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Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#181

Post by ams6110 »

trendroid wrote: post #98
nkkollaw wrote: post #47

So, if I understand this correctly... It's a regular browser, but like you're always in private mode + it's got a built-in ad blocker? If I want to check Hacker News let's say 5 times throughout the day and feel like leaving a comment, I have to login again, without autocomplete..? Maybe I'm missing something.

>Maybe I'm missing something. The features you explained are exactly what I was looking for in a mobile browser. In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too.

There are already minimalist desktop browsers if you want one. For example, http://surf.suckless.org/

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#183

Post by ams6110 »

bigbugbag wrote: post #88
cpeterso wrote: post #45

Since I started using Firefox Focus for one-off searches, I'm surprised at how infrequently I really need to be logged into any websites to complete my task. Nice that Focus simply clears all those trackers and search history when I close it.

I'm wondering why this is not a simple setting on firefox. Are they trying to collect data on how many people have interest in privacy or something ? (another comment pointed that Firefox focus tracks users and reports to mozilla)

It's not difficult. I have all my browsers set to clear cache, cookies, and history on exit, no 3rd party cookies, no password saving.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#185

Post by chairmanwow »

lucideer wrote: post #151
chairmanwow wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I'm only surprised to see this comment and not that Firefox bundled analytics into their app. What's controversial about anonymized usage statistics in 2017?

I'm not sure from your comment whether you're just being pedantic in pointing out that while regrettable this isn't surprising (in which case your comment is not very constructive), or whether you actually think it's OK for Firefox to do this. Since you've used the term "anonymised" quite pointedly, I'm guessing the latter. I do find it surprising that anyone would assume data Google is collecting on your usage is so…

More along the lines of: I now fully expect the cost of entrance for free applications to be data the developers collect of my usage. It's naive to assume otherwise.

EDIT: grammar

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#186

Post by goodplay »

st3fan wrote: post #179
bigbugbag wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but Mozilla has a quite a record for using firefox for surveillance and spying purpose, the early versions of firefox had a proprietary modules just for this purpose and the recent version have 'telemetry'. AFAIK f-droid always had a warning about firefox containing and promoting non free in addition of tracking users from https://f-droid.org/wiki/page/org.mozilla.firefox : This app has the NonFreeAdd Antifeat…

Focus is an open source project with no secrets. It is easy to verify your claims by looking at the code. The telemetry is documented in detail at https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/focus-android/wiki/Telemet... We also include Adjust in Focus (not in Klar) for attribution tracking - to understand where the install came from. (This is useful if you are spending money on campaigns and you would like to understand what…

Mozilla can solve this problem the right way by doing what debian does when it wants to collect statistics: Ask users if they want to donate their information to Mozilla on first run or during the installer.

Recording users' behavior by default with informing the user clearly and giving him the option to opt-out is abhorrent, regardless of the benignity of the reason behind it.

Disclosure: I use firefox, but periodically strip all relevant hidden add-ons and disable all information sending possible.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#187

Post by chairmanwow »

drdaeman wrote: post #126
chairmanwow wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I'm only surprised to see this comment and not that Firefox bundled analytics into their app. What's controversial about anonymized usage statistics in 2017?

Well, about the very same moment you see "Browse like no one's watching / Automatically block online tracking while you browse" app starts to silently send some data to app.adjust.com and incoming.telemetry.mozilla.org. If that's not controversial, that's at least ironic. (Just to clarify: this particular behavior was observed on a version from a Play Store, not FDroid. And this was about 1.5 months ago or so. But I…

Ah. I see your point. I failed to consider the context of this application in particular.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#188

Post by jopsen »

drdaeman wrote: post #126
chairmanwow wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I'm only surprised to see this comment and not that Firefox bundled analytics into their app. What's controversial about anonymized usage statistics in 2017?

Well, about the very same moment you see "Browse like no one's watching / Automatically block online tracking while you browse" app starts to silently send some data to app.adjust.com and incoming.telemetry.mozilla.org. If that's not controversial, that's at least ironic. (Just to clarify: this particular behavior was observed on a version from a Play Store, not FDroid. And this was about 1.5 months ago or so. But I…

Checkout the histograms: https://telemetry.mozilla.org/ Do other vendors let you see their metric dashboards?

And if you feel statistics of time to FIRST_PAINT invades your privacy you can disable telemetry reporting.

You can also see what your browser collects in about:telemetry, but don't equate performance measurements with surveillance -- that's FUD.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#189

Post by mi_lk »

hprotagonist wrote: post #23

I installed Firefox Focus for iOS simply for its content blocker. I still prefer using mobile safari, but augmented with three content blockers: - Firefox Focus, which blocks all sorts of stuff - 1Blocker, which blocks all sorts of stuff - Unobstruct, which blocks Medium's "dickbar" popups.

Does this work in embedded browser? More often than not I don't open links within Twitter/Reddit mobile app bc I can't stand some intrusive ads.
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