Mozilla is launching a new service that scans the Internet for leaked personal data. You can also have it removed for a fee.

Data leaks happen again and again, with all the unpleasant consequences if you become involved as a victim. Personal information such as email addresses, names, phone numbers, and more can be compromised in the event of a data breach. This makes you particularly vulnerable to fraud and phishing attempts. Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, is trying to protect Internet users from the consequences of data leaks.

Mozilla Monitor Plus

The company announced the launch of Mozilla Monitor Plus, a paid extension to its free monitoring service. You can use Mozilla Monitor to check whether your email address has ever been leaked. On this basis, more sensitive information such as your name, home address and even your criminal history can also be determined for you should this ever be necessary. Mozilla is investigating 190 different websites selling such data. You can use the tool for free (as long as you create an account): you’ll get a scan, but Mozilla will continue to keep an eye on things afterward.

Because Internet users don’t know what to do when their email address is exposed, Mozilla is expanding this offering with Monitor Plus. You can also have Mozilla remove leaked data for 8.99 euros per month. The company will then submit deletion requests to the websites that sell your data. This can take seven to fourteen days and it won’t always be possible to have your data deleted, but Mozilla promises to The Verge that it will fight to the last breath for every Monitor Plus subscriber.

Mozilla focuses on privacy-friendly internet services and also offers a VPN and email masking for its web browser. Despite these efforts, the browser is increasingly losing ground to competitors Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari. The company recently spoke out sharply against Microsoft and Apple through the new iOS rules.