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“On Wednesday we shared that we’re introducing a new Terms of Use (TOU) and #PrivacyNotice for #Firefox. Since then, we’ve been listening to some of our community’s concerns with parts of the #TOU, specifically about licensing. Our intent was just to be as clear as possible about how we make Firefox work, but in doing so we also created some confusion and concern. With that in mind, we’re updating the language to more clearly reflect the limited scope of how Mozilla interacts with #UserData.

Here’s what the new language will say:” — Ajit “CockWomble” Varma

“MY REALITY IS JUST DIFFERENT THAN YOURS,”

<https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/update-on-terms-of-use>

“The #nonprofit organization (#Mozilla) that supports the #Firefox web browser said today it is winding down its new partnership with Onerep, an identity protection service recently bundled with Firefox that offers to remove users from hundreds of people-search sites. The move comes just days after a report by #KrebsOnSecurity forced #Onerep’s #CEO to admit that he has founded dozens of people-search networks over the years.” 1)

Where are the #Mozilla “Conflict of Interest Policy Documents” outlined in <https://assets.mofoprod.net/network/documents/Conflict_of_Interest_Policy_2022_May_2022.pdf>?

Reference
[1] <https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/03/mozilla-drops-onerep-after-ceo-admits-to-running-people-search-networks/>

#Mozilla has no credibility.

“Conflicts of interest arise when a #Director, #Officer or #KeyEmployee has a personal, professional or business interest that is at odds with the individual's duty of loyalty to the Foundation, described below. Whether actual or perceived, #ConflictsOfInterest (defined below) have the potential to damage the Foundation’s credibility, thereby adversely affecting its ability to fulfill its mission and programmatic goals. If not managed properly, Conflicts of Interest can also undermine the trust and confidence of Mozilla Community members and the Foundation’s donors on whom the Foundation’s success depends.

Conflicts of Interest are not necessarily prohibited or harmful to the Foundation provided (i) they are identified and properly managed, and (ii) the Interested Person (defined below) refrains from acting on behalf of, or attempting to influence, the Foundation as provided herein.

This Policy is designed to assist Directors, Officers and Key Employees in the performance of their duties and to state clear guidelines to be followed in identifying and resolving potential and actual Conflicts of Interest, including self dealing issues, and situations that give rise to the appearance or perception of a Conflict of Interest.”

< https://assets.mofoprod.net/network/documents/Conflict_of_Interest_Policy_2022_May_2022.pdf>

“Principle 4. Individuals’ #security and #privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional.”

“The Mozilla #Manifesto Addendum

Pledge for a Healthy #Internet

The open, global internet is the most powerful communication and collaboration resource we have ever seen. It embodies some of our deepest hopes for human progress. It enables new opportunities for learning, building a sense of shared humanity, and solving the pressing problems facing people everywhere.

Over the last decade we have seen this promise fulfilled in many ways. We have also seen the power of the internet used to magnify divisiveness, incite violence, promote hatred, and intentionally manipulate fact and reality. We have learned that we should more explicitly set out our aspirations for the human experience of the internet. We do so now.”

Lol Principles

#mozilla <https://mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/>

“#FreeOur Feeds is overseen by these nine: #NabihaSyed, executive director at #Mozilla Foundation; #RobinBerjon, independent technologist; #MarkSurman, president at Mozilla Foundation; #MalloryKnodel, executive director at #SocialWebFoundation; #EliPariser, co-founder of #Avaaz; #PhilBeaudoin, entrepreneur; #MarcFaddoul, co-founder of #AIForensics; #DeeptiDoshi, co-director at #New_ Public; and #SherifElsayedAli, executive director at #FutureofTechnologyInstitute.

And the group arrives with endorsements from a set of celebrities, academics, entrepreneurs, politicians, journalists, and activists, including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Harvard Business School Professor Emerita Shoshana Zuboff, Incredible Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo, and activist and author Cory Doctorow.”

So this is the kind of grab bag technology Mozilla is backing to “secure the Internet” while slurping user data?

<https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/free_our_feeds_decentralized_social_media/>

“#Mozilla is made up of several organizations, one of which is the #MozillaCorporation, which develops Firefox and other technologies, and another is its nonprofit and tax-exempt #MozillaFoundation, which oversees Mozilla’s corporate governance structure and sets the browser maker’s policies. Much of Mozilla’s work focused on advocating for #privacy, #inclusion, and #decentralization of #technologies, and “to create #safer, more #transparent online experiences for #everyone,” which ultimately benefit the #browser maker and its #users.

Announcing the layoffs in an email to all employees on October 30, the Mozilla Foundation’s executive director #NabihaSyed confirmed that two of the foundation’s major divisions — #Advocacy and #GlobalPrograms — are “no longer a part of our structure.””

There you go. One side of Mozilla builds the tools of the Internet, the other does… I can’t for the life of me see what. It’s the #MozillaFoundation who cant engineer the tools that are doing “deals” with others to make things safer.

The power to make change for the better of the Internet is being moved from direct impact, ie: basic technology and applied applications TO soft corporate influence through manifestos, papers, jobs and pay for influencers and collaborations with third parties…

I know what is more effective. Basic engineering and applied products because it scales.

#WhiteCollar / #Layoffs / #CorporatePolicy <https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/05/mozilla-foundation-lays-off-30-staff-drops-advocacy-division/>

Since 2022 the companies that profit from the #Internet have been shedding technical staff in the belief of the power of #AI to replace their #workforce. What are they replacing or redirecting this capacity with?

“Mozilla is eliminating its advocacy division, which fought for a free and open web: The #MozillaFoundation laid off 30 percent of its workforce and completely eliminated its advocacy and global programs divisions, #TechCrunch reports.

While Mozilla is best known for its Firefox web browser, the Mozilla Foundation — the parent of the #MozillaCorporation — describes itself as standing up “for the health of the internet.” With its advocacy and global programs divisions gone, its impact may be lessened going forward.

“Fighting for a free and open internet will always be core to our mission, and advocacy continues to be a critical tool in that work. We’re revisiting how we pursue that work, not stopping it,” #BrandonBorrman, the Mozilla Foundation’s communications chief, said in an email to The Verge. Borrman declined to confirm exactly how many people were laid off, but said it was about “30% of the current team.”

This is Mozilla’s second round of layoffs this year. In February, the Mozilla Corporation laid off around 60 workers said it would be making a “strategic correction” that would involve involve cutting back its work on a Mastodon instance. Mozilla shut down its virtual 3D platform and refocused its efforts on #Firefox and #AI. The Mozilla Foundation had around 120 employees before this more recent round of layoffs, according to TechCrunch.

…

“Navigating this topsy-turvy, distracting time requires laser focus — and sometimes saying goodbye to the excellent work that has gotten us this far because it won’t get us to the next peak,” wrote Syed, who previously worked as the chief executive of The Markup, an investigative news site. “Lofty goals demand hard choices.”

#WhiteCollar / #CorporateGreed <https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/5/24289124/mozilla-foundation-layoffs-advocacy-global-programs>

“that would involve involve cutting back its work on a #Mastodon instance” — #NabhiaSyed, #MozillaCorporate, #Mozilla

And replacing future technical work to improve #Mastodon with this dog pile of AT Protocol concept.

“Free Our Feeds solicits funds to foster AT Protocol that powers decentralized social media”

#FreeOurFeeds / #BlueSky / #Meta / #ATProtocol #ActivityPub <https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/free_our_feeds_decentralized_social_media/>

What is the AT Protocol?

Wikipedia: “The #ATProtocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol, pronounced "@ protocol" and commonly shortened to ATProto) is a protocol and #OpenStandard for #distributed #socialNetworking services. It is under development by #BlueskySocial #PBC, a public benefit corporation originally created as an independent research group within #Twitter to investigate the possibility of #decentralizing the service.”

<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_Protocol>

@peterrenshaw until you can host all of bluesky in a truly federated style for less than $200 a month, account portability in BS is BS :-) #Ymmv

@roland yes that’s a limiting factor. I have no useful intuition on costs but server hosting is one I can grasp. 200 per month is a lot.

@peterrenshaw i'm no expert on decentralized computing. YES it's more difficult & flawed but at least in the case of ActivityPub & Matrix it's clearly documented and financially viable for a small org to run their own ActivityPub server and their own Matrix server unlike BS. Sure you can run your own ATProto PDS but that's it. A centralized org runs everything else. Again, not an expert and others have written better explainers and you probably knew all this anyway :-)

@peterrenshaw and who knows maybe the fine folks running Bluesky will fix ATProto (I'm unencumbered by technical knowledge :-) as always I just write Python and ruby 100 line scripts) and hosting costs will go down and it will be possible for less than $200/month to run a true peer node to the currently centralized Bluesky. That would be cool!

@roland
Inference.

the biggest lie told by startups is you use our service for free, on our servers and don’t read the terms of service.

In return we have the right to infer, sell and use data you use or view. This is the basis of todays advertising, data mining and now AI.

Having your data, on your server prevents this.

@peterrenshaw if i have read Christine Lemmer-Webber and other's posts correctly, even though you have your stuff on a 🅑S PDS, your data is still readable by the 🅑S relay.

@peterrenshaw have you not read "Christine Lemmer-Webber: How decentralized is 🅑luesky really?" <-- IMO An insightful analysis of ATProto and 🅑luesky ! https://dustycloud.org/blog/how-decentralized-is-bluesky/ PDS= Personal Data Server. https://github.com/bluesky-social/pds

@roland ah, thx Roland. I’ll be reading through this.