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Firefox search update

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Firefox search update

#91

Post by [deleted] »

antiframe wrote: post #59
CaptainOfCoit wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're using Google for searches, it also doesn't matter if you use Firefox or Chrome, obviously they have access to the full queries you do on their properties.

It does matter becauae you can use an anonimizer for seach on Firefox just fine, but if you use Chrome then Google can collect everything you enter in a form and see where it's sent. Not sure if they do, but they could. One element of security is comparmentalization: avoid using a client and server from the same adversary, if you can, to minimize correlations.

[deleted]

Re: Firefox search update

#92

Post by wavemode »

I would respect the announcement more if they just came out and said it - "we need cash to keep running and Google is offering to pay us a bajillion dollars for some anonymized search data. Sorry folks."

Re: Firefox search update

#93

Post by spiffytech »

I posted this on another story 6mo ago:

Every time I hear "anonymous data", I think of that time AOL published anonymized search logs (for academic research). The anonymization was negligent, and an NYT reporter de-anonymized and tracked down one of the users with the local & personal info present in the search queries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_search_log_release

https://web.archive.org/web/20130404175032/http://www.nytime...

Re: Firefox search update

#94

Post by Phelinofist »

beretguy wrote: post #31
lordofgibbons wrote: post #13

> We’re ramping up our efforts to enhance search experience by developing new features like Firefox Suggest, which provides recommended online content that corresponds to queries. So, they need to collect data about my search habits so they can show me relevant ads in Firefox Suggest? At this point why do I even bother using Firefox? I seriously might as well just use Chromium.

> I seriously might as well just use Chromium Before you leave please give LibreWolf a shot. It’s a modified Firefox with “spying/tracking/etc” disabled. https://librewolf.net/

Quoting another HN user regarding librewolf:

> Binaries are unsigned, third party update service, Google safe browsing disabled unless you build from source, running unusual browser setups can actually make you more distinctive online, unencrypted DNS by default, speed of security patches is slower than base Firefox, etc.

Re: Firefox search update

#95

Post by SoftTalker »

jmkb wrote: post #51
lordofgibbons wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has nothing to do with what search engine you're using. It collects data about what you type in the search/URL bar.

I guess it's time to stop searching from the url bar (sorry, "awesomebar") and create a local html file as the startup and new tab page, with search boxes for all your fav engines. Just like the good old days.

I did that for years, then it became difficult as browsers didn't want to let you set a local file as your default home page (for "security reasons").

I now just have "Blank Page" set for my Homepage, new windows, and new tabs.

I just tried setting a local file in Firefox and it seems to work again, so I may go back to that.

Re: Firefox search update

#97

Post by crtasm »

mrob wrote: post #78

I don't even want my browser to support searching from the browser UI. If I want to send information to Google I'll visit their web page directly. I don't want to do it by a misclick. It's surprisingly difficult to disable searching from the browser UI in Firefox. Firefox insists you have at least one search engine enabled at all times. The best option I know of is to set the undocumented setting "browser.urlbar.upda…

I achieved this by turning off a handful of config options for the address bar's suggestions; setting the search input to be separate from the address bar, and hiding it via Customize Toolbar.

I think these were the most important:

  keyword.enabled
  browser.fixup.alternate.enabled
  browser.urlbar.suggest.searches

Re: Firefox search update

#98

Post by pixxel »

I have all Firefox/Mozilla URLs blocked at network level. I get Firefox install/updates from a Linux repo. Firefox is constantly pounding my network attempting to dial home. Thank you maintainers for giving me privacy.

Re: Firefox search update

#99

Post by beretguy »

fifteen1506 wrote: post #83
beretguy wrote: post #68

I’d rather they make Firefox subscription based. I’d rather pay $5 a month and have no ads or tracking of any kind. They can even run a separate fork of Firefox or something for this purpose. If Firefox goes down Google will lock internet behind a DRM and we gonna need another rms or Torvalds to deliver us from this hell. Can you imagine a world without Linux, with Windows and Mac pretty much the only mainstream alte…

No subscription for me tyvm. I do donate on average €2/month for various projects, though.

Yes, I understand.

Re: Firefox search update

#100

Post by fallingsquirrel »

medstrom wrote: post #66
fallingsquirrel wrote: post #21

Stuff like this makes me wonder why I still cling to Firefox instead of switching to one of the actually privacy-focused Chromium forks. I've been using Arkenfox to turn off all the telemetry/etc but it increasingly feels like a game of whackamole. https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js

Really? Arkenfox user too and it seems to have stabilized the last couple of years. The moles have been whacked.

I didn't mean to imply Arkenfox is unstable, it's great. I meant the Arkenfox maintainer is playing whackamole with FF. Every so often FF adds a spying feature (like this one), then Arkenfox has to react and turn it off and cut a release, then everyone has to run the updater script. My system auto updates Firefox, but not Arkenfox. So if I don't want any windows of vulnerability I'm stuck having to pay attention to updates and make sure I run the updater script at just the right time.
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