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Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#161

Post by mintplant »

lazyjones wrote: post #152

It works well, but unsurprisingly, they screwed up privacy once again by sending data to some company ( https://www.adjust.com ) in the background: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/17/mozilla_launches_pri... Doesn't seem to be possible to turn it off (the instructions at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/send-anonymous-usage-da... : do not work, there is no such settings menu for "Klar by Firefox"?). Perhaps I…

"screwed up privacy once again by sending data to some company" makes it sound like they're accidentally transmitting browsing history or something. It's stats on how often the app is opened and how may times three main UI elements are tapped.

> For a new install, the application sends an anonymous "attribution" request to the adjust servers. This request describes how the application was downloaded, for example, whether it was downloaded directly via the App Store or through a marketing campaign link. The data includes an advertising ID, IP address, timestamp, country, language/locale, operating system and app version.

> Firefox for iOS, Firefox Focus, Firefox Klar and Android will also occasionally send anonymous summaries about how often the application has been used. These summaries only include information regarding whether the app has been in active use recently and when.

> Additionally, Firefox Focus and Firefox Klar will also report what features of the application are being used. It will send an anonymous report containing the specific filters being selected and count how many times the search, browse and erase button is pressed.

(also from https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/send-anonymous-usage-da...)

Per the instructions at the bottom: "If you are in the browser you may have to hit the Erase button first" - did you do this when looking for the settings?

Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#162

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

ryanpollock wrote: post #136
mikeash wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the law defines monopolies so narrowly that it's useful or interesting to narrow it down to "devices compatible with Apple's Ax series chips." Back in the MS monopoly days, there were a ton of things people wanted to do where they had no choice but to buy Windows if they wanted to do them. Today, there is very little that people do which requires an iOS device. Apple has many closed features (the App St…

I'm pretty sure Apple doesn't need a monopoly on the entire smartphone market to have monopoly power... Apple already got in trouble for price fixing - a violation of the Sherman antitrust act. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Apple_Inc . Related to iOS and competition within it, see http://fortune.com/2016/06/30/elizabeth-warren-apple-google/ http://www.thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/272399-time-to-prosecut…

Apple was in trouble for collusion.

In this instance Apple and the other publishers probably did so specifically because they didn't have a monopoly on ebooks.

Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#163

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

planetjones wrote: post #85

Why can't someone take Apple to court and argue that developers should be able to build native web browser apps without relying on the Web View component? We have st3fan saying "Firefox Focus" is not ideal because he's had to use the older and slower WKWebView to implement it. Isn't this similar to Microsoft when they were forced to allow a choice of browser, or do Apple get away with it because they allow alternativ…

Assuming you could sue, what is the motivation for this?

If you dislike the ecosystem so much, jump ship to the #1 mobile ecosystem, Android.

What am I missing? Apple popularity in the US is unusually high?

Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#166

Post by foolfoolz »

benologist wrote: post #151
mikeash wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple gets away with it because they don't have a monopoly. There's a large variety of non-Apple smartphones and tablets you can buy. Microsoft's behavior was restricted because they were a monopoly. There were alternatives to Windows, but the court decided that they were sufficiently insignificant that Windows was effectively a monopoly. That changes the rules. Windows market share at the time was about 95%, Apple's…

Is a monopoly suit the only legal way to instigate change?

i would hope so.

do you want your users to legally force you to change your product because it's not what they want?

Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#167

Post by paganel »

dblohm7 wrote: post #150
paganel wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm aware of that, but I also know that management can re-allocate resources according to the company's needs. I'm just frustrated that said "company needs" seem to never fall in line with what most of the existing FF users want.

You're assuming that your needs are representative of most users.

I'm making that assumption based on me reading on other forums about users complaining about said FF memory issues. And, then again, trying to make a better product (one which uses less memory, for example) should also be on a software-maker's list of things to always have under consideration (it's like a restaurant always having to make sure that their toilets are clean).

But I agree that it's difficult to ask for even fundamental things like "give your users less memory-hungry programs" in times like these, when a chat client like Slack does almost nothing when other users complain about it using 1GB memory almost for nothing. We live in sadder times than I imagined 10 years ago, programming-wise.

Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#168

Post by jamesgeck0 »

ben174 wrote: post #28

This appears to be an update to a content blocker that has existed for quite some time. I've had this app installed for a long time, but the integrated browser is new.

Yeah; it's frustrating. Perviously, I only opened the app to turn it off if a website was broken. Now I have to tap another button before I can toggle the settings.

Some Google AMP sites don't load with all the privacy toggles on.

Re: Firefox Focus – a free, fast and easy to use private browser for iOS

#170

Post by benologist »

foolfoolz wrote: post #166
benologist wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is a monopoly suit the only legal way to instigate change?

i would hope so. do you want your users to legally force you to change your product because it's not what they want?

We're not talking about "users" we're talking about browser apps that are arbitrarily prohibited from participating properly.
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