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 provide the corporate the rights to all data 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 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, mentioned –
While you add or enter data by way of Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to make use of that data 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 provide customers extra transparency in its information practices.
“We have been listening to a few of our neighborhood’s issues with components of the TOU, particularly about licensing,” Ajit Varma, VP of Product at Mozilla, mentioned in an announcement. “Our intent was simply to be as clear as potential 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 modifications 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 data modifications arms with one other occasion in alternate for financial or different advantages.
On high of that, it mentioned it already collects and shares some information with its companions from non-compulsory adverts served on New Tab and sponsored solutions 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 typically every third-party chatbot supplier is chosen, how typically recommended prompts are used, and the size of chosen textual content.
“At any time when we share information with our companions, we put a number of work into ensuring that the info that we share is stripped of probably figuring out data, or shared solely within the mixture, or is put by way of our privateness preserving applied sciences (like OHTTP),” Varma mentioned.
The pushback in opposition to 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 issues.
The Adverts platforms program insurance policies, which went dwell on February 16, 2025, enable the usage of IP addresses to fingerprint customers and attain them throughout platforms with out the necessity to re-identify them. The U.Okay. Info Commissioner’ Workplace (ICO) has known as it an “irresponsible” change.
“Organisations in search of to deploy fingerprinting methods for promoting might want to reveal how they’re complying with the necessities of knowledge safety regulation,” ICO mentioned in an announcement. “These embrace offering customers with transparency, securing freely-given consent, making certain honest processing and upholding data rights resembling the proper to erasure.”
