A new Firefox extension offers users a way to examine their digital habits, whether they are focused on tasks or simply accumulating tabs.
Developed as a personal productivity aid, Fox Recap originated as a capstone project by senior college students at California State University, Monterey Bay. This tool organizes browsing history, displays time spent on various websites, and converts this data into straightforward visual reports. All processing occurs locally on the user’s device, ensuring data privacy.
Related: Developer Spotlight: Fox Recap
How Fox Recap Functions
After downloading and launching the extension on Firefox for desktop, users navigate to settings to enable the ML engine. Browsing history can then be viewed for the current day, week, or month.
Fox Recap presents user activity through clear charts and categories such as technology, shopping, education, and entertainment.
Taimur Hasan, one of the student developers, stated that the tool helps users understand their browser usage. This insight could encourage reducing time spent on entertainment and increasing engagement with educational sites.
Kate Sawtell aimed to develop a tool that allows individuals to visualize their internet usage. She noted its utility in revealing actual online time allocation, distinguishing between research, streaming, or online shopping. Sawtell described it as a non-judgmental snapshot of habits, sometimes confirming productivity and other times suggesting a need to reduce shopping-related browsing.
Useful AI and Robust Privacy Can Coexist
Tarek Ziadé, a Firefox machine learning engineer, mentored the project. He observed the team’s rapid grasp of both the technical aspects of AI feature development and their privacy considerations.
Ziadé initially believed younger developers might overlook privacy, but he noted their immediate commitment to privacy-by-design principles.
Taimur clarified that the model was custom-trained by him using his personal gaming computer, rather than being an existing, off-the-shelf solution.
Ziadé considers the team’s creation indicative of the future direction for privacy-centric technology.
He emphasized that intelligence should be local by default, data minimized, and any off-device data transfer explicit and consented. Ziadé added that as AI capabilities become commonplace, trust will emerge as the key differentiator.
Ziadé suggested Mozilla should lead in this area by making high-quality, on-device AI standard and demonstrating the compatibility of useful AI with robust privacy.
Insights into the Next Generation of Web Developers
Diego Valdez, a team member, views the project’s value as both personal and practical, expressing hope that Fox Recap users will gain engaging insights into their browsing activity to enhance productivity.
Matt Cool, a Mozilla community manager, placed the project in a broader context, noting the current tech industry landscape as both challenging and promising. He highlighted that the next generation of open web developers is actively engaged in real-world projects, open-source contributions, and addressing critical issues for the web’s future, specifically mentioning efforts in Monterey.
Fox Recap was among several student projects featured at the recent Capstone Festival by Cal State Monterey Bay’s School of Computing and Design. Professor Bude Su, department chair, underscored the importance of mentorship in preparing students for their careers.
Professor Su noted that Mozilla’s participation significantly motivated the students, stating that the chance to work on a real-world project with industry mentorship proved invaluable for their learning and professional development.
This collaboration exemplifies the outcomes when education, mentorship, and Mozilla’s principles of openness and trust converge. Fox Recap not only aids in organizing browsing tabs but also signifies the emergence of developers creating user-respecting tools.
