Hi There is no difference in the way I proceeded to activate FIPS but Firefox issues a prompt now, which requires me to close the application. On my current Firefox I can't get FIPS activated anymore. I never had any such issue before, so I don't know what to do. Also I never used a VPN or plugins for that purpose. I don't think that they could be any possibly good security solution. Communications get spread over unknown routes accross borders, this increases web traffic, and according to forums it seems to make web surfing somewhat slower. To me FIPS looks pretty much the cleaner and safer solution, when I can activate it... We had enough dubious revelations about the way authorities and various third parties handle privacy and security. So I don't see any excuse for privacy breaches and those who still violate the constitution now. Many thanks for your help. Chris