[privacy] Firefox 2.0 Releases Privacy Storm

["Fergie" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

Via Platinax Small Business News (w/ props to privacy.org).

[snip]

The most-awaited Firefox 2.0 was launched by the Mozilla Foundation
yesterday - and immediately generated a storm of protests over privacy
issues.

Key to privacy concerns is that Mozilla have set up their long-awaited
phishing protection feature on Firefox 2.0 - but to use it properly,
you have to send Google a record of every single website you visit.

A cookie will record all your behaviour data when using Firefox and
provide the information free to Google, who can then use that
information for their own commercial purposes.

Although, the feature does require an explicit opt-in, it’s an
unwelcome trade-off for many Firefox users, who believe that there is
no reason to tie-in phishing protection with providing free data to a
billion-dollar multinational.

The concerns may be damaging to the Mozilla Foundation - who have long
had a close relationship with Google - and who became a “for-profit”
business last year.

[snip]

More:
http://www.platinax.co.uk/news/26-10-2006/firefox-2-releases-privacy-storm/

- ferg


--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg(at)netzero.net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/

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