5 ms·

“Each Firefox download has a unique identifier” https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30715163 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30715163

nextlevelwizard 5y ago
Can you explain WHY that matters?
- ranguna 5y ago
  The linked post has a lot of useful info that will answer your question on more that 1 way. Give it a read.
everdrive 5y ago
But does that identifier ever get transmitted anywhere? How is this unique identifier used to track me?
- vondur 5y ago
  Look at the highest comment on that thread from car_analogy, he lays out a plausible scenario at what the consequences of Mozilla tracking downloads could be.
  - nextlevelwizard 5y ago
    Except that scenario is not plausible at all. Why would you be downloading a network installer only to move it with USB to another supposedly "secure" machine just so THAT machine can then do the downloading part instead of just downloading the binary on that machine in the first place? Secondly who is downloading Firefox binaries off of Mozzilla website for a "secure" machine? That only happens if you are running Windows and at that point your pants are already soiled. Most plausible is that some IT department would have same installer on all the machines and then Mozzilla would know that all these machines belong to same organization, but if your IT department is running network installer for every instance for Firefox they install then please fire your IT department. Literally all this info does is to tell Mozzilla that you installed a Firefox or if you are some kind of weirdo who moves some 10kb web installer from friend to friend to install Firefox they might know that all these people at some level know each other, but again this only applies to Windows users. I just don't understand why HN is making this out to be some Firefox killer.
    - SubiculumCode 5y ago
      and instead, they move to a totally untested unknown fork like LibreFox who is ran by who exactly? Almost sounds like an intelligence operation.
    - pmontra 5y ago
      Why Mozzilla with two z?
- digisign 5y ago
  There's only a few use cases for a unique identifier, zero for one that is never used.
Iolaum 5y ago
If you are using Windows [which is where the above applies], does that firefox download token make a difference to your privacy?
28304283409234 5y ago
Kids, please start using Debian again. apt-get install firefox
- goodpoint 5y ago
  THIS is why Debian exists.
- perihelions 5y ago
  I think that one's only on sid (unstable). For the rest of us it'd be apt install firefox-esr
RupertHandjob 5y ago
Thank you. I am done with Firefox. I switched to Chrome on Windows and Safari on IOS. There is no point of using Firefox when they do all kinds of shady and bullshit things.

nextlevelwizard 5y ago

Can you explain WHY that matters?

ranguna 5y ago
The linked post has a lot of useful info that will answer your question on more that 1 way. Give it a read.

everdrive 5y ago

But does that identifier ever get transmitted anywhere? How is this unique identifier used to track me?

vondur 5y ago
Look at the highest comment on that thread from car_analogy, he lays out a plausible scenario at what the consequences of Mozilla tracking downloads could be.
- nextlevelwizard 5y ago
  Except that scenario is not plausible at all. Why would you be downloading a network installer only to move it with USB to another supposedly "secure" machine just so THAT machine can then do the downloading part instead of just downloading the binary on that machine in the first place? Secondly who is downloading Firefox binaries off of Mozzilla website for a "secure" machine? That only happens if you are running Windows and at that point your pants are already soiled. Most plausible is that some IT department would have same installer on all the machines and then Mozzilla would know that all these machines belong to same organization, but if your IT department is running network installer for every instance for Firefox they install then please fire your IT department. Literally all this info does is to tell Mozzilla that you installed a Firefox or if you are some kind of weirdo who moves some 10kb web installer from friend to friend to install Firefox they might know that all these people at some level know each other, but again this only applies to Windows users. I just don't understand why HN is making this out to be some Firefox killer.
  - SubiculumCode 5y ago
    and instead, they move to a totally untested unknown fork like LibreFox who is ran by who exactly? Almost sounds like an intelligence operation.
  - pmontra 5y ago
    Why Mozzilla with two z?
digisign 5y ago
There's only a few use cases for a unique identifier, zero for one that is never used.

Iolaum 5y ago

If you are using Windows [which is where the above applies], does that firefox download token make a difference to your privacy?

28304283409234 5y ago

Kids, please start using Debian again. apt-get install firefox

goodpoint 5y ago
THIS is why Debian exists.
perihelions 5y ago
I think that one's only on sid (unstable). For the rest of us it'd be apt install firefox-esr

RupertHandjob 5y ago

Thank you. I am done with Firefox. I switched to Chrome on Windows and Safari on IOS. There is no point of using Firefox when they do all kinds of shady and bullshit things.