Importantly, if you have already opted out of sending data to Mozilla, this change will not affect you. It only sends data if you have the setting turned on. It takes just a few clicks to entirely disable it, and Mozilla deletes all record of your browser within 30 days from turning off this feature. If you're worried about it, do it now, it's just under Settings > Privacy & Security. Instructions are also linked in the blog post.

I'm on the "OK but keep an eye on it" train, here.

Devs need feedback to know how people are using the product, and opt-out tracking is the best way to do it. In this case, it seems like my personal data is completely unidentifiable.

I was coding in the IE6 era, so I'd really prefer to not end up in a browser engine monoculture again.

To disable it in about:config

browser.search.serpEventTelemetry.enabled = false

browser.search.serpEventTelemetryCategorization.enabled = false

Its exactly this kind of bullshit that firefox should not do...

This looks fine, the browser just puts your search into a category like "health" or "tech", then sends the amount of each category completely anonymously.

Also, if you've opted out of data collection already that setting applies to this too.

i know they're a company and they need to float, but this should be opt in not opt out

All we want is 1990s Google, guys. That's really all we want. None of this AI BS that kind find a country in Africa that starts with a K, just Google without the evil enshitification layer on top.

firefox develops an optional predictive search feature like every other search engine and browser has that actually protects user privacy that can easily be turned off so naturally the internet loses their mind over it and declares firefox dead.

As much as I hate to say it, Firefox is a privacy mess.

Pocket and Fakespot have very bad privacy policies. The Windows version has a unique Mozilla tracker if you download the installer from the website, and the android version has Google Analytics built in. The existing and new telemetry is a but heavy, but it's anonymised so it's really the lesser of the various evils.

My recommendation is LibreWolf & Fennec as alternatives.

The important part that you should know (and should already be using):

Remember, you can always opt out of sending any technical or usage data to Firefox. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to adjust your settings.

sigh

Innovation and privacy go hand in hand here at Mozilla

As well as profits and corporate interests.

People speak very good thing about Firefox but they like to hide and avoid the shady stuff. Let me give you the un-cesored version of what Firefox really is. Firefox is better than most, no double there, but at the same time they do have some shady finances and they also do stuff like adding unique IDs to each installation.

Firefox does is a LOT of calling home. Just fire Wireshark alongside it and see how much calling home and even calling 3rd parties it does. From basic ocsp requests to calling Firefox servers and a 3rd party company that does analytics they do it all, even after disabling most stuff in Settings and config like the OP did.

I know other browsers do it as well, except for Ungoogled and because of that I’m sticking with it. I would like to avoid programs that need no snitch whenever I open them. ungoogled-chromium + ublock origin + decentraleyes + clearurls and a few others.

Now you’re free to go ahead and downvote this post as much as you would like. I’m sorry for the trouble and mental break down I may have caused by the sudden realization that Firefox isn’t as good and private after all.

To improve Firefox based on your needs, understanding how users interact with essential functions like search is key.

Buddy, I just want to type a search term and get results. Stop spying on my search. Your only job is to transfer it to the server and then present the result. I don't need you to suggest some bullshit to me, or think of "ways to improve search".

This helps us take a step forward in providing a browsing experience that is more tailored to your needs, without us stepping away from the principles that make us who we are.

No. What the fuck? They are sounding more and more like Google. We need a new alternative that isn't built from Gecko or Blink or whatever the engines are called.

Anti Commercial-AI license

Here’s the current list of categories we’re using: animals, arts, autos, business, career, education, fashion, finance, food, government, health, hobbies, home, inconclusive, news, real estate, society, sports, tech and travel.

No pr0n?