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 offer 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 consists of processing your information as we describe within the Firefox Privateness Discover. 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 means 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 together with your use of Firefox.
The event got here days after the corporate launched a Phrases of Use for Firefox for the primary time, together with an up to date Privateness Discover that goals to offer customers extra transparency in its information practices.
“We have been listening to a few of our group’s considerations with elements of the TOU, particularly about licensing,” Ajit Varma, VP of Product at Mozilla, stated in an announcement. “Our intent was simply to be as clear as doable about how we make Firefox work, however in doing so we additionally created some confusion and concern.”
Mozilla emphasised that it does 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 assorted methods by which a shopper’s private info adjustments arms with one other celebration in trade for financial or different advantages.
On prime of that, it stated it already collects and shares some information with its companions from optionally available adverts served on New Tab and sponsored ideas within the search bar as a way 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 consists of how typically every third-party chatbot supplier is chosen, how typically advised prompts are used, and the size of chosen textual content.
“Each time we share information with our companions, we put a number of work into ensuring that the information that we share is stripped of doubtless figuring out info, or shared solely within the combination, or is put by means of our privateness preserving applied sciences (like OHTTP),” Varma stated.
The pushback towards Mozilla’s Phrases of Use follows Google’s new advert monitoring coverage that has drawn scrutiny from regulators and watchdogs who say it raises privateness considerations.
The Advertisements platforms program insurance policies, which went reside on February 16, 2025, permit the usage of IP addresses to fingerprint customers and attain them throughout platforms with out the necessity to re-identify them. The U.Ok. Info Commissioner’ Workplace (ICO) has known as it an “irresponsible” change.
“Organisations searching for to deploy fingerprinting strategies for promoting might want to reveal how they’re complying with the necessities of knowledge safety regulation,” ICO stated in an announcement. “These embrace offering customers with transparency, securing freely-given consent, guaranteeing honest processing and upholding info rights resembling the suitable to erasure.”
