The automatic encryption of searches sent to Google, however, does not prevent Google from disabling the protection when users click advertisements on the ensuing search results page, noted search expert Danny Sullivan, who operates the website.

Enable Click-to-Play in Firefox 14, and you must approve plug-ins, such as Java or Flash, before they're allowed to run. In this example from the New York Times site, the plug-in content is defined by the large gray box in the middle of the page.

Click-to-play, which has been in development for several months, remains off by default in Firefox 14. To turn it on, users must enter "about:config" in the browser's address bar, click the "I'll be careful, I promise" button, then search the configuration file for the phrase "plugins.click_to_play" and finally double-click that item to change the value from "false" to "true."

According to Web analytics company Net Application, Firefox users accounted for 20.1% of all those who went online last month, a slight uptick from the record low of 19.7% the month before. Irish measurement firm StatCounter, meanwhile, pegged Firefox's global share in June at 24.6%, a full percentage point lower than in May.

Windows, Mac and Linux editions of can be downloaded manually from Mozilla's site. Installed copies will be upgraded automatically.