Virtual private networks provide privacy protections that obscure your internet activity from prying eyes, but they also offer the opportunity to access content you might not normally get from your home IP address. With that virtual tourism in mind, Firefox filled a gap earlier this month in what has otherwise been a popular new free VPN service -- letting customers choose from among servers in different regions around the world.

With its Firefox 151 update -- that is, the 151st version of the browser, which debuted in 2004 -- you can now select a server from any of the several countries where Firefox's owner, California-based Mozilla, has launched VPN support. The list includes the US, the UK, Canada, France and Germany. If you go with its recommended setting, Firefox will automatically choose the server closest to your location.

The most popular VPN providers have servers in many more countries around the world, including Proton VPN (145 countries), NordVPN (135), ExpressVPN (105) and Surfshark (100). In the announcement this week, Firefox said it would be adding servers in more countries.

Logging into servers in different countries is one of several reasons why people use VPNs. If, for instance, you live in the US but log into a VPN server in Germany, you can avoid geo-restrictions. Perhaps a German TV station or streaming channel only allows people living in Germany to watch, or shows something for free that costs money in the US. By joining a server in Germany, your IP address will indicate that you're there, even though you really aren't, allowing you to fool media providers into letting you watch their content.

Firefox said that more than 1 million people have signed up to use its free VPN, which launched in March. That early response shows that customers want VPN protections that are "built in and easy to use," a Mozilla spokesperson told CNET.

People can "turn on IP protection directly in the browser with a single click," the spokesperson said, adding that Mozilla's free VPN offering "doesn't rely on selling browsing data or injecting ads into traffic."

Free has its limitations

Despite the early popularity of Firefox's free VPN, CNET currently only recommends one free VPN service -- Proton VPN's free tier plan. We found that, despite Proton's limited server array, the service "doesn't restrict your monthly usage, sell your data or bombard you with ads."

Surfshark estimates that 33% of internet users worldwide use a VPN, and that half of those people use a free one. But you should be aware that free VPNs can be very risky to use. Some have weak encryption, might log your activity, collect your data or could unintentionally introduce malware, among other issues.

Read more: I Took Amnezia for a Spin. Now I See the Appeal of VPNs

Firefox's VPN has a monthly data limit of 50GB per month. For an idea of average usage load, streaming a movie can use up about 1GB per hour in standard definition and up to 3GB per hour in high definition. Streaming music can range from 30MB to 150MB per hour, depending on audio quality. (1,000MB is equal to 1GB.)

To get the Firefox VPN, you need to install Firefox on your computer or mobile device. Then, while using Firefox, click the VPN button at the top-right of the toolbar. Next, click Get started and sign in to your Mozilla account or create one. After sign-in, click Turn on protection to activate the VPN.

The Firefox VPN can run on operating systems including Windows 10/11, MacOS, Linux, Android and iOS (including iPadOS).

Shake, shake, shake

Besides adding more VPN servers, the Firefox 151 update added new controls for iOS and Android mobile users. You can now use features such as translations, voice search and Shake to Summarize, depending on your device and region.

Shake to Summarize, which Time magazine designated as a special mention in its list of the best inventions of 2025, will summarize a web page when you shake your phone. The feature was available only on iOS when it launched in September, but this week's 151 update adds it to Android devices.

Shake to Summarize is available in English for Android users, with more languages coming. For iOS customers, the feature is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese.