Each Firefox download has a unique identifier • Hacker News Board

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#71

Post by encryptluks2 » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:12 PM UTC

Nbox9 wrote: post #67

car_analogy wrote: post #62

Suppose you want to do something anonymously. 1. Download installer from Mozilla from your home network - Mozilla now has your home IP and installer ID. 2. Transfer it via USB key to a secure, anonymous computer - one not linked to you, on a network not associated with you, such as public WiFi. 3. Install Firefox using that installer on said computer. It transmits the installer ID to Mozilla, which matches the one gi…

What’s your point, that someone can attempt to do something anonymously and fail?

No the point is that Mozilla is dishonest about their causes and consistently take actions that are hostile to user's privacy.

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#72

Post by encryptluks2 » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:13 PM UTC

moonshinefe wrote: post #70

"Principle 4: Individuals’ security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional."[1] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#73

Post by encryptluks2 » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:15 PM UTC

idonotknowwhy wrote: post #64

So downloading from the arch Linux repo via pacman, I don't have a unique ID?

No, but unless you go tweak a bunch of things you are still sending your information to Mozilla. Also, they've had a few "convenient" bugs that reverted privacy settings in the past.

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#74

Post by eikenberry » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:16 PM UTC

Tijdreiziger wrote: post #58

whatshisface wrote: post #2

Package manager installations wouldn't have this problem because everybody gets the same copy of the same binary and associated files, rights?

Chocolatey and WinGet don’t. Looks like Chocolatey gets the binary from download.mozilla.org [1], while WinGet gets it from download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net [2] (which looks to be the HTTPS repository mentioned in the article, thus being exempt from tracking?) [1] https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/Firefox#files [2] https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/blob/master/manifes...

This is the difference between a distribution and a simple package manager. Linux distributions have a more holistic approach to this and enforce it with checksums, signatures, reproducible builds, etc. A package manager really only cares about managing the packages installation, dependencies, etc. Not the integrity of the packages themselves.

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#75

Post by zagrebian » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:19 PM UTC

car_analogy wrote: post #62

Suppose you want to do something anonymously. 1. Download installer from Mozilla from your home network - Mozilla now has your home IP and installer ID. 2. Transfer it via USB key to a secure, anonymous computer - one not linked to you, on a network not associated with you, such as public WiFi. 3. Install Firefox using that installer on said computer. It transmits the installer ID to Mozilla, which matches the one gi…

> Mozilla now has your home IP

Since when does Mozilla collect IP addresses?

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#76

Post by systemvoltage » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:21 PM UTC

car_analogy wrote: post #62

Suppose you want to do something anonymously. 1. Download installer from Mozilla from your home network - Mozilla now has your home IP and installer ID. 2. Transfer it via USB key to a secure, anonymous computer - one not linked to you, on a network not associated with you, such as public WiFi. 3. Install Firefox using that installer on said computer. It transmits the installer ID to Mozilla, which matches the one gi…

I can't remember exactly but Apple also does this with apps. "Downloaded from ...".

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#77

Post by zagrebian » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:22 PM UTC

moonshinefe wrote: post #70

"Principle 4: Individuals’ security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional."[1] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/

How was this principle violated in this case?

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#78

Post by tag2103 » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:22 PM UTC

Oh look- yet another company that has been discovered to be dishonest in their approach to user privacy.

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#79

Post by pbhjpbhj » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:23 PM UTC

Teandw wrote: post #66

Wojakmeme wrote: post #40

Opt-out after tracking already happend? Sounds GDPR violating to me.

That's not how GDPR works. This isn't gathering personal data, PII or anything similar so wouldn't fall under the scope of GDPR.

IP address can be PII.

What are they hooking the download tracking code to if not IPs?

If you sign up for a Mozilla account, providing PII, are you saying they then throw away the link between the install and original download?

Re: Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

#80

Post by zagrebian » Thu, Mar 17, 2022, 10:23 PM UTC

bayindirh wrote: post #38

> A quick check of Chrome installers returned identical hashes each time. OK, however, are we completely sure that Chrome installer doesn't generate this token on launch and talk with the mothership? This sounds like whitewashing Chrome just to increase the impact of the article or push Chrome or both. Like Chrome is not tracking me in and out of the internet and in the kitchen making tea and noting its brand and rep…

> This sounds like whitewashing Chrome just to increase the impact of the article

I removed ghacks from my RSS reader years ago because that website tends to sensationalize these stories, and I can’t stand that.