this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2025
5 points (52.9% liked)
Firefox
5433 readers
218 users here now
A community for discussion about Mozilla Firefox.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
This is just FUD mongering.
deleted by creator
If you've ever worked in software development, you know that information about how your users use your software is paramount to its success.
The title of the article is extrapolating and rephrasing the statement that Firefox and Mozilla are moving away from the "spirit" of open source. That's completely different from actually moving away from open source. It's deliberate click baiting, sensationalism, and flame instigation.
They have now updated the top of their article to reflect the negative backlash.
I am fine with helping Mozilla collect useful data. But I'm also not interested in testing new features before they're ready, so I'm doubly unaffected by this. 🤷♂️ I'm usually very privacy conscious, but this is Mozilla, and I trust them. It's all about trust for me. If it's not for you, then so be it. Then this is warranted FUD.
This newly mandatory data collection to use certain Firefox features... Do we have the source code for the server?
Good for you, but since it doesn't affect you, perhaps you can refrain from extrapolating these preferences onto Mozilla's poor behavior.
But it's Firefox Labs, this is to test features before they're ready. If you want to participate in that, you're doing it to help Mozilla with Firefox, and it should thus be imperative that you also help with usage data as well. It just makes sense. Nothing to do with preference.
I don't know maybe? Does it matter? You should be able to inspect what telemetry data Firefox sends with a traffic sniffer of some kind.
You're stating as if it's a fact that it's "poor behavior". I disagree. I think it's subjective. I trust that they collect non-personal data. But of course I don't know for sure because I haven't investigated it personally. For me though, the trust is enough in this instance.
deleted by creator
When I went to Interaction Design class at University? Part of my Master of Science in Interaction Design and Technology programme. One of the very basic things we learned. 🤷♂️ Can't really tell you which year it was, sorry. But it was sometime in the 2010s.
Anyway, the reason is to ensure that the functionality works as expected for the user as well as the designer and developers. It's just good practice. Nothing personal should be collected. Just usage data, of course.
Remember, again, this is as far as I know just for features that are in beta (the "Labs" part, right?), and being a part of Firefox Labs is opt-in. If you opt-in, you accept these terms, surely.
deleted by creator
Alright, well, it makes sense that they would finally require it, otherwise there's probably not enough data. Data driven design choices can often be beneficial.
That doesn't seem familiar to my logic — no. There's a difference between opting into using beta features and using the finished, ready, and released feature in the final product. Those are fundamentally different, philosophically, to me. One is expected not to have telemetry, and one makes sense that you would help out and provide non-identifiable usage data to help make the product better.
🤷♂️ Right? That's my take anyway.
So your logic would say Mozilla should require all Firefox Beta users to submit to mandatory data collection?
The only consistent through line I see with your reasoning is adherence to what Mozilla preaches from on high. And that concerns me, because Mozilla's ethics have continued tumbling downwards since they started collecting data at all in 2017.
I'm not saying they should, I'm just saying it makes sense. It's for a good cause, rather than selling it to advertisers e.g. And harmless data not meant to identify/fingerprint you, but to develop an understanding of their own product.
deleted by creator
Curious to know more about that. Is that verifiable somewhere official, that they do this? Or has it been whistleblown somehow?
If not, I still trust that they don't sell any personally-identifiable information about me.
I'll do my best to help, as I have been so far.
deleted by creator
You mean the thing they just shut down?
Exactly.
deleted by creator
From: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/building-whats-next/ (as of today)
Definitely not from me anyway. I didn't know about this as I don't use Fakespot or Firefox Beta.
At least it's in the privacy policy so that we can choose to avoid it, rather than being forced upon us Chrome style.