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> If I can turn it off as they claim Why wouldn't you be able to turn it off? You can already do so with the current AI stuff and it is an open source browse

by godelski 11mo ago

> If I can turn it off as they claim Why wouldn't you be able to turn it off? You can already do so with the current AI stuff and it is an open source browser so they couldn't stop you if they wanted to.

simulator5g 11mo ago
They’ll let you turn it off until people don’t care as much, then it will quietly become mandatory. Only some of the nerds will even care, since by then the panopticon will probably be fully constructed.
- godelski 11mo ago
  I repeat >> it is an open source browser so they couldn't stop you if they wanted to. And there are already forks doing just this
PaulKeeble 11mo ago
You can turn the existing AI off if you learn the magic incantation for about:config, its not very usable. I would hope they will provide some proper switches in the settings menu for each of the AI features they intend, including the one for automatic tab grouping (which so far is total garbage and a complete waste of CPU).
estimator7292 11mo ago
The setting exists, but may or may not actually be respected based on user reports. Just like their auto-updates, you can turn the option off, but whether the feature is actually disabled is another question entirely. I don't trust Mozilla enough. For one, not giving UI options and hiding all the settings in about:config where non-technical users can't access is a shitty thing to do. Second, I have zero trust that the settings actually do anything since many don't. I don't believe for one moment that turning off their AI features actually 100% prevents that code from running.
- brohee 11mo ago
  This is not a position based on anything factual. If you have evidence of a setting not being honoured it will be treated as a bug and fixed, there is no evidence of bad faith about that that I can recall. As for about:config, if you submit working patches to better expose options you care about I'm pretty sure they'll be considered, but every complex software has obscure options not exposed through a polished UI and frankly it's OK...

simulator5g 11mo ago

They’ll let you turn it off until people don’t care as much, then it will quietly become mandatory. Only some of the nerds will even care, since by then the panopticon will probably be fully constructed.

godelski 11mo ago
I repeat >> it is an open source browser so they couldn't stop you if they wanted to. And there are already forks doing just this

PaulKeeble 11mo ago

You can turn the existing AI off if you learn the magic incantation for about:config, its not very usable. I would hope they will provide some proper switches in the settings menu for each of the AI features they intend, including the one for automatic tab grouping (which so far is total garbage and a complete waste of CPU).

estimator7292 11mo ago

The setting exists, but may or may not actually be respected based on user reports. Just like their auto-updates, you can turn the option off, but whether the feature is actually disabled is another question entirely. I don't trust Mozilla enough. For one, not giving UI options and hiding all the settings in about:config where non-technical users can't access is a shitty thing to do. Second, I have zero trust that the settings actually do anything since many don't. I don't believe for one moment that turning off their AI features actually 100% prevents that code from running.

brohee 11mo ago
This is not a position based on anything factual. If you have evidence of a setting not being honoured it will be treated as a bug and fixed, there is no evidence of bad faith about that that I can recall. As for about:config, if you submit working patches to better expose options you care about I'm pretty sure they'll be considered, but every complex software has obscure options not exposed through a polished UI and frankly it's OK...