Mozilla: They're not ready yet. Let it cook more.
this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025
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Privacy
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Reading through the changes, they don't reassure me. If Mozilla isn't intending to monetize, modify or exploit my data in any way, then why do they think that they need any kind of a license for it? A piece of software I use for it's intended purpose, to send information from my computer to a server and back, doesn't need to seek a license to use that information.
There is simply no reason why Mozilla needs a "non-exclusive, royalty free worldwide" license to my content unless they plan on using it for their own purposes.
Firefox, running locally and under my direction, does not require a license as it is not a legal entity. It is a product.
Any argument from Mozilla to change the TOU without also removing the language for a license to your data is made in bad faith.
It's really that simple.
Call me when they remove it.
Mozilla [is] asking for user data in order to operate Firefox
I'm confused. Isn't Firefox an autonomous application? Like it could be "programmed" to do stuff without asking Mozilla every time? Why am I not operating Firefox, why is it Mozilla?
Yeah, that is what I feel is way too dishonest.
Be upfront about it.
"To offset some operating expenses, Mozilla will be collecting user data from Firefox users, this includes the following:
- User input
- User interactions
- User up and downloads
This data will be used to train AI computer models.
To disable this feature, go into settings, click the User Data tab, under the Privacy title, untick
Send user data to Mozilla."
Bam, transparency.
being opt-out is still bad, but at least it would be a bit more honest.
Some people don't care about that stuff, and it's their right to be as private (or not) as they choose. They can't make informed decisions, however, if companies don't tell them what they're doing with user data.
Yep, I agree fully, I just want honesty
I'm quite upset about how even our open source spaces are getting enshittified :( (besides mozilla's previous problems) Honestly, I might just go back to qutebrowser
The unavoidable problem is that things cost money. Everything Mozilla does costs money, from hosting their website to paying developers. If they are giving away the software free to users, where is the money going to come from? Previously (and I think currently) a lot of that money is coming from Google, but being beholden to that one company is not ideal. So Mozilla has to look for alternate income.
I can at least empathize with the shitty position they are in where they have to find a way to monetize enough to exist, without becoming just like Google.
I recently checked and saw that over the span of 10 years, I have donated a lot of money to Mozilla. That stopped last year when they started pushing AI in their browsers that required opt out. They were listed in my will as a r 50% recipient of my estate, but has now been replaced by the EFF.
They are pissing off their main base for short term "profits".
I get that things cost money. But Wikipedia costs money too but they are fiercely user centric.
Firefox used to be. Likely due to pressures from Google and other ad companies. But still, they could do better.
Crowdfunding
Is a wonderful tool for raising capital for startups or large purchases. It's not a good source for reliable income once your project is no longer the new hotness.
Tell that to the massive donations KDE has been receiving recently once they made it easy to donate from within their software.
Also Mozilla: "You're not 'buying data' as most people understand the term. You're exchanging information for currency or other services."