Firefox created by Netscape in 1998 before their acquisition by AOL. Firefox usage grew to a peak of 32% at the end of 2009, temporarily making version 3.5 the world's most popular browser. Usage then declined in competition with Google Chrome. , Firefox has 11.6% usage share as a "desktop" browser, according to StatCounter, making it the second-most popular such web browser; usage across all platforms is lower at 5.44% (and then 4th-most popular overall). Firefox is still the most popular desktop browser in Cuba (even most popular overall at 62.77%) and Eritrea with 78.3% and 91% of the market share,
Private browsing supporting privacy mode in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari with the release of version 10.1 in June 2010.. Some browsers (like Internet Explorer 8) allow users to select the privacy mode for single tabs, whereas others create a more isolated environment protected by password and cryptography. Private browsing has multiple uses, including: The Mozilla Foundation performed a study about the user behavior when the feature is switched on and how long the session lasts. The results were that most sessions last only about 10 minutes, though there are periods where activation increases; usually around 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.,