This is going to be long, so TLDR is: Is periodic deletion of profile data a function or a bug? Either way, it is counter to Mozilla's entire philosophy to have a feature completely deny user agency over their own data.
Been having an issue consistently every single time Firefox updates over the past year or so (since the new profile system), where my profile data is deleted. The first time it happened I was able to recover them using the guide on Mozilla's support page, using file system and old profile manager system. The past few times I have simply had to start from "scratch". Even though my bookmarks, passwords, and extensions are of course saved to my Mozilla account, its still a huge hassle since I value customization in my tech and I have very specific systems that are essential to my work and classes. And if you deign to have an unsync-ed profile, you're just asking for a ticking time bomb attached to your data. I guess it is secure!
Although I am very frustrated at this happening for I believe the fourth time, I am really hoping to give some constructive feedback on the profile system and the way it is implemented, because I know I am not the only one experiencing this.
My first and biggest issue is the idea that my data is able to delete itself without my consent or input, just for the crime of wanting to keep my application up-to-date. It does not seem in alignment at all with Mozilla's goals for Firefox. Secondly, the Profiles being self-contained to each device is good in theory for security, but is clearly not balanced with usability for many. I would really implore Mozilla to consider adding an opt-in system for syncing profiles so that users can choose their level of convenience and security (like many other features are implemented into Firefox). I also want to add that I tried turning off automatic updates on Firefox a while ago but obviously this did not fix much. Again, bug? or am I losing my memory?
Look, I really like Firefox and I would not have stuck around this long if it wasn't my favorite browsing experience. So I really want to find a fix and continue to use it. To Mozilla, I hope you consider a better implementation of profiles in future updates (that hopefully don't wipe my cookies). To other users, what suggestions do you have for workarounds or preventing this from happening? Should I just copy my profiles into my documents folder every week (yes, definitely).
