Mozilla has always struggled with how to keep the lights on as a non-profit organisation. Like many other Web companies, it tried to rely on advertising to generate revenue to fund the development of Firefox, among other things. Firefox’s more privacy-conscious users never well-received those efforts, and some have been removed or remain hidden. This latest attempt may also fail, but you can still disable the Firefox search bar ads for the time being until they are entirely removed.
The latest “feature” is disguised as the same search suggestions that other browsers provide when you start typing in the search bar. Firefox Suggest differs in that it also includes offers from Mozilla’s “partners.” Of course, this is just a more excellent term for advertisers who share a portion of ad revenue with Mozilla in exchange for a spot on those recommendations.
Naturally, this raises some privacy concerns, but Mozilla claims that it collects nothing that it doesn’t already have. Before Firefox 92, it looked at your browsing history, bookmarks, and open tabs to make non-sponsored search recommendations. Firefox Suggest does not collect any new data, but you must allow Firefox to manage them in the first place if you want to see the sponsored suggestions.
However, what data Mozilla sends back to those advertisers is the other big question. Only the search query and what you click on are sent to Mozilla’s partners, and only through a Mozilla-owned proxy service. According to the organisation, no personally identifiable information is ever sent, and it only works if you click on a suggestion.
It all comes down to whether or not you trust Mozilla’s advertising partner with potentially sensitive data. You can, of course, choose not to use this new feature, and Firefox will ask you about it the first time you launch version 92. It’s unclear how long before user backlash forces Mozilla into a corner again, but supporters may want to keep the feature enabled to help the organisation stay afloat.
Source: mozilla
