Mozilla Slipped a ‘Mr. Robot’-Promo Plugin into Firefox and Users Are Pissed

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
> Date: December 16, 2017 at 12:24:03 AM EST
> To: Infowarrior List <infowarrior () attrition org>
> Cc: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Mozilla Slipped a ‘Mr. Robot’-Promo Plugin into Firefox and Users Are Pissed 
>
>
> Mozilla Slipped a ‘Mr. Robot’-Promo Plugin into Firefox and Users Are Pissed
>
> Kate Conger
>
> https://gizmodo.com/mozilla-slipped-a-mr-robot-promo-plugin-into-firefox-1821332254
>
> Mozilla sneaked a browser plugin that promotes Mr. Robot into Firefox—and managed to piss off a bunch of its 
> privacy-conscious users in the process.
>
> The extension, called Looking Glass, is intended to promote an augmented reality game to “further your immersion into 
> the Mr. Robot universe,” according to Mozilla. It was automatically added to Firefox users’ browsers this week with 
> no explanation except the cryptic message, “MY REALITY IS JUST DIFFERENT THAN YOURS,” prompting users to worry on 
> Reddit that they’d been hit with spyware.
>
> “I have no idea what it is or where it came from. I freaked out a bit and uninstalled it immediately,” one user wrote 
> on Reddit.
>
> Without an explanation included with the extension, users were left digging around in the code for Looking Glass to 
> find answers. Looking Glass was updated for some users today with a description that explains the connection to Mr. 
> Robot and lets users know that the extension won’t activate without explicit opt-in.
>
> “Mozilla folks, what you did with this addon this was stupid and moronic. Most users are not programmers; most people 
> don’t watch Mr. Robot; and most people are not going to waste a bunch of time tracking down stupid crap like this,” 
> another user wrote on Reddit.
>
> Mozilla’s updated description of the plug-in.
> Mozilla justified its decision to include the extension because Mr. Robot promotes user privacy. “The Mr. Robot 
> series centers around the theme of online privacy and security,” the company said in an explanation of the mysterious 
> extension. “One of the 10 guiding principles of Mozilla’s mission is that individuals’ security and privacy on the 
> internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional. The more people know about what information they are 
> sharing online, the more they can protect their privacy.”
>
> It is currently unclear what user-privacy considerations Mozilla management made before deciding to auto-install the 
> Mr. Robot plugin into Firefox. A representative told Gizmodo the company is looking into the issue.
>
> Even some of Mozilla’s own employees aren’t happy about the extension. Steve Klabnik, a software developer at 
> Mozilla, said that employees had been told that Firefox would do a promotion with Mr. Robot, but weren’t clued in to 
> the details. “How can we claim to be pro-privacy while surreptitiously installing software on people’s computers?” he 
> tweeted. “More importantly, how did management not see this as a problem?”
>
> If you don’t want some random Mr. Robot-themed game installed in your browser, you can remove it by going to your 
> Firefox menu, clicking Add Ons, going to the extensions tab, and removing Looking Glass. And if you do want a Mr. 
> Robot game in your browser... congrats. It’s already there.
>
> Update, 4:15 p.m.:
>
> “Firefox worked with the Mr. Robot team to create a custom experience that would surprise and delight fans of the 
> show and our users. It’s especially important to call out that this collaboration does not compromise our principles 
> or values regarding privacy. The experience does not collect or share any data,” Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, chief marketing 
> officer of Mozilla, said in a statement to Gizmodo. “The experience was kept under wraps to be introduced at the 
> conclusion of the season of Mr. Robot. We gave Mr. Robot fans a unique mystery to solve to deepen their connection 
> and engagement with the show and is only available in Firefox.”



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