this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2025
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When did you start believing data collection is imperative for on-device functionality that you've already got installed?
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. ๐คทโโ๏ธ 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.
Up until recently, Labs did not force anyone to submit data to use it.
With your logic, Firefox can also force people to submit data if they use the browser.
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 โ 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.
๐คทโโ๏ธ 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.
Selling your data also makes sense, especially for a company that is in dire straights. That's what Google did. Since 2023, this is also a Mozilla practice.
I'm just trying to figure out what your ethical bar for Mozilla is.
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.
https://lemm.ee/post/14474425
You mean the thing they just shut down?
Exactly.
It's still up, so nice try.
Are you trying to imply Mozilla gets a free pass for spending two years selling private data to advertisement companies?
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.