Mozilla quietly deploys built-in Firebox advertising

[Batu69]

Firefox fans didn't want Mozilla to add ads to their favorite web browser, but more than a year after the idea was first suggested, "Suggested Tiles" have arrived.

In February 2014, Mozilla announced that it was going to add preset tiles that included ads to Firefox. Users hated the idea and Mozilla put the plan on hold. Now, Mozilla has not only brought back the idea of Suggested Tiles Firefox ads, it's deployed them.

How Mozilla's Firefox Suggested Tiles works.

Darren Herman, Mozilla's VP of Content Services, announced in May 2015 that "Suggested Tiles represents an important step for us to improve the state of digital advertising."

Then, this summer, Mozilla quietly launched Suggested Tiles, the organization's first commercial ad product. Well, it will be ads. At the moment, Mozilla claims it's not getting paid for them.

Herman explained, "Since early August, we have been delivering promoted content provided by our first wave of partners including Yahoo, a number of top tier news titles including Fortune Magazine and Quartz, and mission-oriented partners such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation."

Yahoo became Mozilla's biggest commercial partner with its November 2014 default-search engine deal.

Mozilla claims that "Suggested Tiles ensure that user privacy is respected and maintained by using a minimum amount of non-Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data to deliver relevant ads. There is no user modeling, no sharing of data and no unspecified tracking of behavior--the user can actually explicitly see why Tiles is showing certain content."

Herman added, "With Suggested Tiles, we want to show the world that it is possible to do relevant advertising and content recommendations while still respecting users' privacy and giving them control over their data."

That said, Firefox does send your browser history to Mozilla. Once there, your raw data is stored in the system's storage and analysis engine, Disco. The aggregated data is then saved to a data warehouse, Redshift. This data is then used to create high-level aggregate reports for advertisers.

Mozilla is now looking for advertisers. They'll be starting their search at dmexco, a major global digital economy show in Cologne Germany on September 16 and 17.

Do you believe Mozilla's ad assurances? Will it make any difference to you? With only 11 percent of U.S. web browser users currently using Firefox, Mozilla hopes you'll stick with Firefox and its new ads.

Source

[steven36]

Thats why i use the

:P :yes: :tooth:

[CODYQX4]

May as well use Chrome then. No ads IN the browser, sends your data up as well, and isn't about to have every single addon ever made for it broken.

[steven36]

May as well use Chrome then. No ads IN the browser, sends your data up as well, and isn't about to have every single addon ever made for it broken.

That's a year from now you can use ESR version of Firefox tell they get that fixed when they migrate to chrome add-ons . Ive done it before because they had trouble with add-ons or being stable .

Unlike chrome at lest Firefox does have a backup plan .Chrome broke in windows 10 preview here while back you had to use beta since Chrome offers no other stable version.

[fragXpert]

Solution to have a blank new tab page without any tiles, sponsored links or suggested sites:

open application settings (about:config) and set these values:

browser.newtabpage.directory.ping = [empty string]
browser.newtabpage.directory.source = [empty string]
browser.newtabpage.enabled = false
browser.newtabpage.enhanced = false
browser.newtabpage.introShown = true

After that, close Firefox and delete the directoryLinks.json file from your profile dir.

According to a Mozilla Support forum thread, this should get rid of the "various callbacks to tiles.cdn.mozilla.net", too, meaning (if I'm not mistaken) your browser history shouldn't be used for suggested sites (aka targeted ads) anymore.

[CODYQX4]

Solution to have a blank new tab page without any tiles, sponsored links or suggested sites:

open application settings (about:config) and set these values:

browser.newtabpage.directory.ping = [empty string]

browser.newtabpage.directory.source = [empty string]

browser.newtabpage.enabled = false

browser.newtabpage.enhanced = false

browser.newtabpage.introShown = true

After that, close Firefox and delete the directoryLinks.json file from your profile dir.

According to a Mozilla Support forum thread, this should get rid of the "various callbacks to tiles.cdn.mozilla.net", too, meaning (if I'm not mistaken) your browser history shouldn't be used for suggested sites (aka targeted ads) anymore.

I recommend blocking that url with uBlock/uMatrix. I did so on a test copy way back, though I don't actively use Firefox. Your history gets sent up to that URL unnecessarily.

[steven36]

Solution to have a blank new tab page without any tiles, sponsored links or suggested sites:

open application settings (about:config) and set these values:

browser.newtabpage.directory.ping = [empty string]

browser.newtabpage.directory.source = [empty string]

browser.newtabpage.enabled = false

browser.newtabpage.enhanced = false

browser.newtabpage.introShown = true

After that, close Firefox and delete the directoryLinks.json file from your profile dir.

According to a Mozilla Support forum thread, this should get rid of the "various callbacks to tiles.cdn.mozilla.net", too, meaning (if I'm not mistaken) your browser history shouldn't be used for suggested sites (aka targeted ads) anymore.

I posted about this and tested it along time ago how to do this is old Firefox news :lol:

But its much easier to use Cyberfox and it dont have none of this Every since they put Australis in there Browser Its went down hill every since and you have to try and reverse things all the time . I Switched to Cyberfox were ether it dont exist to began with or has reverse settings in the browser settings or CyberCTR .

. :P

[dcs18]

Solution to have a blank new tab page without any tiles, sponsored links or suggested sites:

open application settings (about:config) and set these values:

browser.newtabpage.introShown = true

Just a heads up — the correct about:config entry is:—

("browser.newtabpage.introShown", false)

FWIW, I see none of the advertisements on my Firefox copy — probably due to the fact that I have a few more about:config entries, in place. B)

[mkc21]

greedy motherfuckers.

[Cereberus]

adverts even via legitimate sites are susceptible to having malware injected into them. and as such, adverts are now what flash became, a vector for malware to get onto your devices.

Source:

http://www.neowin.net/news/google-takes-action-against-ad-injectors-after-300k-complaints-from-chrome-users

So even if your unconcerned about privacy of the data advertisers collect on you, or products being spammed to you. You now also have to contend with adverts being a possible malware vector now.... so is it then really worth viewing ads that instances could be a possible and even unnecessary risk to opening yourself up to malware ?

This is why i feel having adverts directly added into the browser is a BAD IDEA, and not in myself interests at all.

At least with google search engine, i can opt for alternative like duckduckgo. whereas a browser is core to browsing webpages, so you can't avoid using it, unless you opt for a different browser (chrome ?)

[CODYQX4]

adverts even via legitimate sites are susceptible to having malware injected into them. and as such, adverts are now what flash became, a vector for malware to get onto your devices.

Source:

http://www.neowin.net/news/google-takes-action-against-ad-injectors-after-300k-complaints-from-chrome-users

So even if your unconcerned about privacy of the data advertisers collect on you, or products being spammed to you. You now also have to contend with adverts being a possible malware vector now.... so is it then really worth viewing ads that instances could be a possible and even unnecessary risk to opening yourself up to malware ?

This is why i feel having adverts directly added into the browser is a BAD IDEA, and not in myself interests at all.

At least with google search engine, i can opt for alternative like duckduckgo. whereas a browser is core to browsing webpages, so you can't avoid using it, unless you opt for a different browser (chrome ?)

I argue that today, quite possibly the most effective Anti-Virus is an AdBlocker.

Most people don't get hacked via exploits. They download crap and willingly run it... and what do you expect? I once went to download iTunes for someone, and the first link (a paid Google Ad, on Google), was, once you squinted at the link, malware. I had just searched for iTunes download to quickly get to the download page. I knew better. The average user would have likely gone the whole way, because Google thinks it's OK, right?

[steven36]

Google just wants to replace ads from being flash to HTML5. replace one set of exploits for a new set of exploits . There not trying to stop ads ffs they make ads . There just trying replace them with there own buggy technology. :P

[CODYQX4]

Google just wants to replace ads from being flash to HTML5. replace one set of exploits for a new set of exploits . There not trying to stop ads ffs they make ads . There just trying replace them with there own buggy technology. :P

HTML 5 will become the new Flash if they don't stop dicking around. There is no reason my browser needs to be an Operating System itself. I use Chrome for the internet. I'd rather use programs for the other stuff.

Hence, stuff like WebRTC baked into the main browser. Nothing but a security risk to me. I don't video chat anyway.

[Cereberus]

some people just like getting adware/viruses/pop ups or just downright defend running an insecure setup. i don't know why they are such sadist, nor do i care to know lelele -_-

[steven36]

Google just wants to replace ads from being flash to HTML5. replace one set of exploits for a new set of exploits . There not trying to stop ads ffs they make ads . There just trying replace them with there own buggy technology. :P

HTML 5 will become the new Flash if they don't stop dicking around. There is no reason my browser needs to be an Operating System itself. I use Chrome for the internet. I'd rather use programs for the other stuff.

Hence, stuff like WebRTC baked into the main browser. Nothing but a security risk to me. I don't video chat anyway.

Thing is for me flash is more safe than HTML5 I have to use several addons to try to stop them from HTML5 exploiting . Flash is easy I just turn it off when not watching videos I can even stream YouTube trough my media player without a browser or flash in different type of formats. HTML5 cant be truned off only its exploits can be weakened with 3rd party addons. People who get infected from flash ads dont have brains to use ad block and flashblock or turn it off when not using it.

[fragXpert]

Solution to have a blank new tab page without any tiles, sponsored links or suggested sites:

open application settings (about:config) and set these values:

browser.newtabpage.introShown = true

Just a heads up — the correct about:config entry is:—

("browser.newtabpage.introShown", false)

FWIW, I see none of the advertisements on my Firefox copy — probably due to the fact that I have a few more about:config entries, in place. B)

I beg to differ. "browser.newtabpage.introShown" set to "false" will trigger the "New Tab got an update..." intro message when you open a new tab for the first time. But if you disable the "enhanced" new tab page and use the blank new tab without tiles, this setting is obviously completely irrelevant anyway.

[dcs18]

Solution to have a blank new tab page without any tiles, sponsored links or suggested sites:

open application settings (about:config) and set these values:

browser.newtabpage.introShown = true

Just a heads up — the correct about:config entry is:—

("browser.newtabpage.introShown", false)

FWIW, I see none of the advertisements on my Firefox copy — probably due to the fact that I have a few more about:config entries, in place. B)

I beg to differ. "browser.newtabpage.introShown" set to "false" will trigger the "New Tab got an update..." intro message when you open a new tab for the first time. But if you disable the "enhanced" new tab page and use the blank new tab without tiles, this setting is obviously completely irrelevant anyway.

:tehe: