4 ms·

Great, so about:addons doesn’t use tracking Google Analytics cookies anymore? Or has a visible way to disable it (you need to enable DNT to get rid of this). A

Great, so about:addons doesn’t use tracking Google Analytics cookies anymore? Or has a visible way to disable it (you need to enable DNT to get rid of this). And Firefox Nightly does not track personally identifiable telemetry anymore? No. Mozilla still tracks every step I take. What the fuck, Mozilla? EDIT: Example. Go to If you go to view-source:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ — In the code you’ll find Google Analytics, and if you open the page, it’ll set tracking cookies. No cookie notice, no opt-in, at all. How the FUCK is this supposed to be GDPR-compliant? Cambridge Analytica is more GDPR-compliant than this. EDIT 2: See also https://github.com/mozilla/addons-frontend/issues/2785 https://github.com/mozilla/addons-frontend/issues/2785 to show that about:addons loads addons.mozilla.org, including the Google Analytics trackers without opt-in. EDIT 3: See also https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/ which explains that Nightly and Beta always send telemetry, which can not be turned off in any way, and your only way to avoid it is to stop using the product, which again violates the GDPR section on "free consent".

djsumdog 8y ago
It makes me think back to the Mr. Robot ad fiasco a while back.
- Sylos 8y ago
  ...in which no personal data was collected at all. Just because in some ways it's technologically possible for Mozilla to track your stuff, does not mean that they actually do it, that they actually violate their privacy policy or now the GDPR.
jacquesm 8y ago
> Go to If you go to view-source:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Good catch!
GlitchMr 8y ago
> Great, so about:addons doesn’t use tracking Google Analytics cookies anymore? Or has a visible way to disable it (you need to enable DNT to get rid of this). I can imagine this being legitimate interest, can be disabled with DNT flag, and it's not personal data. Mozilla signed a legal contract with Google which prevents Google from using this information. > EDIT 3: See also https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/ which explains that Nightly and Beta always send telemetry, which can not be turned off in any way, and your only way to avoid it is to stop using the product, which again violates the GDPR section on "free consent". Options -> "Privacy & Security" > "Nightly Data Collection and Use" Also, it uses word "automatically", not "always", and "Learn more" link on this page tells you how to disable that. Additionally, telemetry information is NOT personal data - it stores information like how many times you have opened web browsers, how many tabs do you use, but it doesn't send personal data. Crash reports may contain personal data, but even on nightly, they aren't automatically submitted.
- kuschku 8y ago
  > I can imagine this being legitimate interest, can be disabled with DNT flag, and it's not personal data. Mozilla signed a legal contract with Google which prevents Google from using this information. Still it would require at least a cookie notice. > Options -> "Privacy & Security" > "Nightly Data Collection and Use" That does not disable all telemetry, there were a few discussions about this on the bugtracker, in Nightly, some kinds of telemetry can not even disabled through about:config as they are set to "locked: true".
  - hartator 8y ago
    > I can imagine this being legitimate interest, can be disabled with DNT flag, and it's not personal data. Mozilla signed a legal contract with Google which prevents Google from using this information. Actually the do not track and tetemetry preferences do not work on the addon page.
    - GlitchMr 8y ago
gcp 8y ago
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=697436#c14 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=697436#c14 "GA also doesn't track IPs or store PII within the tool."
- kuschku 8y ago
  Still requires that they inform the user, with the Cookie Notice soft-consent (or whatever the new ePrivacy directive will replace that with soon).
  - Sylos 8y ago
    If the Cookie does not track PII, then you don't need such a banner. Cookies used for logins are excluded as well. 99% of web publishers went completely over board with Cookie banners, because they did not understand the law.
    - megaman22 8y ago
      It seems to me that if nobody can understand what the law actually covers, it's an exceptionally shitty law.
icebraining 8y ago
The GDPR only regulates use of personal data, not all telemetry, though.

djsumdog 8y ago

It makes me think back to the Mr. Robot ad fiasco a while back.

Sylos 8y ago
...in which no personal data was collected at all. Just because in some ways it's technologically possible for Mozilla to track your stuff, does not mean that they actually do it, that they actually violate their privacy policy or now the GDPR.

jacquesm 8y ago

> Go to If you go to view-source:https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ Good catch!

GlitchMr 8y ago

> Great, so about:addons doesn’t use tracking Google Analytics cookies anymore? Or has a visible way to disable it (you need to enable DNT to get rid of this). I can imagine this being legitimate interest, can be disabled with DNT flag, and it's not personal data. Mozilla signed a legal contract with Google which prevents Google from using this information. > EDIT 3: See also https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/channel/desktop/ which explains that Nightly and Beta always send telemetry, which can not be turned off in any way, and your only way to avoid it is to stop using the product, which again violates the GDPR section on "free consent". Options -> "Privacy & Security" > "Nightly Data Collection and Use" Also, it uses word "automatically", not "always", and "Learn more" link on this page tells you how to disable that. Additionally, telemetry information is NOT personal data - it stores information like how many times you have opened web browsers, how many tabs do you use, but it doesn't send personal data. Crash reports may contain personal data, but even on nightly, they aren't automatically submitted.

kuschku 8y ago
> I can imagine this being legitimate interest, can be disabled with DNT flag, and it's not personal data. Mozilla signed a legal contract with Google which prevents Google from using this information. Still it would require at least a cookie notice. > Options -> "Privacy & Security" > "Nightly Data Collection and Use" That does not disable all telemetry, there were a few discussions about this on the bugtracker, in Nightly, some kinds of telemetry can not even disabled through about:config as they are set to "locked: true".
- hartator 8y ago
  > I can imagine this being legitimate interest, can be disabled with DNT flag, and it's not personal data. Mozilla signed a legal contract with Google which prevents Google from using this information. Actually the do not track and tetemetry preferences do not work on the addon page.
  - GlitchMr 8y ago

gcp 8y ago

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=697436#c14 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=697436#c14 "GA also doesn't track IPs or store PII within the tool."

kuschku 8y ago
Still requires that they inform the user, with the Cookie Notice soft-consent (or whatever the new ePrivacy directive will replace that with soon).
- Sylos 8y ago
  If the Cookie does not track PII, then you don't need such a banner. Cookies used for logins are excluded as well. 99% of web publishers went completely over board with Cookie banners, because they did not understand the law.
  - megaman22 8y ago
    It seems to me that if nobody can understand what the law actually covers, it's an exceptionally shitty law.

icebraining 8y ago

The GDPR only regulates use of personal data, not all telemetry, though.