Misleading Default Settings and Violations of the “Privacy by Default” Principle in the Firefox Browser
Dear Mozilla Developers and Community,
For decades, Mozilla Firefox has built its entire marketing strategy and brand identity on the narrative that it protects users’ privacy from profit-driven data collection. The average user chooses Firefox precisely because of this promise, in the good-faith belief that the browser provides the highest level of protection “out of the box” by default.
The reality, however, is that Mozilla systematically abuses users’ trust and employs so-called “dark patterns” to hide the most critical privacy settings.
The Problem: Silent Complicity in Data Trading
Among Firefox’s website privacy settings is a feature called “Tell websites not to sell or share your data” (also known as the Global Privacy Control / GPC feature).
This feature, which is intended to prevent the sale of users’ data, is turned off by default and hidden deep within the settings menu.
The vast majority of users (more than 90%) never change the default settings, precisely because they trust the software developer. The consequence of this hidden, inactive state is that the data of millions of Firefox users has been sold and shared for years, while they remain under the illusion that their browser is protecting them.
If Mozilla truly has the interests of the Internet and its users at heart, as it proclaims in the Mozilla Manifesto, then it must immediately put an end to its current hypocritical practices.
Privacy shouldn’t be a hidden option for those who have the time to spend hours in the settings menu. Privacy is a fundamental right. It’s time for Firefox to actually live up to what it claims in its PR campaigns and stop taking advantage of the trust of the people who made it great.
