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It's even worse then I thought - every website you visit and every search query will be sent to them! They can basically create a whole shadow profile of you ba

It's even worse then I thought - every website you visit and every search query will be sent to them! They can basically create a whole shadow profile of you based on your browsing data (like Google already does when you enable search suggestion): > To help you find information faster, Firefox Suggest uses a service provided by us to offer relevant suggestions for what you’re typing. When you opt-in to improve Contextual suggestions, Mozilla receives your search queries. When you see or click on a Firefox Suggest result, Mozilla collects and sends your search queries and the result you click on to our partners through a Mozilla-owned proxy service.

decasteve 5y ago
The best version of Firefox is the Tor Browser with Tor disabled. Avoids the “features” Mozilla insists on.
judge2020 5y ago
Wow, that last bit. Would have been easier to swallow if Mozilla did the ad brokering and promised to not store them, but no, they do actually ship off the queries to partners.
literallyWTF 5y ago
So if a person decides to opt in to this feature, they get to use said feature? Oh wow, stop the presses everyone.
- GekkePrutser 5y ago
  It's not opt-in, many people here have reported it was on already. I don't see it myself at all but that's because it was only enabled in the US so far
artificialLimbs 5y ago
Looks like my pihole will be getting some new entries. I have no doubt I won't be able to police all of my family's devices.
cge 5y ago
Not just every search query: apparently location data too. >When contextual suggestions are enabled, the feature uses your city location and search keywords to make contextual suggestions from Firefox and our partners, while keeping your privacy in mind.
godelski 5y ago
Says Opt-In. I think the comments have merit if it was on by default but it's not. You have to explicitly give permission. I honestly don't see an issue with that.
- 0xy 5y ago
  Sleazy PMs tell the devs it'll be "Opt-In" to get them on board, then when it comes time to roll it out whoopsy everyone's opted in by default!
- skrtskrt 5y ago
  Obviously a lot of HN people would probably prefer it not exist at all, but if you accept that the train has left the station on all this tracking on the Internet being here to stay, then explicit opt-in is still a massive improvement to the current status quo.
- asdff 5y ago
  I checked my settings and it was on by default for me too. I had to opt out.
  - godelski 5y ago
    Interesting. I updated and yeah I had to opt out too. So get the pitchforks, I was wrong. Could be the installer on linux?
    - dont__panic 5y ago
      I was opted in without permission on macOS, so not just a linux thing. Who the hell at Mozilla thinks that: 1) this is a good idea? 2) that they can sneak this by all of Firefox's tech-savvy users? I mean, it just seems like such a low risk:reward ratio, what's the point? There's no way that this makes them enough money that it could be worthwhile.
      - godelski 5y ago
        Yeah this is unacceptable.
dralley 5y ago
As I pointed out in the other thread, Chrome has been doing this for a long time. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28781981 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28781981
- asdff 5y ago
  Doesn't make it a good idea. Chrome is a user hostile browser.
- 0xy 5y ago
  The browser with a hard-coded DoubleClick backdoor doesn't respect privacy?
- GekkePrutser 5y ago
  People don't use Chrome because they care about privacy. They use it because they don't care. Big difference and they can't be held to the same standards.
user3939382 5y ago
Then they have the audacity to open to this when the update loads: https://i.imgur.com/EohIanD.png https://i.imgur.com/EohIanD.png There is no war on privacy. It's gone, the war is over and we lost. This is a true "Et tu, Brute?" moment. I'm really disgusted.

decasteve 5y ago

The best version of Firefox is the Tor Browser with Tor disabled. Avoids the “features” Mozilla insists on.

judge2020 5y ago

Wow, that last bit. Would have been easier to swallow if Mozilla did the ad brokering and promised to not store them, but no, they do actually ship off the queries to partners.

literallyWTF 5y ago

So if a person decides to opt in to this feature, they get to use said feature? Oh wow, stop the presses everyone.

GekkePrutser 5y ago
It's not opt-in, many people here have reported it was on already. I don't see it myself at all but that's because it was only enabled in the US so far

artificialLimbs 5y ago

Looks like my pihole will be getting some new entries. I have no doubt I won't be able to police all of my family's devices.

cge 5y ago

Not just every search query: apparently location data too. >When contextual suggestions are enabled, the feature uses your city location and search keywords to make contextual suggestions from Firefox and our partners, while keeping your privacy in mind.

godelski 5y ago

Says Opt-In. I think the comments have merit if it was on by default but it's not. You have to explicitly give permission. I honestly don't see an issue with that.

0xy 5y ago
Sleazy PMs tell the devs it'll be "Opt-In" to get them on board, then when it comes time to roll it out whoopsy everyone's opted in by default!
skrtskrt 5y ago
Obviously a lot of HN people would probably prefer it not exist at all, but if you accept that the train has left the station on all this tracking on the Internet being here to stay, then explicit opt-in is still a massive improvement to the current status quo.
asdff 5y ago
I checked my settings and it was on by default for me too. I had to opt out.
- godelski 5y ago
  Interesting. I updated and yeah I had to opt out too. So get the pitchforks, I was wrong. Could be the installer on linux?
  - dont__panic 5y ago
    I was opted in without permission on macOS, so not just a linux thing. Who the hell at Mozilla thinks that: 1) this is a good idea? 2) that they can sneak this by all of Firefox's tech-savvy users? I mean, it just seems like such a low risk:reward ratio, what's the point? There's no way that this makes them enough money that it could be worthwhile.
    - godelski 5y ago
      Yeah this is unacceptable.

dralley 5y ago

As I pointed out in the other thread, Chrome has been doing this for a long time. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28781981 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28781981

asdff 5y ago
Doesn't make it a good idea. Chrome is a user hostile browser.
0xy 5y ago
The browser with a hard-coded DoubleClick backdoor doesn't respect privacy?
GekkePrutser 5y ago
People don't use Chrome because they care about privacy. They use it because they don't care. Big difference and they can't be held to the same standards.

user3939382 5y ago

Then they have the audacity to open to this when the update loads: https://i.imgur.com/EohIanD.png https://i.imgur.com/EohIanD.png There is no war on privacy. It's gone, the war is over and we lost. This is a true "Et tu, Brute?" moment. I'm really disgusted.