Mozilla Faces Backlash for Enabling Firefox Tracking Feature Without User Consent

The Austrian non-profit organization noyb (None Of Your Business), is voicing concern about a privacy feature in Firefox that many users have likely not even noticed. Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, enabled this privacy-related feature without notifying its users, and now, noyb has filed a formal complaint.

Why Does This Matter?

If you value privacy and go out of your way to avoid being tracked online, this could be a big deal. We all know that many websites and companies track our behavior online. They use this data to target us with ads, and avoiding this type of tracking can feel like a full-time job.

All browser developers battle this tracking in their own way, and even Google has tried to implement a feature to fight this issue, with its Privacy Sandbox. They were prepared to ditch third-party cookies altogether but decided against it at the last moment.

Firefox's Reputation for Privacy

Firefox has long been regarded as a more privacy-focused browser than many of its competitors. If you've ever looked for a browser that blocks tracking or makes it harder for companies to follow your every move, Firefox might have been on your list.

But here's the kicker—Mozilla implemented a feature called Privacy Preserving Attribution in its latest update, and they turned it on by default, without asking users if they were okay with it.

What Is Privacy Preserving Attribution?

This feature is supposed to help Firefox manage tracking without relying on third-party cookies, which are often considered invasive. In theory, it sounds like a good solution, but as noyb points out, Mozilla gave users no choice.

Instead of individual websites tracking you, Firefox now handles this tracking. While this may be better than the alternative, noyb claims that it violates user rights under the EU's GDPR because users were never asked for consent.

Mozilla's Response and noyb's Concerns

Mozilla says the new feature improves privacy, but noyb isn't convinced. They say that getting tracked by Firefox instead of the websites themselves doesn't solve the issue. It just changes who's doing the tracking. noyb believes users should have been given the chance to opt in to this feature rather than be automatically enrolled.

In fact, as noyb points out, one Firefox developer even admitted that they made the feature opt-in by default because users wouldn't be able to understand how it works or make an informed decision about it.

"Opt-in is only meaningful if users can make an informed decision. I think explaining a system like PPA would be a difficult task. And most users complain a lot about these types of interruption," said the Firefox developers on Mastodon.

If you're worried about this, you can go to Firefox's settings and opt out of this feature.

What Happens Next?

noyb has asked the Austrian Data Protection Authority (DSB) to investigate Mozilla's actions. This investigation could lead to changes not just in Austria but across the entire EU.