this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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[–] [email protected] 152 points 5 months ago (2 children)

We’ve been collaborating with Meta on this, because any successful mechanism will need to be actually useful to advertisers, and designing something that Mozilla and Meta are simultaneously happy with is a good indicator we’ve hit the mark.

Oh, truly? Facebook happy with something that somehow respects people's privacy and integrity? Perhaps instead it just shows that Mozilla is slipping. Because they have been, and at this rate it seems like they won't stop. Sad to see.

There is a toggle to turn it off because some people object to advertising irrespective of the privacy properties, and we support people configuring their browser however they choose.

That's not good enough. If this thing needs to be present, the option should be there to toggle on, not off. I don't opt-in to privacy in my bathroom or bedroom, the privacy is mine by default. I don't have to announce to the world that I don't want it peeking in.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 5 months ago (3 children)

If this thing needs to be present, the option should be there to toggle on, not off.

This is my takeaway in general. The idea of this sounds fine, but the fact that they opted everyone into this experiment is really stupid considering a huge chunk of people use Firefox are privacy-conscious and care deeply about this stuff.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

Well you close and lock the door. So you kind of do opt-in. It's just muscle memory at that point.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Isn't privacy invasion (ie, cookies) already ON by default? What's the difference?

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago

Not all cookies are harmful and some websites don't work properly without cookies. Having cookies off by default also usually means user preferences wouldn't be saved when you leave and return to a website.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago

Cookies have non-infringing uses, like identifying you to Lemmy's Web interface so that you can post from your account with the settings you've chosen for it. Problem is, even sites where they have a proper purpose don't set them at the appropriate time (as part of the login process, or when you first add something to your shopping cart for ecommerce sites).

Ad tracking has absolutely no uses that benefit the user, unless they're the type of weirdo who actually clicks on ads voluntarily, which I'd guess is less than 1% of the population. Those people can use the opt-in toggle if they want.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Honestly?

Yes, it is shitty. But if you at all care about privacy you should be monitoring your software anyway. You never know when a previously "good" companies will do something you disagree with

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Yes, it is shitty. But if you at all care about privacy you should be monitoring your software anyway.

That's only the case because privacy isn't the default, and it should be. Privacy is something that's been taken from us. I think people that don't want to learn or care much about privacy are still entitled to it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Pretty much, if you're security conscious you'll go and turn it off, if it keeps meta from lobbying against the mozzila foundation it seems like a happy middle ground.

If/when they make it so you can't turn it off anymore that will be a different story

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Do we think anyone would actually opt in?

I’m not saying you’re wrong, just that making it opt-in is probably seen in this case as equivalent to throwing the entire feature in the trash.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You're probably right, and that's precisely the point. They're wasting time and resources on something no one wants.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I’m with you there. The only explanation that makes sense to me is if they’re really hurting for cash. And if they are, I honestly don’t have a solution that falls between “go bankrupt” and “sell out our users in the least noxious way we can come up with.”