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This relese installs a system telemetry service that constantly sends to Mozilla your default browser.

by MikusR 7y ago

danieldk 7y ago
Source? What platforms?
- tinus_hn 7y ago
  https://blog.mozilla.org/data/2020/03/16/understanding-default-browser-trends/ https://blog.mozilla.org/data/2020/03/16/understanding-defau... Sleazy, this is disappointing.
  - endemic 7y ago
    From the linked article: > We’ll respect user configured telemetry opt-out settings by looking at the most recently used Firefox profile. What am I missing?
    - detaro 7y ago
      Quite a few people consider > telemetry opt-out to be sleazy.
      - contravariant 7y ago
        While that's true, that part hasn't changed with this version.
        tinus_hn 7y ago
        What has changed is that now the telemetry is collecting data that has nothing to do with them. It is a leap from collecting how many people have Firefox as their default browser to what other browser they have set as the default. Also this is way beyond the usual ‘we need it for debugging’ excuse. It’s just collecting data that is worth money. And of course, the first time you launch Firefox on a new install they aren’t going to wait and see if you perhaps opt out. They’re going to get what they can before you opt out.
Silhouette 7y ago
Not only have they added a new telemetry system, it is added as an active scheduled task, without warning, even if you've explicitly configured Firefox not to send data to Mozilla. (I have just verified that this is in fact the case on my own system shortly after applying the update, before nuking the unauthorised scheduled task from orbit just to be sure.)
- jlgaddis 7y ago
  FWIW, you may want to disable the scheduled task instead of deleting it. The reason being that a missing/non-existent task may be re-created on update/upgrade, but a disabled one should not (hopefully!) be re-enabled.
  - yborg 7y ago
    People assume that X is operating a vast Machiavellian conspiracy and then turn around and assume that X is too stupid to check for either disabled or missing on each run. Which is it?
- adrian17 7y ago
  Sounds like there's a contradiction between this and Mozilla's quote: > We’ll respect user configured telemetry opt-out settings by looking at the most recently used Firefox profile.
  - Silhouette 7y ago
    I can't confirm whether the scheduled task did or did not actually upload any data from my system, only that it shouldn't have needed to be there at all.
- jannes 7y ago
  It didn't install for me yet. I think that's because I always click "No" when a software update asks for administrative privileges.
  - 7y ago
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
megavolcano 7y ago
Thanks for saying this - I'm uninstalling Firefox until they change this.
cabaalis 7y ago
Geez. I wish they would ask for permission to do this. They'll just get every day "Default Browser: generally not Firefox." What they are doing here is one method to keep it that way.

This relese installs a system telemetry service that constantly sends to Mozilla your default browser.

by MikusR 7y ago

This relese installs a system telemetry service that constantly sends to Mozilla your default browser.

danieldk 7y ago

Source? What platforms?

tinus_hn 7y ago
https://blog.mozilla.org/data/2020/03/16/understanding-default-browser-trends/ https://blog.mozilla.org/data/2020/03/16/understanding-defau... Sleazy, this is disappointing.
- endemic 7y ago
  From the linked article: > We’ll respect user configured telemetry opt-out settings by looking at the most recently used Firefox profile. What am I missing?
  - detaro 7y ago
    Quite a few people consider > telemetry opt-out to be sleazy.
    - contravariant 7y ago
      While that's true, that part hasn't changed with this version.
      - tinus_hn 7y ago
        What has changed is that now the telemetry is collecting data that has nothing to do with them. It is a leap from collecting how many people have Firefox as their default browser to what other browser they have set as the default. Also this is way beyond the usual ‘we need it for debugging’ excuse. It’s just collecting data that is worth money. And of course, the first time you launch Firefox on a new install they aren’t going to wait and see if you perhaps opt out. They’re going to get what they can before you opt out.

Silhouette 7y ago

Not only have they added a new telemetry system, it is added as an active scheduled task, without warning, even if you've explicitly configured Firefox not to send data to Mozilla. (I have just verified that this is in fact the case on my own system shortly after applying the update, before nuking the unauthorised scheduled task from orbit just to be sure.)

jlgaddis 7y ago
FWIW, you may want to disable the scheduled task instead of deleting it. The reason being that a missing/non-existent task may be re-created on update/upgrade, but a disabled one should not (hopefully!) be re-enabled.
- yborg 7y ago
  People assume that X is operating a vast Machiavellian conspiracy and then turn around and assume that X is too stupid to check for either disabled or missing on each run. Which is it?
adrian17 7y ago
Sounds like there's a contradiction between this and Mozilla's quote: > We’ll respect user configured telemetry opt-out settings by looking at the most recently used Firefox profile.
- Silhouette 7y ago
  I can't confirm whether the scheduled task did or did not actually upload any data from my system, only that it shouldn't have needed to be there at all.
jannes 7y ago
It didn't install for me yet. I think that's because I always click "No" when a software update asks for administrative privileges.
- 7y ago

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

megavolcano 7y ago

Thanks for saying this - I'm uninstalling Firefox until they change this.

cabaalis 7y ago

Geez. I wish they would ask for permission to do this. They'll just get every day "Default Browser: generally not Firefox." What they are doing here is one method to keep it that way.