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Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

blog.mozilla.org

541–550 of 1001 posts

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#541

Time to switch: https://librewolf.net/

These FF forks will all be nonviable within a few years of Mozilla going under. Google and Apple will keep moving the web (for better or worse), and these forks will be unable to keep up for lack of resources. Whether they get relatively slower, or just can't support some new web tech, the writing will be on the wall.

"A few years" is at least 10 years, though. That's a lot of time to pivot or get morally sounder funding sources (users for example).

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#542

I'm shocked when in 2025 the term "you stay in control" regarding browser emerges as something exclusive. When a web page or a program is downloaded to my computer I cannot imagine anything else, yet every major company tries to do something opposed - take the control from me as soon as possible.

Either you control the software, or the software controls you, yadda yadda...

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#543
post #509

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's a add company now Note that "any other major browser vendor" is a short list of ad companies with a much worse track record.

I don't think Apple (Safari) is a ad company.

They are[1][2]. It makes them billions every year[3]

[1]: https://ads.apple.com [2]: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/control-how-apple-del... [3]: https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/15/apple-ad-business...

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#544

Debian feature request: A system-wide switch to disable all telemetry and "cloud integration" features that make any network connection to the developers' or developers' partners' servers, applied to all software distributed in the official repositories.

Which network access is telemetry?

User explicitly requests connection to a specific server (e.g. navigates to debian.org), so browser makes a connection to debian.org: Not telemetry.

User explicitly requests a connection to a specific server (e.g. navigates debian.org), then browser makes a connection to mozilla.org to upload metadata: Telemetry.

In general telemetry is when the software connects to a server chosen by the developers and not telemetry is when the software connects to a server chosen by the user.

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#546

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just use https://librewolf.net

So: # apt install librewolf Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree... Done Reading state information... Done E: Unable to locate package librewolf If the thing that doesn't suck isn't the thing that comes with the OS, it's time to fix the OS. Also, that feature should exist. The next time I see a story about MS training ChatGPT on your nude selfies, I want to be able to show people the big red switch…

That is a distro problem not a software problem. Librewolf is available as a flatpak meaning on every Linux desktop distro.

https://flathub.org/apps/io.gitlab.librewolf-community

If you want to be pendantic again:

apt -y install flatpak && flatpak install io.gitlab.librewolf-community

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox is open source. You can take the source code and strip out all of the malware, spying, telemetry and corporate harm leaving a safe and private browser (to the extent any modern browser can be). There are multiple forks that do that. Download one of them instead. Mozilla Corporation has no control over those, so if you don't like what Mozilla make, exercise your software freedom. The problem with Mozilla, as f…

The problem with these privacy-first Firefox forks is none have the resources to match FF. If Firefox dies, eventually so will they, as the code stagnates relative to better-funded browsers. Saying "switch to a privacy-first fork" is not a long-term solution.

> Saying "switch to a privacy-first fork" is not a long-term solution.

You're 100% right while operating in an environment that is hostile to privacy. In these conditions security/privacy remains mostly tactical, not strategic. In fact, against a predominant tyranny it is insurrectional. Free Software will have to learn to adapt with more intelligence-sharing and opportunistic manoeuvres.

As an aside though, one might generalise to say there are no long term solutions in tech, period. And therefore advocates of freedom and privacy are at no particular disadvantage relative to any opponents.

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#548
post #437

To Mozilla: if your intentions are indeed good as you claim in your post[1], then update the ToS accordingly. Chrome is removing µBlock origin, I and probably a lot of other users saw this as a good moment to promote Firefox to our relatives, you are missing a chance and alienating your user base here. [1] https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/firefox-news/fi...

Absolutely agree. The blog post is claiming the opposite to what their ToS is granting - but one is fluff (that will be forgotten soon) while the other is legally binding. I cannot imagine applications like browsers that would require such an unrestricted license for user input just to do its service. That clearly indicates some "other" future motive that is underlined by the notion to remove the FAQ entry and other…

I haven't read the article. All I know is, Firefox changed their TOS.

> That clearly indicates some "other" future motive

It's training data, isn't it?

(It's always training data).

Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#549

I might have differed with Brendan Eich on a few matters, but he was a good steward of Firefox in my book. When Mitchell Baker took the reins, Mozilla became rather more heavy-handed towards us - the irony being that Waterfox was once proudly displayed on the Mozilla website under their "Powered By" banner. I appreciate the constant existential wobble Firefox faces, but they've made some peculiar decisions as of late…

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Re: Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

#550
post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that Mozilla updated their site a couple days ago to remove any wording along the lines of "Firefox will never sell your data to advertisers" when a flag associated with the new Firefox terms of use is enabled (see https://github.com/mozilla/bedrock/commit/d459addab846d8144b... ), I'm not so sure that this is a CYA about standard web browser usage.

> remove any wording along the lines of "Firefox will never sell your data to advertisers" You mean wording like this? ""Mozilla doesn’t sell data about you (in the way that most people think about “selling data“), and we don’t buy data about you. Since we strive for transparency, and the LEGAL definition of “sale of data“ is extremely broad in some places, we’ve had to step back from making the definitive statements…

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