Just like TCP / IP, IRC or HTTP (unencrypted version) connection protocols, FTP (file transfer protocol) is one of the archaic technologies that contributed to the creation of the internet today. But after decades they have become not only useless, being replaced by modern alternatives, but also a danger to the security of the devices that still support them.
In the age of cloud storage solutions, the FTP protocol is only rarely used by some sites created many years ago. So little that Mozilla has decided it’s time to remove it from the Firefox browser, even at the risk of damaging the operation of certain sites or extensions that still use it.
The FTP protocol was designed strictly to facilitate the transfer of files from one computer to another over a network, local or Internet. It is one of those parts of the Internet that preceded the Web and was not designed for today’s needs and dangers. Unlike modern cloud solutions, the FTP protocol does not support more advanced functions such as automatic synchronization of files between devices, optimization of download speeds by automatically selecting a faster server, pre-viewing files, etc.
The announced decision for the Firefox 88 version comes a year after Google took a similar measure for the Chrome browser. However, users who still need the FTP protocol can still enable it manually, but this option will also disappear starting with Firefox 90.
