#browsers

[utopicwork]

Firefox Zero-Day Under Attack: Update Your Browser Immediately

Mozilla urges users to update Firefox after critical CVE-2024-9680 vulnerability is actively exploited.

10/10/24

[incognitopolls]

What internet browser do you PRIMARILY use on your personal devices?

Chrome

Firefox

Edge

Opera

Safari

A browser that is default on my phone that is NOT any of these

Something else not listed here

Voting ended onNov 19, 2025

Don't count anything you have to use for work/school, this is just asking about what you use on your own time.

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We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[dragon-in-a-fez]

I said this at the bottom of a long-ass post with a lot of back and forth comments but I think it deserves its own post:

there's a version of that "Chrome is installing a big AI file without telling you" post going around that claims Chromium also contains that big AI file, and that any browser based on Chromium (like Vivaldi) is "contaminated" as well. that's not true.

Chromium is open-source, and can't have Google's closed-source AI models in it. even if Google went ahead and open-sourced Gemini Nano so they could put it in Chromium, the whole nature of open-source means that anyone building a Chromium-based browser could just choose not to include it. and Vivaldi, specifically, has promised to never include AI browser features.

basically, by reblogging "AI bad" posts without fact checking, a lot of people are now contributing to users being scared to switch to a browser that specifically, purposefully does not include any AI!!

if you don't want your browser to have locally-running AI features (or any AI features at all for that matter), you are perfectly fine going with Vivaldi.

[twiggies-draws]

Interesting Update on Firefox

So Firefox has introduced Terms of Use.

Mozilla is Introducing 'Terms of Use' to Firefox

Hot off the back of its recent leadership rejig, Mozilla has announced users of Firefox will soon be subject to a 'Terms of Use' policy — a

Of note:

This was pointed out updated in the Privacy Policy:

We use technical data, language preference, and location to serve content and advertising on the Firefox New Tab page in the correct format (i.e. for mobile vs desktop), language, and relevant location. Mozilla collects technical and interaction data, such as the position, size, views and clicks on New Tab content or ads, to understand how people are interacting with our content and to personalize future content, including sponsored content. This data may be shared with our advertising partners on a de-identified or aggregated basis.

Additionally, you can have a look at their Github changes here, which shows something else interesting:

Mozilla has deleted the lines "Does Firefox sell your personal data? Nope. Never have, never will. And we protect you from many of the advertisers who do. Firefox products are designed to protect your privacy. That’s a promise.

Another commit shows another removal of a line that notes that Firefox doesn't sell personal data

bedrock/firefox/templates/firefox/faq.html Old: Yep! The { -brand-name-firefox-browser } is free. Super free, actually. No hidden costs or anything. You don’t pay anything to use it, and we don’t sell your personal data. New: Yep! The { -brand-name-firefox-browser } is free. Super free, actually. No hidden costs or anything. You don’t pay anything to use it.

Scrolling further down, you can see a response to a comment questioning it

[prokopetz]

People getting mad about Firefox switching to using hardware acceleration for video playback because they think "hardware acceleration" is a form of DRM is basically the browser equivalent of people freaking out because some random social media platform's terms of service says they own your posts, then when you read what the ToS in question actually says it's literally just "you grant us the right to show your posts to other people".

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I still won't use Edge, even though it pops up every time I log onto Google.

[kropotkindersurprise]

As Mozilla moves forward, we will focus on becoming the trusted software company. This is not a slogan. It is a direction that guides how we build and how we grow. It means three things. - First: Every product we build must give people agency in how it works. Privacy, data use, and AI must be clear and understandable. Controls must be simple. AI should always be a choice — something people can easily turn off. People should know why a feature works the way it does and what value they get from it. - Second: our business model must align with trust. We will grow through transparent monetization that people recognize and value. - Third: Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software. Firefox will remain our anchor. It will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions.

AI features in firefox shouldn't be "something you can easily turn off", they should be opt-in. Firefox users don't want an AI-browser, people use firefox because it's perceived as a browser that gives users more control, that doesnt try to force garbage ads or AI on you.

Like, where do they find these fucking ghouls like Anthony Enzor-Demeo? is it all just incestuous libertarian silicon valley nepotism? noone else wants this shit. Mozilla seems to be just another company angling for investor money, with no care about destroying its product or community or image in exchange for short-term gains. So anyway, sadly: it looks like It's time to start looking for alternatives to firefox.