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EU browser choice rules send millions more users Firefox's way (www.theregister.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by throws_lemy@reddthat.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[-] spaceracoon@lemmy.zip 104 points 2 weeks ago

Man it's so funny how the only company that even thinks about allowing you to not have AI, gets so much shit from people.

OK you don't like AI, you can turn in off. They added an option for that. Meanwhile Chrome is automatically downloading 4gb worth of models without your consent. Same with basically each other browser.

Folks are free to use whichever distro they like, Librefox, Waterfox, but remember that without Mozilla foundation the very engine would stop working. Then these forks will not work anymore. Then where will you go? Chromium? Safari?

It's important to keep companies accountable, but nothing is ever black and white.

[-] czardestructo@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

[-] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago

Yeah I get the feeling like 70+% of people here will never understand that.

[-] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 2 weeks ago

OK you don’t like AI, you can turn in off. They added an option for that. Meanwhile Chrome is automatically downloading 4gb worth of models without your consent. Same with basically each other browser.

Because Chrome is used by normies who have no idea and wont care while Firefox is used by tech-literate users who care and like to tinker. The backlash was because FF implemented AI that you had to go to about:settings to disable. Result of backlash - a switch in settings to disable it.

It would be smart to implement AI and advertise people that they can switch it ON if they want to. Not the other way.

Folks are free to use whichever distro they like, Librefox, Waterfox, but remember that without Mozilla foundation the very engine would stop working. Then these forks will not work anymore

There is nothing to go to. But if we accept the outcome, we just submit to the system. Might as well switch to chrome at that point hoping that Servo gets developed fast enough. Firefox would lose their browser share at an instant once they are not different from chromium based browsers. Basically seppuku themselves.

Not understanding your user base is how you get a backlash.

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[-] KatherinaReichelt@feddit.org 14 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah - people love to shit on Mozilla while posting from fucking Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

[-] Jyxil@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

I think you have to enable it now too, they heard people weren’t fans and responded.

I like that.

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[-] skami@lemmy.ml 75 points 2 weeks ago

Nice but it's kinda wierd how people decided to use these browsers after this new law was passed, I mean it's so easy to install apps on smartphones right now but people needed this choice screen to choose another browser of their liking? I would guess it's probably old people that switched that didn't know how to install browser without it, I googled but couldn't find any prove of this tho so it's just my guts

[-] axh@lemmy.world 125 points 2 weeks ago

It's laziness. Most people just take the path of the least resistance.

Once you show them the screen, any choice is the same amount of work so they will select what they really want. But without the screen, 90% of people will be good enough with the default option. Or, they might even be mildly uncomfortable with that option, but not enough to do something about it.

[-] sexy_peach@feddit.org 55 points 2 weeks ago

It’s laziness. Most people just take the path of the least resistance.

we all do in many parts of life

[-] axh@lemmy.world 47 points 2 weeks ago

I didn't say it's a bad thing. If someone tried to pay attention to every little choice they make, they would be exhausted before the morning coffee.

What kind of browser I use is important to me, since I am a geek. But I don't pay attention to many things that more socially adept people would consider important.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 17 points 2 weeks ago

If someone tried to pay attention to every little choice they make, they would be exhausted before the morning coffee.

Story of my life.

[-] reksas@sopuli.xyz 13 points 2 weeks ago

the trick is to know what is worth paying attention to and what is not

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

How do?

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[-] skami@lemmy.ml 18 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah I guess people doesn't really care all that much about giving information to big tech, it's so normalized today, in my university (I am a student) when I tell people I don't use Instagram or TikTok and whatnot they look at me like I am crazy, tbh maybe if we define crazy as "not doing what everyone around you does" maybe I am

[-] axh@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

people doesn't really care all that much about giving information to big tech

I was one of those people some time ago. I remember doing it deliberately and saying "what will they do to me? Offer me a product that better suits my needs?"

I never had any issues because of that...

right now I decline each time, the more work it costs me, the more motivated I am to decline every single marketing consent.

I do it out of spite, because of all the enshitification happening to services I used to like, and I just try to make their life harder.

I really hope that Google will, some day, miss one cent needed for some huge multi billion deal thanks to my resistance! ;)

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[-] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

people doesn't really care all that much about giving information to big tech

To be fair, we haven’t had all the consequences of it hit the population yet.

Surveillance pricing might change the narrative

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[-] morto@piefed.social 31 points 2 weeks ago

We tend to overestimate people's skill in tech. The average user uses what came installed, doesn't like installing and experimenting apps, uses a browser while logged in to google, taps yes on everything, will install apps when sites ask for it, without even noticing, and will register in every site or app that asks for it, and even give their real email, name, etc

[-] yetAnotherUser@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago

And there are probably many users that do all of this due to being afraid that things might just start breaking, or that more actions they don't understand will be required to keep the system rolling, if they stray from this path for even a little.

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[-] utopiah@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago

it’s so easy to install apps on smartphones right now

Providing choice as a default is precisely about people who are influenced by defaults. It's NOT about how feasible something technically is.

[-] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 24 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

i've legit seen many people who have no idea what a web browser is, internet == chrome/safari/edge (which opens automatically when clicking a link on some app) for them. this isn't just older people, actually it's usually worse with younger people.

[-] Samsy@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 weeks ago

Meet my wife! Since this screen, she uses the duckduckgo browser (iOS) Idk why, she neither, but she is happy with it.

[-] minorkeys@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago

It isn't that weird. Users have a very low tolerance for independence, especially as tech markets itself to less and less tech savvy userbases(like Gen alpha and z). They do what their screens tell them to for the most part.

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[-] carrylex@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

It's like browser war 1.0 all over again but only on mobile...

(Microsoft had to do the exact same thing after they preinstalled Internet Explorer with Windows)

[-] oats@piefed.zip 9 points 2 weeks ago

If i want the internet, I tap on the little internet app. Wth is a browser?

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[-] TheWorstNL@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Chrome disabling ad-blocking doesn't hurt either.

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[-] zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 2 weeks ago

Now if Mozilla would finally get a CEO who is not driven by stupid capitalistic bullshit, I would actually start using Firefox again.

Until then, I stick to WaterFox.

[-] foxfell@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 weeks ago

Why not LibreWolf?

[-] zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 weeks ago

For the same reason I don’t like Chromium or Alpine Linux. Minimalism can be nice, however in most cases too many features were stripped away to be useful tools. At least for me, so no offense to people who love the minimalistic approach :)

[-] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 weeks ago

Too locked down for the average user.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago

It is? I didn't notice anything. I suppose by virtue of having even heard of it I'm not the average user.

[-] themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Some websites don't work correctly, due to the strict settings.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

I guess I don't view those types of sites on my Pc (probably on my phone).

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[-] graynk@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 2 weeks ago

With default settings it will wipe your history and cookies on exit

(Which I happen to forget about every single time I install it on a new machine, I hate this default with a passion)

Then there's disabled WebGL, which you also have to reenable on a bunch of sites. Not too hard, but probably annoying for some

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[-] TeddE@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

It genuinely hurts my soul that this is a complete argument.

The idea that users could or should have preferences - to be responsible to opt (in or out) in any capacity is an unreachable goal.

It's frustrating that a lazy or evil developer can so easily convinve the masses to give up privacy simply by dangling a shiny just outside the default security safeguards.

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[-] UltraBlack@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Isn't waterdox owned by a weird company?

[-] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

Not anymore. It’s owned by the creator again.

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[-] schwim@piefed.zip 18 points 2 weeks ago

There is something humorous to the fact that these users have waited until Firefox has begun the AI enshitification process before switching to it. It's like they just had to wait until it was no longer the clear. Good choice before they made the switch.

[-] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 73 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Firefox has begun the AI enshitification process

Dude, it's like five things – one of which is just translations that can be performed locally, and another of which is an alt text accessibility option – with an obvious universal kill switch (and of course individualized ones). Calm your tits. Chill your balls. I don't use LLMs at all except for translations, and I still think the whinging over this is completely overblown.

"Begun" implies a slippery slope of much more, and that just doesn't seem to be the case.

[-] schwim@piefed.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago

Lol, ok chief.

[-] Sarothazrom@lemmy.world 42 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Firefox lets you implicitly disable or remove them, slop browsers do not.

I don't like AI either but lets not pretend there's an equivalency between these browsers.

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[-] BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

The AI stuff is behind a switch I have not seen a single AI feature while using Firefix nor do I see any ads

[-] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 19 points 2 weeks ago

FireFox was enhittified even before the AI bits: it fucking spies on you

That's why I use LibreWolf , which is literally just the latest-stable FF build, but with all the AI and telemetry ripped out, uBlock Origin and anti-fingerprinting enabled by default.

It's literally what FireFox was supposed to be. And they don't even accept money . God level.

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[-] oeuf@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 weeks ago

Really we should all just be using GNOME Web on a fresh Debian install. It makes me feel relaxed just thinking about it.

[-] Fuckswearwords@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Does anyone here know how to get the old menu UI back on mobile?

I can't get used to the new one. It's not ergonomic at all imo.

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this post was submitted on 12 May 2026

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