
Firefox now tells Mozilla what your default browser is every day - CanisDirus
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/firefox-now-tells-mozilla-what-your-default-browser-is-every-day/
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alyandon
I really wonder why Mozilla employees think it is acceptable to do that
without informed consent for users running Windows. No one would tolerate
Mozilla installing a binary in ~/bin/ and configuring it to be run via user
crontab on Linux.

Oh well - time to go clean up my Windows installs. _sigh_

~~~
musicale
Does Firefox collect so-called "telemetry" data with real, informed consent,
and with the default setting being "private?"

Or has Mozilla adopted a dark pattern where all the privacy-violating
checkboxes are automatically "chosen" by default?

~~~
jlgaddis
Not only do they collect telemtery by default -- and even send them telemtry
data when you disable telemetry! -- they can also remotely change your Firefox
settings and/or install "experiments", at any time, without any notice to you!

Hell, if you have a "clean" host/VM, I encourage you to install Firefox, start
a packet capture, launch Firefox for the first time, then just sit and wait
for 30 seconds or so -- not doing anything or interacting with it in any way
-- before closing Firefox. Then, go take a look at your packet capture. I
think you'll be quite surprised at all of the connections it makes...

This is really not the Mozilla Firefox I envisioned or expected way back when
I first started supporting and advocating for it (when it was first
announced!).

~~~
chanmad29
Are you telling me Firefox is not better than using edge/chrome in terms of
data collection? Are they using to improve their service or serve ads? Still
with Mozilla because I'm trying to back this against the Goliath Google.

~~~
jlgaddis
> _Are you telling me Firefox is not better than using edge /chrome in terms
> of data collection?_

Did I mention Chrome, Edge, or any other browser? No, I said nothing of the
sort.

Is t as bad as Chrome or Edge? Absolutely not. It's starting to look like
Mozilla is actively working towards that goal, however.

I still prefer and use Firefox over any of the others but it's to the point
where I'm using it not because it is the "best" browser but because it "sucks
less" than any of the others.

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sneak
Wow, I had always assumed that Firefox didn’t use telemetry.

This is worrisome. Is there a modern browser available that doesn’t try to spy
on you?

~~~
Ghjklov
Pretty much every time I've installed a fresh Firefox, all the telemetry is
enabled by default. Opt out instead of opt in. Surprising considering what
they sell themselves as.

~~~
1996
edge seems the safer choice at the moment.

~~~
pacamara619
No, firefox is still the most private browser out of the big three.

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jlgaddis
Instead of copying and pasting the registry entry into a text file, merging
("running") it, then deleting the text file, the following (PowerShell)
command should do the same thing:

    
    
      New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox" -Name DisableDefaultBrowserAgent -PropertyType DWord -Value 1
    

To disable the scheduled task (if you simply delete it, it might "reappear"
after Firefox is updated):

    
    
      schtasks.exe /change /disable /tn "\Mozilla\Firefox Default Browser Agent 308046B0AF4A39CB"
    

Or, you could simply disable the telemetry altogether and tell Mozilla that
all this "opt-in by default" telemetry is bullshit.

Note: The above are untested as I don't run Windows (partly because of all the
spyware -- excuse me, "telemetry" \-- bullshit!).

(Edit: Sorry, changed forward slashes to back slashes.)

~~~
1996
spyware that firefox seem to emulate quite well given these news.

BTW, your suggestions do not in the firefox I have:

New-ItemProperty : Cannot find path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox'
because it does not exist. At line:1 char:3 \+ New-ItemProperty -Path
"HKLM:/SOFTWARE/Policies/Mozilla/Firefox" -N ... \+
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ \+
CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound:
(HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox:String) [New-ItemProperty],
ItemNotFoundException \+ FullyQualifiedErrorId :
PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewItemPropertyCommand

ERROR: The specified task name "\Mozilla\Firefox Default Browser Agent
308046B0AF4A39CB" does not exist in the system.

~~~
jlgaddis
Sorry,

    
    
      New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox"
    

might be neccesary first, if Firefox didn't already create it. Or it could be
because I originally used forward slashes instead of back slashes (now
fixed!).

