Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

github.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 179 posts

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#31

Post by gcp »

rexicus wrote: post #20
hartator wrote: post #4

I don't know how many incidents like this is needed before people realized Mozilla is not the angel it used to be.

Don't forget the "bug" where Google's supercookie was un-deletable https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1008706

1) This bug is INVALID. Several people tried to reproduce it and failed.

2) The indicated cookie (from bug 1026538) is a cookie sandboxed for privacy reasons and NOT your real Google cookie. It broke the cookie manager exactly because it was sandboxed.

So tell me, what do you mean by using quotes around "bug"?

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#32

Post by Sir_Substance »

davb wrote: post #10

What browser should users opt for if they want performance, broad compatibility with websites and absolutely no tracking/analytics? Preferably open source and cross platform.

At this point, you need to take things into your own hands and modify your hosts file:

http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#33

Post by kuschku »

gcp wrote: post #28
kuschku wrote: post #16

Notice: The mods just changed the title from "Firefox secretly tracks users with Google Analytics in the addon settings" to "Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings" @mods: The "secretly" was used to signify the fact that Mozilla does not inform users about this fact, their Privacy Policy does not cover it, and at no point does any page, modal, or disclaimer tell this.

The Privacy Policy seems to only cover '"personal information" means information which identifies you, like your name or email address."' So it's not surprising it doesn't mention GA. The Firefox privacy policy is more explicit, but this is actually on a Mozilla page (which you can reach from other browsers), so I'm not sure it's relevant.

It’s not just a webpage, considering the browser automatically accesses it without me specifically navigating to it.

And discovery.addons.mozilla.org has no privacy policy, no legal notices, no disclaimers at all either.

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#34

Post by kuschku »

drtillberg wrote: post #26

The Google Analytics scripts runs on a page that appears to be a system/UI page in Firefox, when you search for new add-ons. The response from Mozilla about Piwik being too much work is concerning. The optional NoScript add-on does stop this script from running, even on that page. You'd have to configure NoScript to block Google Analytics. I, for one, globally block Google Analytics scripts. Incidentally, I also bloc…

NoScript only blocks it if you use the legacy add-on – WebExtension addons can’t block requests from about: pages. Which makes this even more annoying.

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#35

Post by shallot_router »

michaelt wrote: post #22

Given Firefox's pro-privacy positioning vs Chrome [1] and the fact that, by virtue of being in about: these requests get sent even if the user is browsing in private browsing mode or has extensions installed explicitly to block this kind of traffic [2] it's surprising the Mozilla employees in that thread are so keen to dismiss this. [1] https://mobile.twitter.com/meatcomputer/status/8813107782251... [2] https://githu…

@tofumatt's responses sound pragmatic but very tone-deaf given Mozilla's privacy stance. I feel like the only right answer here is to tie all of this into the telemetry opt-in and don't load GA if the user hasn't opted in.

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#36

Post by gcp »

kuschku wrote: post #33
gcp wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Privacy Policy seems to only cover '"personal information" means information which identifies you, like your name or email address."' So it's not surprising it doesn't mention GA. The Firefox privacy policy is more explicit, but this is actually on a Mozilla page (which you can reach from other browsers), so I'm not sure it's relevant.

It’s not just a webpage, considering the browser automatically accesses it without me specifically navigating to it. And discovery.addons.mozilla.org has no privacy policy, no legal notices, no disclaimers at all either.

Yeah, I don't disagree. The increasing usage of web pages in the browser UI has made this problematic and is what caused the root problem here in the first place.

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#37

Post by frik »

davb wrote: post #10

What browser should users opt for if they want performance, broad compatibility with websites and absolutely no tracking/analytics? Preferably open source and cross platform.

Mozilla mismanages Firefox for several years, and dropped Thunderbird. I can't use Firefox even for dev work anymore because of too many regression bugs and newly introduced UI annoyance and removal of classic addon-API, etc. The Rust/Servo movement is good, but Firefox needs badly a reboot/lightweight fork.

I suggest to have a look at Iron browser (open source Chromium with phone-home stuff patched out) or Chromium build in general (with curated settings or stuff patched out yourself). And Vivaldi (reminds one to older Opera UI) is quite good, though closed source.

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#38

Post by criley2 »

joenathanone wrote: post #9
coldpie wrote: post #8

I hate these public bugs that blow up. They always turn into these dumb dogpile rants from uninformed users. Tofumatt's doing a good job, but they should really lock this bug report from commenters before it gets out of hand.

>dumb dogpile rants... Pot meet kettle You're comment hasn't added any value to the conversation, it's just a rant.

>You're comment hasn't added any value to the conversation, it's just a rant.

I disagree, his meta-analysis of how these conversations tends to go adds to the conversation by making us all aware of trends bigger than this one story.

Your post criticizing him, however, seems to add nothing to this conversation.

I, on the other hand, am contributing by rejecting your baseless assertion and supporting the meta-analysis of the on-topic topic, that comment threads about public bugs tend to be low quality.

I'm also supporting the topic materially, if you catch my drift.

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#39

Post by tombrossman »

Google Analytics T&Cs[0] make it explicitly clear that users must disclose to visitors that they use it. "You must post a Privacy Policy and that Privacy Policy must provide notice of Your use of cookies that are used to collect data. You must disclose the use of Google Analytics, and how it collects and processes data."

I know many people ignore it just like with all the other "I agree" check-boxes that pollute websites, but it is a breach of the Terms to sneak it onto your site or service.

Mozilla just launched a new podcast called "IRL" and in the first episode they warn people about all the creepy third-party tracking out there[1]. To listen to the podcast you have to allow third-parties to track you, and there is no privacy policy on the website to warn you.

It's actually a good podcast episode and I recommend checking it out.

[0]https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html

[1]https://irlpodcast.org/ , https://twitter.com/tombrossman/status/883972350387134464

Re: Firefox tracks users with Google Analytics in the add-on settings

#40

Post by kuschku »

gcp wrote: post #36
kuschku wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not just a webpage, considering the browser automatically accesses it without me specifically navigating to it. And discovery.addons.mozilla.org has no privacy policy, no legal notices, no disclaimers at all either.

Yeah, I don't disagree. The increasing usage of web pages in the browser UI has made this problematic and is what caused the root problem here in the first place.

I’d argue the root cause is more that Mozilla is willing to trade away privacy for developer convenience. That they made this decision in the first place, without anyone at Mozilla saying "maybe we shouldn’t do that", is very concerning w.r.t. privacy in the rest of the browser.

Even on a Mozilla webpage I wouldn’t expect to see Google Analytics, but instead something like Piwik.

Post reply on HN