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submitted 4 weeks ago by yoasif@fedia.io to c/foss@beehaw.org

TL;DR: Mozilla has a new CEO and a new mission: transform Firefox into an AI browser. That has run into some snags, as Firefox users don’t seem that interested in AI. Mozilla is forging ahead, utilizing deceptive patterns (previously known as dark patterns) to nag and annoy people into enabling AI features. You can see this in the introduction of Link Previews, an extremely invasive anti-feature that exists solely to push AI into your experience.

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[-] skarn@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 4 weeks ago

Is this guy for real?

Mozilla says that key points are processed locally to protect your privacy in the release notes, but says nothing about leaking your privacy in showing the link preview (and enabling it by default).

As opposed to the case where you don't have a link preview, and you click on a website to see what it contains, and they get your IP. The author seems to think Mozilla should have protected our privacy by having someone act as the proxy for the request. Because involving a thirds party that receives all these requests and does work for us for free is absolutely how we protect our privacy.

The user might also have mobility impairments that makes a fast click harder, resulting in a longer hold time.

Yes, a feature clearly designed for pushing onto that juicy "people with mobility impairments" userbase.

I don't like the direction Firefox seems to be headed in, but damn people really enjoy getting outraged over everything they do. Around here they get ten times more shit than any other comparable project.

[-] ken@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

The author seems to think Mozilla should have protected our privacy by having someone act as the proxy for the request.

On the proxy part, they actually already have that and using it for some other parts:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/ohttp-explained

TL;DR: Imagine an HTTPS-over-HTTPS proxy. Try to explain it like something groundbreaking without referencing existing tech. Now you have OHTTP.

https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/browser/components/mozcachedohttp/docs/index.html

https://www.fastly.com/blog/firefox-fastly-take-another-step-toward-security-upgrade

It makes me scratch my head a bit why I've never see it enabled for DNS-over-HTTP in default stock Firefox config despite it being supported for years - the endpoints are just not configured. You have to know about it and configure the barely documented URL in about:config for that. Unlike for newtabpage and the FF shopping feature where OHTTP is used by default. Infra costs?

[-] yoasif@fedia.io 2 points 2 days ago

Interestingly, I just interviewed the Waterfox developer, who actually references Oblivious HTTP and his interest in developing this into a paid feature for Waterfox.

[-] ken@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 days ago

That is interesting!

BTW in case you're not aware, direct links to fedia.io like the one you posted just lead to a loginwall so you probably don't want to share those publicly. This one via beehaw.org works for everyone, though: https://beehaw.org/post/24563411

[-] yoasif@fedia.io 1 points 2 days ago

Ooops, I posted a reply to someone earlier and got it right (and forgot this one). Thanks for the heads up (fixed now)!

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this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
28 points (86.8% liked)

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