Firefox Suggest

[Michael Feldman]

We will be updating the Firefox Privacy Notice to include a new optional feature called Firefox Suggest. The proposed addition is below and we appreciate getting your feedback over the next 10 days (by September 25, 2021). 

These blog posts[1][2] have more background on the new feature, which uses search queries to suggest relevant websites and products, some of which are sponsored.

When contextual suggestions are enabled, Firefox Suggest will send Mozilla search terms and information about engagement with Firefox Suggest, some of which may be shared with partners to provide and improve the suggested content. As always, the privacy and security of our users is paramount. We have implemented mitigations to ensure the privacy of our users—including, only collecting the data needed to provide and improve the service (consistent with our Lean Data Practices[3]), and removing identifiable information before users’ search terms are sent to our partners. 

Thanks,

Michael Feldman

Product Counsel

Mozilla

[1] https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/firefox-news/firefox-suggest/

[2] https://blog.mozilla.org/data/2021/09/15/data-and-firefox-suggest/

[3] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/policy/lean-data/

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Proposed Firefox Suggest Addition to Privacy Notice

Mozilla is developing a new feature that helps deliver you better information with less effort. It’s called Firefox Suggest and an early version of it is currently available to users in the United States. Firefox Suggest shows you recommended and sponsored content. We take measures to limit our and our partners’ ability to identify you. Learn more[4], including how to enable and disable this feature.

To improve your browsing experience and to improve the product, Firefox shares the following information when enabled:

Searches: Firefox sends Mozilla what you type into the search bar, and Mozilla may share that data with its partners[5]. 

Sites you visit: For the Suggestions you click, Firefox sends Mozilla the website URL, and may share that data with its partners[6]. 

Location data: Firefox sends Mozilla your IP address which we use to suggest content based on your country, state, and city. Mozilla shares location information with our partners, but partners will not receive your IP address. 

Technical & interaction data: Firefox sends Mozilla data such as the number of times Firefox suggests or displays content and your clicks on that content, as well as basic data about your interactions with Firefox Suggest. Mozilla shares information with our partners[7] about how many times suggestions are shown and clicked for verification and feature improvement. 

[4], [5], [6], [7] [https://support.mozilla.org/kb/navigate-web-faster-firefox-suggest?as=u&utm_source=inproduc]

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Michael Feldman

Product Counsel

mfel...@mozilla.com

[Steve Pointer]

Hi Michael

I thought the Moziila Manifesto listed:

"Individuals’ security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional"

Whilst this may be legal if listed in the small print, I do not think this matches with what people would expect of Mozilla.  If you are collecting any feedback/NPS etc and reporting it back to the project.  I would suggest that this is a FAIL and potentially damaging to Mozillas reputation.  Think of the damage caused by Facebook/Cambridge Analytica.

Steve P

[Irvin Chen]

> Searches: Firefox sends Mozilla what you type into the search bar, and Mozilla may share that data with its partners[5]. 

I think we should make it very clear at this change that we will share the data with partners “only with the user’s specifically agreement” to this “feature” or partnership. 

In the current Firefox Nightly, we start to labeled the history & shortcuts results also with "Firefox Suggest”, and I already heard that some Mozillians perceived that the awesome bar data were (already) shared with ads partners in latest nightly without any notice or request to opt-in.

I believe we should make it very clear that the awesome bar search is and will not shared with ad partner default, unless the user specifically click “agree” in the model that ask them to participate with the feature.

Irvin

@ irvinfly: community liaison
moztw.org Mozilla Taiwan community

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