AI Summary:

Overview:

  • Mozilla is updating its new Terms of Use for Firefox due to criticism over unclear language about user data.
  • Original terms seemed to give Mozilla broad ownership of user data, causing concern.
  • Updated terms emphasize limited scope of data interaction, stating Mozilla only needs rights necessary to operate Firefox.
  • Mozilla acknowledges confusion and aims to clarify their intent to make Firefox work without owning user content.
  • Company explains they don’t make blanket claims of “never selling data” due to evolving legal definitions and obligations.
  • Mozilla collects and shares some data with partners to keep Firefox commercially viable, but ensures data is anonymized or shared in aggregate.
  • imecth@fedia.io
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    8 hours ago

    Software makers did just fine without telemetry for decades

    They actually did not, almost every software out there is mining your information. Software developers rely on and need data, you can’t guess what people want. Whether it’s from studies, testers, surveys, or telemetry, developers need information about what users like, what they don’t, how they interact with the software… This is what makes data so valuable, and why businesses like Google can exist. Denying open source software telemetry is shooting yourself in the foot.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      6 hours ago

      . Software developers rely on and need data, you can’t guess what people want.

      Why would I want software developers (particularly web browser) to guess what I want? I will tell them what I want, otherwise they have no business serving it to me.

      If I’m not offering that data, it means I don’t want you to have it. Simple as that.

      • imecth@fedia.io
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        5 hours ago

        I will tell them what I want

        You might, but 99% of users will never take a step towards giving any feedback whatsoever.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          5 hours ago

          Yes, which means they don’t want anything from them. Rather than seeing those people as nothing more than potential profit, just move on.

          • imecth@fedia.io
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            5 hours ago

            Yes, which means they don’t want anything from them.

            And yet they’re using the application. Don’t you want the applications that you use to work better? This is what telemetry enables, the ability to give feedback without jumping through 10 hoops, creating an account, responding to a survey, or whatever other method you’re thinking of to give feedback.