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Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

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Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#171

Post by djsumdog »

y0ghur7_xxx wrote: post #24

This happened to me yesterday, so I looked for it. The Extension actually does nothing, but invert (make them upside down) a few words on specific sites. It's an experiment called "PUG ARG" to check whether page contents sniffing works. Its page doesn't reference any Bugzilla issue or Wiki page, while https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Shield/Shield_Studies/Queue doesn't list it. The source code references https://supp…

Is this something that was a test that just got merged into production? It sounds like an honest mistake that shouldn't have gone out?

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#172

Post by ashark »

Ajedi32 wrote: post #74
yborg wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently it's getting loaded anyway for some people that say they had "Studies" disabled and/or "Studies" itself became re-enabled. The whole idea of slipping paid advertorial content into what are billed as "research" kind of gives the lie to this whole thing and is why I never turn these on in any product. Which is also why it's now "opt-out" by default, and why it will eventually not be an option at all. It's al…

You don't just need "Studies" enabled, you also need to explicitly opt-in to each specific study on an individual basis: > Participation in an individual study is opt-in Source: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Shield/Shield_Studies If that didn't happen in this case, then I suspect it's probably a bug.

I just installed FF on my mom's new desktop yesterday, noticed this crap while installing ublock origin. Definitely didn't opt in to anything. Made me wonder whether I'd accidentally downloaded some malware from a look-alike site, instead of official Firefox.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#173

Post by kuschku »

gr3yh47 wrote: post #106
LyndsySimon wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully, it's a bug, and that addon wasn't intended to be installed (much less active) universally like it is. That doesn't make it OK, but it would make me look at them with suspicion instead of hostility.

>Hopefully, it's a bug, and that addon wasn't intended to be installed (much less active) universally like it is. hey look, a voice of reason! seriously. Mozilla is a company that has a long track record of dedication to openness and the free and open internet this isnt Google, facebook, etc let's all take a step back and give them a little benefit of the doubt here, until we get some facts on what happened. for ever…

> let's all take a step back and give them a little benefit of the doubt here, until we get some facts on what happened.

Except for:

Google Analytics being used on the Firefox Addons menu – solved by adding, in grey text on grey background, a tiny "Privacy Policy" link: https://github.com/mozilla/addons-frontend/issues/2785

Automatically sending URLs visited of random German Firefox users to a German company (CliqZ) owned by a publishing, advertisement and tracking company (Burda): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15421708

Mozilla forcefully enabling toolkit.telemetry.enabled in Nightly and Developer versions, and, upon being asked, saying that "below the download link is a text telling you that by downloading these, you opt-in to telemetry".

Benefit of the doubt is over, it’s time to get the pitchforks out.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#175

Post by djsumdog »

tamriel wrote: post #84
hbosch wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the the term “non-profit” is more about how an organization spends the money, rather than how they make it. Non profits and charities definitely bring in money through channels other than donations...

I agree. I merely challenge the notion that a nonprofit -- which proudly tumpets its benevolence and non-profitness -- should get a free pass for covertly installing advertising arrangements, just because they need to "make money". Their charter and marketing is all about defending the internet from the companies doing shady things to make money, so they can't have their cake and eat it.

There is a difference between a non-profit and a non-for-profit (most health insurance companies are the later; go try and figure that out).

Firefox gets most of its donations from corporate sponsors. That's why the default search and switched back and fourth between Yahoo and Google; it's all about the amount of money they contribute for that. I'm not sure, but Pocket might be another example.

User contributions are actually pretty low. They don't go out and request them though like NPR or Wikipedia.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#176

Post by kuschku »

_Codemonkeyism wrote: post #136

Anyone know how I can turn off Firefox sending technical details and interactions? Everytime I turn this off, and restart FF it's on again. 58.0b11

If you are on a Nightly or Developer build, you can not turn it off, I asked on Mozilla’s IRC.

Downloading these builds is considered opt-in into telemetry, and toolkit.telemetry.enabled is hardcoded to enabled, the opt-out checkbox literally does nothing, I was told. And about:config confirmed this.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#177

Post by pmlnr »

blauditore wrote: post #170

Many people seem to be shocked because Mozilla installed an add-on automatically. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter since the code is coming from Mozilla - they're building the whole browser, so they could introduce functionality anywhere. If someone distrusts their add-ons, why trust their browser at all? The main question is what behavior is being introduced. I haven't researched deeply, but apparently the ad…

> it doesn't really matter since the code is coming from Mozilla

For now, yes. Until someone finds a way to push a "study" through which is not from someone "trusted".

> If someone distrusts their add-ons, why trust their browser at all?

Well, trust is rather simple to break, and this - remote installing things - was not part of my original trust I put in Firefox 1.0. I know things change. This is not one I tolerate, and you are right: I will not trust a browser after a step like this.

Besides the trust, it's unexpected data. Probably don't effect many on big data plans, and is probably a tiny extension this time, but it's still data I have not asked for.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#178

Post by _Codemonkeyism »

kuschku wrote: post #176
_Codemonkeyism wrote: post #136

Anyone know how I can turn off Firefox sending technical details and interactions? Everytime I turn this off, and restart FF it's on again. 58.0b11

If you are on a Nightly or Developer build, you can not turn it off, I asked on Mozilla’s IRC. Downloading these builds is considered opt-in into telemetry, and toolkit.telemetry.enabled is hardcoded to enabled, the opt-out checkbox literally does nothing, I was told. And about:config confirmed this.

Thanks for the insight.

Would be good UI to a.) disable the control b.) add a comment.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#179

Post by gvx »

majewsky wrote: post #45
dpwm wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the page: > No changes will be made to Firefox unless you have opted in to this Alternate Reality Game. Also, from the same page for those that appreciate irony: > One of the 10 guiding principles of Mozilla's mission is that individuals' security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional. The more people know about what information they are sharing online, the more they can…

> No changes will be made to Firefox unless you have opted in to this Alternate Reality Game. How does it not occur to them that this is a clear lie?

I hardly think it's a lie. My browser contains no trace of anything related to Looking Glass, even though I'm opted into Shield Studies. It seems to affect some people but not others. Definitely something that should be fixed in the core mechanism of how these things are downloaded by your browser if there are cases where it can happen without user intervention, but it doesn't seem to be intentional to download extensions without the user's consent.

Re: Unknown Mozilla dev addon "Looking Glass 1.0.3" on browser

#180

Post by makecheck »

teekert wrote: post #94
Karunamon wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ads abuse the user's time, attention, and privacy. Minus the tracking, that's still two factors of abuse rather than three.

How do they abuse your privacy without tracking? Of course if they didn't abuse your time and attention they wouldn't make sense. But someone has to be paying Firefox's development, and it is not you. I'll take that last part back if you contribute to Mozilla. Hey, maybe it's an idea for a donation: make a 5$ Firefox without adds. I'd pay. To bad part goes to Google that way.

The irony is that people pay, just not to the right place. Every unnecessarily-bloated download tears through data plans and costs people money to their ISP that never makes it to the provider.

I want plain-text ads that provide just as much revenue to web sites but without obnoxious experiences and fat downloads.

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