday) is that Firefox 'Prefer:Safe' (a good thing to have for my children) cannot be switched on without signing up to a Microsoft Account and using the Windows Parental Controls. I would like Firefox to implement Prefer:Safe without me having to sign up to Microsoft. Not sure if I'm missing something? :-)

I must admit I am finding it difficult to qualify loading addons into a browser for my children unless I can find some decent info on their provenance - as my understanding is they could have been written by anyone and checked by noone, if they are not 'Recommended' (which means they have been reviewed by Monzilla - who I trust).

I'm probably being super paranoid but it is surely a very trusting thing to do, to load a program onto my childs computer: I assume it could be doing anything once loaded...

Cheers.

Firefox Prefer:Safe only works when your operating system's Parental Controls are activated. Unfortunately, on Windows, that means you need to sign in, since that's the only way that Windows will allow you to enable Parental Controls.

To be honest, I think the main purpose of having Parental Controls connect to a parent's Microsoft account is so that you can manage the controls online without the child's device and so that the controls are hidden behind a password-protected account.

As for the add-ons, yeah, your logic is perfectly understandable. It's true that add-ons are made by anyone. However, Mozilla generally does a good job at quickly deleting ones that are not trustworthy. Additionally, there is a review process (both automated and human) when the add-on first gets added to the add-ons website and there's a review process (automated) for updates made after that.

Generally, you have to look pretty hard to find an add-on that isn't trustworthy. Typically speaking, if the add-on has a lot of users and a high rating, it's likely a trustworthy add-on.

If you still aren't comfortable using an add-on to control the websites that can be visited, the WebsiteFilter policy that I referenced in my previous reply works as well to block websites and it's a feature entirely built into Firefox.

Damn. So it is just not possible to implement Prefer:Safe in Firefox currently without implementing a Microsoft account first.

Why do you think Firefox doesn't have the Prefer:Safe as a setting in FireFox, maybe password protected?

Very annoying having to implement something else from another company to implement a FireFox feature.