Android is now warning of Firefox sharing data
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The main problem is that building a web browser is extremely difficult and everyone else uses Google's version of WebKit. So there's no alternatives: it's either Google or Mozilla. Forks don't count because if some functionality that end users need is deprecated, nobody will maintain it and it will just disappear once it's removed from the main codebase
Yes, I agree. That's why I'm weirded out by people saying "Firefox bad, use Librewolf" and the like.
I still think a solution that relies on donation (maybe with some corporate support) would be very good for everyone involved. Unfortunately, Mozilla is not a player in this, so we're stuck with basically three engines, one that can't be used, one that's openly hostile, and one that's becoming hostile.
Not great.
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Firefox engines have telemetry since old ages. Do you know what even crazier ??? even other firefox browser like fennec has Mozilla telemetry.
PSA : disable it with Blocker (ROOT) for more privacyIt has a mozilla telemetry component, but that doesn't mean that it's necessarily reporting to mozilla - which wouldn't make much sense anyway - nor that it actually functions at all. Most telemetry components in Firefox can't simply be deleted because it causes stuff to break, so they are replaced with stubs that don't actually do anything.
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Even if this isn't entirely true, you know Google wouldn't pass up the opportunity to reduce Firefox market share to scare everyone back to Chrome.
Firefox? You mean the company they give several hundred million dollars/year? Yeah I don't think they're too worried. They need some number of users on Firefox to prevent anti-trust issues. Which they're on the brink of right now.
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The main problem is that building a web browser is extremely difficult and everyone else uses Google's version of WebKit. So there's no alternatives: it's either Google or Mozilla. Forks don't count because if some functionality that end users need is deprecated, nobody will maintain it and it will just disappear once it's removed from the main codebase
Hopefully Servo will change that
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Genuine question to see if the downvotes are justified or not : are you implying Chrome is a good browser and if so, why?
Down votes are justified for acting like a douche
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Like chrome does something different?
It integrates into the Google ecosystem well, and if that has value to a person it may just be enough to bring them back to chrome.
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(What's funny is that I went for writing an actual reply and did not downvote).
I think AugustWest's point kinda got proven just now.
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There's no need to reduce Firefox marketshare. Most people don't even consider using anything else than whatever is default in their device.
Also, it's not a Google scare tactic or a flex. Every application on the Play Store must disclose the general outlines of their data policy, including the sharing of data. Lying with those checkbox is not a good idea but they are completely informative and put there by the publishing party, so the people responsible for publishing Firefox on mobile just updated these, and this is what is shown when an app publisher say their app is sharing data with third parties.
tl;dr: it's very likely that not a single soul at Google even looked at this, as this is just the regular behavior of the Play Store with apps that changes their data policy or indicate sharing user data with third parties.
Why the dichotomy between the chrome listing on the store then?
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Found this notification this morning on my pixel 6.
Alright gang, what are some good open source Firefox forks available on Android and Linux?
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...except they don't for their own browser.
It's literally there.
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Firefox engines have telemetry since old ages. Do you know what even crazier ??? even other firefox browser like fennec has Mozilla telemetry.
PSA : disable it with Blocker (ROOT) for more privacySending telemetry like crashes and what features you use/don't use isn't really in the same category as using location data for marketing purposes. It's a very important distinction to draw.
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That's a regular notification, which would happen for any application whose data policy is changed on the Play Store page. These policy are as declared by the app publisher. This would be the same for any application that didn't check that "sharing data with third party" box earlier, then checked it later on.
I don't get what your comment is getting at. I don't view this post as saying anything special or unique about the notification. I see it as a warning that Firefox is now doing this.
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No GDPR does not require google to display app permissions like that...
Your just making things up.
Do you want the short or the long version?
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I don't get what your comment is getting at. I don't view this post as saying anything special or unique about the notification. I see it as a warning that Firefox is now doing this.
Have you read all the other replies? "Google mad", "Google putting Firefox in the dirt", "False info", etc.
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Why the dichotomy between the chrome listing on the store then?
No idea, I'm not that obsessed with it. But do note that "The developers of these apps provided info about their data sharing practices to an app store. They may update it over time." and "Data sharing practices may vary based on your app version, use, region, and age."
The recent changes to Firefox terms of use (well, their introduction really) was supposedly meant to appease some regional lawmakers. Maybe it is a regional thing. Maybe they changed it again. Maybe it's, as often with store page update, rolled out progressively to people (in either direction, whether it's adding or removing these terms).
The point is, that's neither a "Google" operation to put Firefox in a bad light, nor a Mozilla operation to… do whatever it is they're doing these days. It's just a regular message. Which, reading a lot of the replies here, is something that have to be said.
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The main difference is of philosophy of trust. With F-droid you trust F-droid to build the binary from the developers' source code. With Accrescent, you trust the developers to build the binary from the source code.
With F-droid you trust F-droid to build the binary from the developers' source code
Not when using a self-hosted F-Droid Repo - which is the case for Ironfox.
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Found this notification this morning on my pixel 6.
Google: "Forcing us to divest Chrome could have impacts on our ability to support Mozilla and their high executive salaries as we own the space with Chrome."
Also Google:
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With F-droid you trust F-droid to build the binary from the developers' source code
Not when using a self-hosted F-Droid Repo - which is the case for Ironfox.
Yeah that's like any 3rd party repository
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No GDPR does not require google to display app permissions like that...
Your just making things up.
Show me where I made something up, boss. Or do you not know what "probably" means?
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Alright gang, what are some good open source Firefox forks available on Android and Linux?
Waterfox
