768

AI Summary:

Overview:

  • Mozilla is updating its new Terms of Use for Firefox due to criticism over unclear language about user data.
  • Original terms seemed to give Mozilla broad ownership of user data, causing concern.
  • Updated terms emphasize limited scope of data interaction, stating Mozilla only needs rights necessary to operate Firefox.
  • Mozilla acknowledges confusion and aims to clarify their intent to make Firefox work without owning user content.
  • Company explains they don't make blanket claims of "never selling data" due to evolving legal definitions and obligations.
  • Mozilla collects and shares some data with partners to keep Firefox commercially viable, but ensures data is anonymized or shared in aggregate.
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] redlemace@lemmy.world 13 points 10 hours ago

Too late. That wasn't a typo, Terms are going downhill from here. I'm gone.

[-] capuccino@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

does this affect any fork of firefox? Like floorp?

[-] Dave@lemmy.nz 28 points 15 hours ago

Mozilla collects and shares some data with partners to keep Firefox commercially viable

How hard is it to be specific? People are concerned about this, can they not tell us the exact data they share and with whom, or is doing so going to make people more concerned so they are avoiding telling us?

[-] CandleTiger@programming.dev 14 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

They can’t be specific in the legal note because that would close their options and prevent them from auctioning off every month to the new highest bidder.

They certainly could keep a page of what they’re currently selling to whom, but even if it was innocuous (doubtful) that would again put them in the news every time they changed it.

Tried and true ~~legal~~ PR strategy: say nothing and hope the attention goes away

[-] steelrat@lemmy.world 3 points 15 hours ago

Already uninstalled everywhere. Better luck next time, Mozilla.

[-] not_IO 22 points 1 day ago

this is them rolling it back cause of the outcry, they don't want to admit it worked

[-] verdigris@lemmy.ml 11 points 20 hours ago

The terms were never actually bad. This is them responding to the backlash, yes, but that's just because everyone freaked out over nothing. They're not "rolling back" anything, and this comment is just more disinformation.

[-] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 5 points 16 hours ago

The proof that even techies can confuse « rollback » and « fix ».

[-] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 2 points 14 hours ago

Anyone have a decent Android alternative? Updated my phone last night and this morning got a notification that Firefox had full permissions for accessing my location data. I'd like to move away from Firefox before enshitification is in full swing.

[-] flux@lemmy.ml 2 points 7 hours ago

Did you give it to it?

It can be a pretty nice feature for using map-based apps in the browser.

I haven't used such websites for a while and I don't see Firefox in the recent users of the location API, even though I use Firefox Android all the time. (Info available in Android under Settings/Location.)

[-] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 hours ago

Absolutely not. There's not a single app on my phone that I willingly give unrestricted access to my location data. At most I allow "while using the app" and have my phone set to ask for permission for background running.

[-] MacStache@sopuli.xyz 8 points 14 hours ago

Try out Ironfox. It can be installed through F-Droid.

[-] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 2 points 14 hours ago

Dope, I'll give it a go 👍

[-] Don_alForno@feddit.org 2 points 13 hours ago

I switched to waterfox. Looks pretty much the same, no issues so far.

[-] not_IO 2 points 15 hours ago

they were effectively owning everything you fo in firefox, how is that nothing

[-] killeronthecorner@lemmy.world 54 points 1 day ago

Too late, I switched to Floorp.

Because of privacy stuff? No. Because of repeated drama? Yes.

I don't have time for this stuff. I don't have time to track every minute twist of the knife that Google's funding drives Mozilla to embark on.

I'm bored of using software and watching it go through "death by a thousand minor dramas"

So now I use a web browser that has a name so stupid I don't even recommend it to other people. Brilliant.

[-] gunpachi@lemmings.world 2 points 13 hours ago

Try zen browser. It's just like floorp but has that Arc browser aesthetic.

I was a floorp user until I tried zen browser. You should give it a try too.

[-] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

The drama isn't exactly their fault. There are a lot of rich organizations that want them to cease to exist. Most 9f which want track you online and/or shove ads down your throat.

[-] dnzm@feddit.nl 17 points 1 day ago

A fair amount of drama is exactly their fault. Mozilla chose to increase management pay and fire people, Mozilla chose to flirt with ai, Mozilla bought an ad firm, and so on. It's not like someone was holding a knife to their throat.

[-] JayGray91@fedia.io 1 points 16 hours ago

Never heard of this one before. too bad it doesn't have a mobile version as well.

Truly an outstanding move

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] based_raven@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago

What's the alternative for Android? Fuck Chrome I want to move off this shit onto something that actually gives half a shit about me.

[-] not_IO 10 points 1 day ago

Boy have i got a treat for you, Ironfox! the continuation of Mull

https://gitlab.com/ironfox-oss/IronFox

[-] based_raven@lemm.ee 1 points 11 hours ago

Will check it out, thanks.

[-] limoncia@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago

Fennec on F-Droid, which is Firefox fork

[-] Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf 4 points 1 day ago
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] Darorad@lemmy.world 187 points 1 day ago
[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 69 points 1 day ago

"I am doing things that are not selling your data which some people consider to be selling your data"

Why is he so cryptic? Neil, why don't you tell me what those things are and let me be the judge?

Louis Rossmann had a good video about this. Basically, California passed a law that changed what "selling your data" means, and it goes way beyond what I consider "selling your data." There's an argument here than Mozilla is largely just trying to comply with the law. Whether that's accurate remains to be seen though.

[-] Don_alForno@feddit.org 3 points 12 hours ago

Then how about putting that in the language? "We don't sell your data, except if you're in California, because they consider x, y and z things we might actually do as selling data."

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 hours ago

Exactly!

Hetzner kind of does this, where there's a separate EULA for US customers that lays out precisely how they're screwing you in that jurisdiction (e.g. forced arbitration). I'm not happy about that, but I appreciate having a separate, region-specific TOS.

If some wording only applies in California, state that. Or if it's due to similar laws elsewhere, then state that. And then detail which features collect data, why, what control you have, and how you can opt-out. Maybe have a separate mini-TOS/EULA for each major component that gets into details.

But just saying "you give us a license to everything you do on Firefox" may appease their legal counsel, but it doesn't appease many of their users, especially since they largely appeal to people who care about privacy.

load more comments (11 replies)
[-] doctortofu@reddthat.com 238 points 1 day ago

That's good and I'm genuinely glad they're trying to clarify it, but it proves yet again that their top management is out of touch with reality and their users: somebody (most likely more than one person actually) had to sign off on these changes and the message they sent out - this whole thing could have been avoided if they understood their users better (and/or if they actually cared nore about what users think).

[-] justlemmyin@lemmy.world 112 points 2 days ago

Ruh roh. Too late though.

Friendship ended with Firefox,❎ Librewolf is my new best friend. ✅

I need a gif where Scooby Doo removes the Librewolf logo and there's a Firefox logo underneath.

You must recognize that there is no Librewolf without Firefox, right? In fact, Librewolf even says in their privacy policy that you should also refer to the Firefox Privacy Policy because they can't be certain that their browser won't ever try to send data to Mozilla.

I'm not saying this to deter you from using Librewolf. If it works for you then that's awesome. It just made me chuckle when you said that you ended your friendship with Firefox and ran into the warm embrace of... Firefox with different default settings.

In any case, all I'm trying to communicate is that Firefox and all of its many forks are fundamentally reliant on Mozilla and its ability to continue updating Firefox. That means Mozilla needs a sustainable business model, and that we can't all simply abandon our relationship with Mozilla for a tool that is dependent on the work that Mozilla does.

load more comments (15 replies)
[-] psyspoop@lemm.ee 99 points 1 day ago

Mozilla says that “there are a number of places where we collect and share some data with our partners” so that Firefox can be “commercially viable,” but it adds that it spells those out in its privacy notice and works to strip data of potentially identifying information or share it in aggregate.

Sounds like they've already been selling (or trading) data and this whole debacle is a way to retroactively cover their asses.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
768 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

63746 readers
4105 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS