Some days ago Mozilla released that Firefox will be subject to Terms of Use, To which a large part of the community expressed their discontent due to some changes in the terms of service, especially the changes made to its Privacy Notice.
Basically, in its New updated privacy notice, Mozilla clarified that it can share information, this of course with the "user's consent" and this led to the community expressing discontent and a movement towards forks of the browser.
In response to the growing community outrage Following changes to the language in Firefox's terms of service, Mozilla vice president of product Ajit Varma has offered a detailed explanation that seeks to allay users' privacy concerns.
According to Varma, The controversy arose from a misinterpretation of a clause that, at first, suggested the transfer of rights over the data from users to Mozilla. The wording used at the time was imprecise and open to various interpretations, especially regarding the obligation not to sell data. In response to the confusion, Mozilla has revised and clarified the text of the user agreement.
The updated version of the agreement specifies that users grant Mozilla the rights necessary for Firefox to function properly, without this implying any transfer of ownership of its content. That is, the license granted is non-exclusive, royalty-free and worldwide, and is limited to allowing the browser to process the user's requests, in accordance with the provisions of the privacy notice.
This is what the new notice will say:
You grant Mozilla the rights necessary to operate Firefox. This includes processing your data as described in the Firefox Privacy Notice. It also includes a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to do whatever you request with the content you place in Firefox. This does not grant Mozilla any ownership rights in that content.
Previously, The agreement included vague wording which suggested the possibility of using the information to improve the browsing experience, leading to ambiguous interpretations about the manipulation and use of data.
To make the situation worse, were simultaneously removed from the FAQ section Those strong responses claiming that Firefox doesn't sell users' personal data. Previously, the site highlighted that Firefox was the only browser backed by a nonprofit organization that didn't engage in data sales, a promise considered a fundamental pillar of Firefox's identity. With the revision, the responses have been modified to emphasize privacy and security protections, explaining that the browser blocks third-party trackers, social networks, cryptominers, and fingerprinters.
Varma explained that these changes respond to legal subtleties in the interpretation of the term "data sale" in some jurisdictions. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act defines "sale" very broadly, including activities such as the rental, disclosure, or transfer of personal information in exchange for any type of consideration. This broad interpretation could, in theory, jeopardize Mozilla's commitment not to sell data, especially when considering the use of that data for advertising purposes or training artificial intelligence models.
The update to the terms of service comes in a climate where Mozilla is exploring new forms of monetization, such as promoting its own advertising platform and developing artificial intelligence technologies. Mozilla continues to collect and share information about the ads displayed on the New Tab page and offering sponsored recommendations in the address bar. However, this data is transferred anonymously or in aggregate form, and the entire process is clearly described in the privacy notice.
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