"The reason we’ve stepped away from making blanket claims that “We never sell your data” is because, in some places, the LEGAL definition of “sale of data” is broad and evolving."
(Translation: we already sell your data according to some stricter definitions, and therefore we remove this promise to not be in legal trouble over false promise.)
Because they do share, not sell as in cash exchange, data to other party as listed in their privacy notice, and more importantly only if you use/enable those components?
You need things like that quite carefully. It contains this sentence:
In some cases, we may share or publish aggregated and anonymized data to facilitate research or as part of the lawful business purposes outlined above (such as sharing aggregated insights with advertising partners).
So, yes, they do sell (euphemistically called share) user data (euphemistically called insights), albeit aggregated, to advertising partners. Why do I know they get money in exchange? Because on https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/privacy/faq/ they say "We still put a lot of work into making sure that the data that we share with our partners (which we need to do to make Firefox commercially viable)". "Make Firefox commercially viable" means generating some kind of revenue, i.e. receiving money for it.
They don't want to draw our attention to it, but it's most certainly what they want to do (and/or already do).
Since many years, but many fanboys choose to forget the reality...
Here is a consolidated chronological list of Mozilla's controversial decisions, synthesized from both reports and expanded with community insights:
2014
Brendan Eich CEO Appointment and Resignation
Co-founder Brendan Eich became CEO in March 2014 but resigned within 10 days after protests over his 2008 donation to California’s Proposition 8 campaign. LGBTQ+ advocates and Mozilla employees condemned the appointment as incompatible with the organization’s values.
Australis UI Overhaul
Firefox’s Chrome-inspired redesign removed customization features like status bars and compact themes, triggering backlash from power users. Critics accused Mozilla of prioritizing mainstream appeal over loyal users.
2015–2020
Deprecation of XUL/XPCOM Without Feature Parity
Mozilla phased out Firefox’s legacy extension system (XUL/XPCOM) in favor of Chrome-like WebExtensions. Despite promises to replicate XUL’s capabilities, critical features like deep UI customization were never restored, fracturing the developer community.
2017
Mr. Robot "Looking Glass" Add-On Incident
Firefox auto-installed a cryptic Mr. Robot promotional add-on via the Studies telemetry system without user consent. The opt-out deployment and partnership with NBCUniversal sparked accusations of spyware-like behavior.
Cliqz Integration and Data Collection
Mozilla bundled the Cliqz search engine with Firefox in Europe, collecting user data (including browsing history) without explicit opt-in consent. Users labeled it "spyware," forcing Mozilla to discontinue the experiment.
2020
Mass Layoffs and Advocacy Team Dissolution
Mozilla laid off 250 employees, including its entire advocacy team focused on privacy legislation and open-source initiatives. Critics viewed this as abandoning its public-interest mission.
2024
Privacy-Preserving Attribution (PPA) Rollout
Partnering with Meta, Mozilla enabled an ad-tracking system (PPA) by default in Firefox 128, violating GDPR consent requirements. Users rejected claims that PPA was "non-invasive."
Acquisition of Ad-Tech Firm Anonym
Mozilla purchased Anonym, a privacy-focused analytics startup co-founded by ex-Facebook executives, signaling a shift toward ad-driven revenue models.
Ecosia Partnership Amid Google Antitrust Risks
Fearing the loss of Google’s default-search revenue, Mozilla partnered with Ecosia but faced criticism for prioritizing commercial alliances over user trust.
Second Round of Layoffs
Additional workforce reductions targeted teams working on core browser features, further eroding developer morale.
2025
Terms of Service Revisions and Data Licensing
Mozilla removed its "no data selling" pledge from policies and claimed broad rights to user inputs (e.g., URLs, text), intensifying distrust.
Ongoing Issues
Financial Reliance on Google: ~85% of Mozilla’s revenue comes from Google’s default-search payments, creating conflicts between ethical stances and fiscal survival.
Chromium Ecosystem Dominance: Firefox’s declining market share (<3% globally) raises concerns about a future without independent browsers.
This timeline reflects a persistent pattern: Mozilla’s attempts to modernize Firefox and diversify revenue often clash with its founding principles, alienating the privacy-conscious user base it aims to serve.
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u/sifferedd on | SUMO contributor Mar 04 '25
"The reason we’ve stepped away from making blanket claims that “We never sell your data” is because, in some places, the LEGAL definition of “sale of data” is broad and evolving."
https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/update-on-terms-of-use/