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

Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

cyberinsider.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 178 posts

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#41

Post by chii »

hvb2 wrote: post #40
chii wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

of course it does. Why do you think google buys the rights to firefox's search bar (as a default setting)?

That's not remotely the same? A default setting that can easily be changed for a feature the vendor didn't have a solution for? To give you an example. Try to use Google Search without sending your data to Google. You cannot use the product without it, you cannot opt out. Firefox, you can use just fine with Google not being your search engine.

Why isn't it the same? The fact that it is possible to change that default means google simply pays less for it than they otherwise would if it wasn't changeable.

It's not a binary toggle - firefox is selling you as a source of revenue for themselves. They're just not making it as extreme as it is possible to be - in the hopes that you don't switch away.

You can compare same situation with safari in iOS. Except google pays a lot more, since you cannot switch away in iOS as easily, and culturally there's more reluctance compared to firefox users. This makes google pay more for iOS traffic, as those users are worth more.

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#42

Post by m132 »

ShowalkKama wrote: post #33
nl wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most popular "VPN" companies only offer a proxy that merely runs over a VPN protocol. Well that doesn't seem true? Mullvad, Proton, Private Internet Access, NordVPN, ExpressVPN etc are all VPNs. You can use them for whatever protocol you want.

> You can use them for whatever protocol you want. the two most commons protocols used for proxying traffic support arbitrary tcp traffic. socks is quite self explanatory but http is not limited to https either! Of course most providers might block non https traffic by doing DPI or (more realistically) refusing to proxy ports other than 80/443 but nothing is inherent to the protocol. edit: this is also mentioned on M…

To complement your comment, SOCKS 5 also supports two, less known kinds of traffic: UDP and the server side of TCP

https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1928#page-6

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#43

Post by yichk »

ShowalkKama wrote: post #36
klntsky wrote: post #28

Why are they trying to sell a VPN in the countries where users barely need it?

https://www.pornhub.com/blog/age-verification-in-the-news Over the past year, Pornhub had to make the difficult decision to block access to users in the following American states due to Age Verification laws: Alabama Arizona Arkansas Florida Georgia Idaho Indiana Kansas Kentucky Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Wyoming

[flagged]

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#44

Post by aragilar »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #35
pogue wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Opera, with their "VPN" it only affects traffic within the browser and it sounds like that's the same thing Firefox will offer. A proxy isn't as secure as a full VPN. I had previously read a really good article on it but I hunted and hunted but couldn't find it. This explains it well enough though: https://www.quora.com/Is-Opera-browser-with-built-in-VPN-a-g... However, reading the write up from Opera it's actuall…

> it only affects traffic within the browser Yes because it's VPN for the browser. I can do the same kind of targeting with most VPN software. Applying it to specific programs doesn't make it stop being a VPN. > This explains it well enough though: Which answer? The dumb bot that contradicts itself? The first human answer says it is a VPN. Though that "cyber security expert" is also not someone I would trust since th…

Is an SSH jump server a VPN (or forwarding a port from another machine at VPN)? I'd suggest neither are because it's connection-based rather than setting up a network (with routing etc). Absent a network, it's a proxy (which can be used like some deployments of a VPN).

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#45

Post by Springtime »

nl wrote: post #29
userbinator wrote: post #3

As a Firefox user: if I want a VPN I'll use an actual VPN. Focus on making a great browser, and not all this distraction. Also, "free": "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

> "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold" This is such a un-nuanced take. In this case Firefox's route-to-market is the product. It's a distribution channel where some people who receive the free version will upgrade. Free tiers for products where some will pay to upgrade seems like a reasonable compromise, but it does depend on how the deal is structured. If Mullvad pays Firefox for the free use…

I doubt Mullvad would be doing this if they weren't getting compensated given they've always said (even right now[1]) they don't offer a free tier since they don't believe it makes sense.

The other aspect is I expect it would stain the IP pool further. VPN IPs often end up on various blacklists due to abuse and introducing a wave of free users would only make it worse for paying customers.

[1] https://mullvad.net/en/pricing

> Why no free plan? "Free" services nearly always come at some cost, whether that be the time you spend watching an intro ad, the collection of your data, or by limiting the functionality of the service. We don't operate that way – at all.

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#46

Post by JasonADrury »

yichk wrote: post #43
ShowalkKama wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.pornhub.com/blog/age-verification-in-the-news Over the past year, Pornhub had to make the difficult decision to block access to users in the following American states due to Age Verification laws: Alabama Arizona Arkansas Florida Georgia Idaho Indiana Kansas Kentucky Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Wyoming

[flagged]

Can gay men still watch porn, or should they feel bad too?

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#47

Post by noosphr »

userbinator wrote: post #3

As a Firefox user: if I want a VPN I'll use an actual VPN. Focus on making a great browser, and not all this distraction. Also, "free": "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

Are you the product for Firefox too?

VPNs are no longer optional for the current internet. This is as controversial as Firefox speaking ftp.

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#48

Post by Razengan »

These "official" privacy features tend to end up being hollow masquerades when the providers inevitably capitulate to other corporations and authoritarian countries.

Like Apple's iCloud Private Relay not working in China, UAE/Dubai etc. or letting Facebook and TikTok secretly track you across devices and reinstalls with their iCloud Keychain API

They WILL leak our shit to the highest bidder or the biggest stick

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#49

Post by nhinck3 »

noosphr wrote: post #47
userbinator wrote: post #3

As a Firefox user: if I want a VPN I'll use an actual VPN. Focus on making a great browser, and not all this distraction. Also, "free": "If you're not paying for it, you're the product being sold"

Are you the product for Firefox too? VPNs are no longer optional for the current internet. This is as controversial as Firefox speaking ftp.

Yes?

I mean it's very provable that they sell access to your data and your eyeballs other companies.

Re: Mozilla to launch free built-in VPN in upcoming Firefox 149

#50

Post by spikewall »

trhway wrote: post #15
Animats wrote: post #14

Now, from the people who brought you Pocket. Could they please stop integrating services into Firefox? Thank you.

VPN is like SSL some time ago (and there were times when a browser would come without SSL, and you'd have to explicitly download it yourself) - it quickly becomes a basic necessity even in civilized societies, let alone say Russia, Iran and the likes.

So you mean I can trust an American corporation that ships its software with telemetry on by default and has a history of data-mining its users more than my standard ISP? Ladybird(alpha) cannot come soon enough.
Post reply on HN