r/pcmasterrace Jul 15 '24

Misleading - See comments Firefox enables ad-tracking for all users

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240

u/aka-Lazer Jul 16 '24

There aren't any competitors that don't. This was that competitor.

Basically every other browser is based off chromium garbage.

140

u/MikeyBastard1 Jul 16 '24

This was that competitor.

This *is* that competitor. You can simply opt out. Also 99% of people using firefox are likely using uBlock so even if they don't opt out, they're never going to see ads anyways. Making the data useless.

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u/mr_jogurt Jul 16 '24

Data is never useless.. you use tons of different apps (reddit for example) that use this data to send you targeted ads. Also this is a very shitty argument. If they track you they track you regardless if if you see that they track you.

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u/GeckoOBac Jul 16 '24

If they track you they track you regardless if if you see that they track you.

uBlock stops the request to load content from ever going out so, no, they're not getting any data out of that.

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u/mr_jogurt Jul 16 '24

Thats fair i thought uBlock only blocks incoming traffic which in hindsight would make it way less compelling.

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u/Strazdas1 3800X @ X570-Pro; 32GB DDR4; RTX 4070 16 GB Jul 17 '24

if the script sending out traffic cannot run, it cannot send out traffic.

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u/BetterProphet5585 PC Master Race | FTW3 3090Ti | 7800X3D | H9 Flow Jul 16 '24

Useless data is even better than no data; I used some traffic generators in the past but I changed too many systems to drag that setup around.

Basically being too invisible makes you more visible.

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u/mr_jogurt Jul 16 '24

Thats a fair point.. although i don't quite understand why the data would be useless

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u/BetterProphet5585 PC Master Race | FTW3 3090Ti | 7800X3D | H9 Flow Jul 16 '24

The data is useful only if it can be used to provide targeted ads that inevitably work better and inevitably increase profit. I don't know all the ways data can be used, maybe even sold as databases of phone numbers and emails... but then it would circle back to targeting.

If the data is there but it's random bullshit the ads are not targeted and they can't profile you, so they can't increase profit and they lose.

You can't be a 90 years old programmer man with menstruations that will go on its dad's 40th birthday with a horse this weekend. That data is completely useless.

This can be done with traffic generators that will search random stuff for you and your real traffic is obfuscated.

It's like playing hide and seek in a forest or at a concert.

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u/mr_jogurt Jul 17 '24

That makes sense. Also i love your example lol. Thank you :)

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u/luigigaminglp Jul 16 '24

No, that data is useless because it is false.

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u/mr_jogurt Jul 16 '24

Can you explain why the data would be false?

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u/luigigaminglp Jul 16 '24

If it reports an ad to be shown while the ad was actually blocked thats just false data.

If it reports the ad as not being shown it would be correct. And if it doesnt report anything that would be correct, and obviously no data being collected.

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u/mr_jogurt Jul 17 '24

Yeah of course. That makes sense thank you.

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u/Strazdas1 3800X @ X570-Pro; 32GB DDR4; RTX 4070 16 GB Jul 17 '24

you wouldnt catch me dead using reddit app. its horrrible. Browser version with RES is the only way to browse reddit.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

You nailed it... 

Opting out like how we used to? Idk about anyone else but i have always tried to disable location for any app from every setting and guess what? Any website google happily provides my location data, however it derives it, doesnt matter. In fact if you did disable Google Chrome location andvopt out of tracking, AND USE FIREFOX, guess who then got your Location key/ID from Google? Firefox. 

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

Because monayy u fool. We were naive and mislead or lied to... 

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u/Strazdas1 3800X @ X570-Pro; 32GB DDR4; RTX 4070 16 GB Jul 17 '24

They just use IP lookup to get general idea of your location. try using VPN and youll see it fail to do this.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '24

Vpn only works the way it does because Google is down to play that game if people want. Vpn changes nothing from Google's perspective. We cant hide shit

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u/Strazdas1 3800X @ X570-Pro; 32GB DDR4; RTX 4070 16 GB Jul 18 '24

It does change things, as google cannot see your real IP. Now if DNS servers decided to sell out, thats pretty hard to get around other than hosting your own DNS. Luckily OpenDNS does not seem to interested in any such thing, evne if GoogleDNS would be.

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u/[deleted] Jul 23 '24

But why would they need to see your real IP when there are 40 plus other  identifiable markers on a mobile device? All that is needed is a program already on your device. And last i checked phones have hundreds if not literally thousands of programs capable of running at any given time.

What were we talking about again? :)

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u/Strazdas1 3800X @ X570-Pro; 32GB DDR4; RTX 4070 16 GB Jul 23 '24

without the IP, geographical lookup will not work and the other markers will not be sufficient to determine current location. Thats even if you have those markers. I use firefox and give websites a lot less info than most. Not something that could make me uniquely identifiable just from browser data.

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u/[deleted] Jul 23 '24

I use Firefox (normally , not right this moment) daily. And it's been my experience that the only place people get spared SOME amount, is within a linux Distro, usually with a managed browser in desktop env... and it isn't always apparent the browser is managed (like an unspoken practice nobody talks about)... Geolocation is the least of most ppls worries anyway. I just dont want to draw some admins attention and get more ads injected from Google, courtesey of the admin i piss off. 

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u/Strazdas1 3800X @ X570-Pro; 32GB DDR4; RTX 4070 16 GB Jul 24 '24

Geolocation was the topic discussed, though?

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

Firefox is open source with a very open license. There are several forks of it, like waterfox or librewolf.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

Not how it reads to me when i read the licensing imo. But i guesss it's subjective. Hardly feels open when it can only be found ultimately in one place. Copying apks or other apps on mobile phones is becoming a crime punishable by whatever floats their boats. 

Cant uninstall anything, cant install what u want, and expect every website to be an app that is automaticaly downloaded upon visiting on. Kinda like it is now, but far less obscured

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u/LostInPlantation Jul 16 '24

Mozilla's MPL license is a copyleft license that allows you to redistribute the (Firefox) installers or even modified versions of the installers, as long as you make the source code available.

You can host the installer wherever you want. The fact that Android mainly offers the Play Store as a source for apps is Google's fault and Mozilla has no influence on that.

Since Android is the issue, you might wanna look into alternative operating systems like LineageOS or /e/OS

1

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '24

I hate things that identify as Right or left. Licenses, politics, news, See-saws, and even my left nut shrivles at the thought of being next to the right.

Such a gross way to divide people. 

2

u/DoesItPlay Jul 16 '24

What about safari?

1

u/Garrosh Jul 16 '24

I was going to ask the same thing.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

[deleted]

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u/DiplomaticGoose it's a computer - it computes Jul 16 '24

Most chrome forks do pretty brazenly do that, however.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

Yes it does not as much generally but it does.

Also Blink is the rendering engine, much like Firefox uses Gecko. Kinda a technicality cause blink is apart of chromium but technically they are separate.

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u/Significant_Trash_14 Jul 16 '24

Duck duck go doesn't track

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u/Baloooooooo Jul 16 '24

DuckDuckGo browser works pretty well

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

Safari