this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2025
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Firefox

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Tos copy updates - "Does Firefox sell your personal data?" removed from FAQ (github.com)
submitted 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

This is a link to a diff of Firefox where the FAQ are stored in a structured way. In the diff it can be seen that the question "Does Firefox sell your personal data?" has been removed:

        {  
            "@type": "Question",  
            "name": "Does Firefox sell your personal data?",  
            "acceptedAnswer": {  
                "@type": "Answer",  
                "text": "Nope. Never have, never will. And we protect you from  
                        many of the advertisers who do. Firefox products are designed  
                        to protect your privacy. That’s a promise. "  
            }  
        },

People in the comments are asking if the definition of the word "neven" has been changed or what's going on.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

This is what happens when you spend millions a year to get a fucking MBA or a lawyer as your CEO.

Should we fire the CEO to keep the workers and advocacy as intact as possible now that Google might be pulling out finding? Nah, let's enshittify a supposed non-profit and keep the mfs that put us here in the first place.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Is there any way to actually have an effect of Firefox strategy? If they were a public company you could buy shares etc?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 hours ago

Usage statistics would be the only way tbh. No users means they would need to reconsider policies.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Mozilla FakeSpot promises that the following "is Sold and/or Shared [with] Advertising partners":

  • "browsing history, search history"
  • "Geolocation data"
  • "a profile about a consumer"

Instead of aligning FakeSpot (which they bought in 2023) with their pro-privacy stance, it seems they are realigning their stance with their actual activity.

Brownie points for being honest, I guess.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 hours ago

Damn, time to look for new browsers

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Fakespot and Firefox are different products. They should stay that way.

It's fine that Fakespot needs to collect some data from users to do the thing it does, and probably necessary for it to monetize that data to have a sustainable funding model. I don't want it to sell a profile about me to advertising partners, so I don't use it.

Firefox can function as a web browser without transferring any information about me off my local machine except that which I explicitly tell it to send to specific websites.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I swear that, at one point, the Mozilla websites said that every company under the MoCo banner would uphold the same ethical values as the Foundation, its parent, espoused. If that's still the case, it seems Mozilla is still sort of upholding their consistency, but it's eroding the base product.

Personally, I don't see any reason to sell any of that data to advertisement corporations. Not browsing history, not physical location, not compiled profiles of its users! (Up until December 2024, Mozilla's other in-house AI product, Orbit, also gave FakeSpot a shout-out for unknown reasons...)

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 hours ago

I don’t see any reason to sell any of that data to advertisement corporations

You don't see the reason? I see the reason. I just don't like it.

I liked Mozilla better when it was a pure nonprofit narrowly focused on its core competency.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

I keep seeing librewolf mentioned, so I’ve begun making the switch.

Is it possible to copy a profile over so sessions/tabs continue? Just curious. I am a tab hoarder.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I tried librewolf, the problem is that it is too strict to the point that some websites don't function and I couldn't for some reason make the extension symbol show up. So it need some configuration before you are able to use it functionaly compared to Firefox.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You can change the settings to be less strict. It is better to start strict and work backwards.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

I already tried strict in Firefox many websites don't work.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

Question for those in the know: does it make sense to use LibreWolf if you don't want to operate in private browsing by default? In my primary browser, I want my logins and settings and browser history to persist.

I've always heard that as one of the big differentiating features of LibreWolf, but I've never really played around with it. Can you change those settings, and if you do, is it any different from stock Firefox at that point?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

You can change that if you want

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 hours ago

You can dial back security and privacy in LibreWolf until it matches stock Firefox if you want. Still worth switching since LibreWolf dispenses with all of Mozilla’s telemetry.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

If you follow the instructions for backup/restore of your profile that should work.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago

TYVM, Doc!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 hours ago

Nope, never* have, never* will.

^*^ ^until^ ^stated^ ^otherwise^

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 hours ago

Well that sucks...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Here is someone trying to explain why they're doing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw-XYrMFb0A

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

Well shit. Guess I really have to ditch Mozilla. They make a great product and had a great mission - also generated a heap of revenue. But I guess why settle for good money when you could sell out your principles (and our data) in the pursuit of More Money🤦‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago

I don't see AI being the big money maker they think it is

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 hours ago

But I guess why settle for good money...

They've been almost completely reliant on money from Google for over a decade. It's a tenuous situation and it's entirely possible that this money will be gone when the Google antitrust lawsuit is done. If Mozilla loses that revenue then it's basically game over for them.

We don't have to like it but Mozilla needs a new way to be funded and the options are limited.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Does anyone have suggestions for either an app or desktop browser that will work on an iPad?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

All browsers on iOS devices are Safari

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

probably just redefining what they mean by "personal data"