Bye FF
Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
21–30 of 112 posts
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#22Maybe the more relevant page is Mozilla's own announcement, instead of some random site. See https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/05/21/help-test...
I think Mozilla needs to do a better job explaining why there is "no tracking involved in delivering Tiles". They now just state that, with no information on how it's implemented, and people will get scared if they don't hear specifics. I can imagine this being implemented without tracking, by simply downloading all advertisements and doing the ad selection on the client. The ad may then of course not 'phone home'.
They also state that if you have Do Not Track enabled, these new tiles will be disabled "as we believe that most DNT early adopters are seeking to opt out of all advertising experiences". You can also opt out of them by using the cog at the new tab screen.
Still, I don't really like this development.
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#23Bye Firefox. Edit: "We promise to put you first and never sell your personal data. What else do you want for the Web?" -- https://twitter.com/firefox/status/461550580729536512 Don't collect my personal data.
The data is collected in the browser, same as it ever was. The history is not sent to Mozilla's servers - it's the browser that locally chooses and fetches the tiles. The tiles are grouped based on multiple servers, so the fact that your browser requested a specific tile doesn't directly tell them which site you actually visited. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1120311
Mozilla has done a disastrous job of communicating this, I hope they post something soon.
Their last blog entry is from 18 May: https://blog.mozilla.org/
Edit: they have a different blog here that mentions it: https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, time to switch to Google Chrome. It's made by a party that will never collect personal data, certainly not make it their entire core business. Oh wait... Ok, serious mode. For years people have been complaining that Mozilla is too dependent on funding from Google. This is a way for Mozilla to fund itself without depending on Google. But that's not good either? Maybe Mozilla should start nagging people for donat…
> But that's not good either? Indeed, it's not a binary decision, there are other ways than just sell you user's data. For starter, Google (and now Yahoo) were giving hundreds of millions every year. What did Mozilla do with that?
Mostly, it funded development: http://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/mozilla_re...
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#25Are we sure they will be collecting data?
You could get personalize advertisements without collecting the data: the browser has your history, it made some kind of profiling (categorize you), and then it request advertisement for your profile.
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, time to switch to Google Chrome. It's made by a party that will never collect personal data, certainly not make it their entire core business. Oh wait... Ok, serious mode. For years people have been complaining that Mozilla is too dependent on funding from Google. This is a way for Mozilla to fund itself without depending on Google. But that's not good either? Maybe Mozilla should start nagging people for donat…
> But that's not good either? Indeed, it's not a binary decision, there are other ways than just sell you user's data. For starter, Google (and now Yahoo) were giving hundreds of millions every year. What did Mozilla do with that?
What did they do with it? Have you looked at the insane amount of engineering they have done in the past 8 years? Their Javascript engine is among the fastest in the world. An insane amount of money has been pumped into hiring world-class experts to develop it. Not to mention the continuous improvements to their rendering engine, marketing and awareness projects, charity projects to get minorities like kids and women into web development, fighting legal battles against patent encumbered technologies like H264, etc. You are seriously underestimating the amount of money they need.
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#27Bye Firefox. Edit: "We promise to put you first and never sell your personal data. What else do you want for the Web?" -- https://twitter.com/firefox/status/461550580729536512 Don't collect my personal data.
Well you know the saying. When something is free, you're the product. Personally I don't mind. I love Firefox and the work they've done all these years and if that's the only way to keep them afloat then so be it. I just hope the implementation won't be too intrusive.
Not always. If something is free, and it is a commercial company offering it, then you are probably the product.
But if the offering is from a not for profit company, a charity, or volunteers building something open source for their enjoyment and to contribute to the community, then you are not the product.
As for Mozilla, I'll leave you to make up your mind. I tend to agree with you and I love Mozilla too (but hope that Iceweasel doesn't have this :)
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#28Bye Firefox. Edit: "We promise to put you first and never sell your personal data. What else do you want for the Web?" -- https://twitter.com/firefox/status/461550580729536512 Don't collect my personal data.
Well you know the saying. When something is free, you're the product. Personally I don't mind. I love Firefox and the work they've done all these years and if that's the only way to keep them afloat then so be it. I just hope the implementation won't be too intrusive.
There is a whole cosmos of FLOSS software that utterly destroys that argument.
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#29Maybe the more relevant page is Mozilla's own announcement, instead of some random site. See https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2015/05/21/help-test... I think Mozilla needs to do a better job explaining why there is "no tracking involved in delivering Tiles". They now just state that, with no information on how it's implemented, and people will get scared if they don't hear specifics. I can imagine this being i…
They have information in the Bug Tracker, though it's in a more technical language. A plain version is definitively important.
Re: Firefox will show ads on the new tab page based on browsing history
#30They're a business, just like anyone else. Unless we all start throwing thousands of donations at them, they have to find ways to monetise to keep up the awesome work they do. If it's both relevant and intuitive, then no harm done. Remember, your browsing history isn't exactly a big secret. That's why incognito modes exist in most browsers.
Firefox isn't a business, it's an open source/free software project. Mozilla is a nonprofit entity which pays some people to work on it. This is an important distinction, no?