Firefox browser maker Mozilla on Friday up to date its Phrases of Use a second time inside per week following criticism overbroad language that appeared to present the corporate the rights to all info uploaded by customers.
The revised Phrases of Use now states –
You give Mozilla the rights essential to function Firefox. This contains processing your information as we describe within the Firefox Privacy Notice. It additionally features a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license for the aim of doing as you request with the content material you enter in Firefox. This doesn’t give Mozilla any possession in that content material.
A earlier model of this clause, which went into impact on February 26, stated –
Whenever you add or enter info by way of Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to make use of that info that will help you navigate, expertise, and work together with on-line content material as you point out along with your use of Firefox.
The event got here days after the corporate introduced a Phrases of Use for Firefox for the primary time, together with an up to date Privacy Notice that goals to present customers extra transparency in its information practices.
“We have been listening to a few of our neighborhood’s issues with elements of the TOU, particularly about licensing,” Ajit Varma, VP of Product at Mozilla, said in a press release. “Our intent was simply to be as clear as attainable about how we make Firefox work, however in doing so we additionally created some confusion and concern.”
Mozilla emphasised that it would not promote or purchase information about its customers, and that it made the adjustments as a result of sure jurisdictions outline the time period “promote” extra broadly than others, incorporating the varied methods by which a client’s private info adjustments arms with one other get together in change for financial or different advantages.
On high of that, it stated it already collects and shares some information with its companions from non-compulsory adverts served on New Tab and sponsored suggestions within the search bar as a method to remain “commercially viable.”
Mozilla additionally identified that whereas it doesn’t entry customers’ conversations with third-party synthetic intelligence (AI) chatbots enabled by way of the sidebar (and thru a shortcut), it does collect technical and interplay information on how this characteristic is used to assist enhance the Firefox browser.
This contains how usually every third-party chatbot supplier is chosen, how usually advised prompts are used, and the size of chosen textual content.
“Every time we share information with our companions, we put plenty of work into ensuring that the info that we share is stripped of probably figuring out info, or shared solely within the mixture, or is put by way of our privateness preserving applied sciences (like OHTTP),” Varma stated.
The pushback towards Mozilla’s Phrases of Use follows Google’s new ad tracking policy that has drawn scrutiny from regulators and watchdogs who say it raises privateness issues.
The Ads platforms program policies, which went stay on February 16, 2025, permit using IP addresses to fingerprint customers and attain them throughout platforms with out the necessity to re-identify them. The U.Okay. Data Commissioner’ Workplace (ICO) has known as it an “irresponsible” change.
“Organisations searching for to deploy fingerprinting strategies for promoting might want to display how they’re complying with the necessities of information safety regulation,” ICO said in a press release. “These embrace offering customers with transparency, securing freely-given consent, guaranteeing honest processing and upholding info rights resembling the suitable to erasure.”
