Mozilla introduces TOS to Firefox: Difference between revisions

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{{Incomplete|Issue 1= This article is being written as this incident is ongoing so the severity and relevance to the wiki is still to be determined.|Issue 2= The [https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/update-on-terms-of-use/ update issued] by mozilla on Feb 28 is not included }}

In February 2025 Mozilla introduced [[Terms of service|terms of use]] (TOS) for the Firefox browser for the first time as well as an updated {{wplink|Privacy policy|privacy policy}}. ~~The new privacy policy~~ has caused concern among ~~the browser's user revolving around the way the~~ section ~~that describes the rights Mozilla has over their data is~~ phrased.

In February 2025 Mozilla introduced [[Terms of service|terms of use]] (TOS) for the Firefox browser for the first time as well as an updated {{wplink|Privacy policy|privacy policy}}. These terms of service contain a section about the rights and permissions the user gives to Mozilla. This has caused concern among Firefox users due to how this section was initially phrased.

==Background==

~~Mozilla anounced on~~ the 26th of February 2025 ~~the introduction~~ of ~~a TOS~~ and ~~an updated~~ privacy policy for the Firefox web browser. In the ~~topics outlined in the TOS past use of~~ the browser and ~~transparency around it was handled via the open source license and~~ public commitments by ~~the organization~~.<ref name="tos-announce">

On the 26th of February 2025, Mozilla announced they were introducing terms of service and updating their privacy policy for the Firefox web browser. Until February 2025, Mozilla always relied on Firefox's open source license (the [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/ Mozilla Public License version 2.0]) for the browser and their public commitments. They say that by adding these terms, they want to make their commitments "abundantly clear and accessible".<ref name="tos-announce">

{{cite web

|first= Ajit

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==Questionable phrasing in the TOS and consumer response==

The new terms ~~contain~~ phrasing that has caused concern by ~~the~~ users of Firefox and the reasoning for its inclusion in the privacy focused browser.<ref name="reddit-1">{{cite web

The new terms contained phrasing that has caused concern by users of Firefox and the reasoning for its inclusion in the privacy focused browser.<ref name="reddit-1">{{cite web

|author=

|title= Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227171252/https://lemmy.world/post/26091770

|archive-date=27 Feb 2025

}}</ref>

}}</ref><ref name="moz-connect">

{{cite web

|author=AshleyT

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228135428/https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/information-about-the-new-terms-of-use-and-updated-privacy/m-p/87949/highlight/true#M33725

|archive-date=28 Feb 2025

}}</ref>

}}</ref> Concerns center especially around the phrasing of terms outlined in the section titled "You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions".<ref name="TOS">

Concerns center especially around the phrasing of terms outlined<ref name="TOS">

{{cite web

|author=

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227073459/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/

|archive-date=27 Feb 2025

}}</ref> ~~in the~~ section ~~titled "You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions"~~:

}}</ref>

This is what that section originally said:

You give Mozilla all rights necessary to operate Firefox, including processing data as we describe in the Firefox Privacy Notice, as well as acting on your behalf to help you navigate the internet. When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.

</blockquote>

The vagueness of the terms ~~has~~ resulted in users questioning how much of their data they were granting Mozilla a ~~licence~~ to use, especially since the company puts a lot of emphasis on transparency and privacy on their manifesto.<ref name="manifesto">

The vagueness of the terms resulted in users questioning how much of their data they were granting Mozilla a license to use, especially since the company puts a lot of emphasis on transparency and privacy on their manifesto.<ref name="manifesto">

{{cite web

|author=

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227045402/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/

|archive-date=27 Feb 2025

}}</ref> ~~Of note~~ is the ~~concern of the possible use of~~ user "input" to ~~"help you experience online content" by training and creating~~ AI/~~LLM based tools~~.

}}</ref> One notable concern is the possibility that license to user input could be used to train artificial intelligence tools. This became a concern since Mozilla has recently been working on AI tools.<ref>https://orbitbymozilla.com/</ref>

===Date of effect===

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===Change of Firefox's FAQ===

[[File:Firefox-faq.png|thumb|Firefox FAQ wording changes, new left old right.]]

Also of note is a recent change to the ~~firefox~~ FAQ page<ref name="faq-old">{{cite web

Also of note is a recent change to the Firefox FAQ page to remove the section promising not to sell personal data.<ref name="faq-old">{{cite web

|author=

|title= Firefox FAQ

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227214216/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/faq/

|archive-date=27 Feb 2025

}}</ref> ~~to remove~~ the section ~~promising not to sell personal data~~:

}}</ref>

Before its removal, this is what the section said:

Does Firefox sell your personal data?

Nope. Never have, never will. And we protect you from many of the advertisers who do. Firefox products are designed to protect your privacy. That’s a promise.

~~and~~ removing part of the ~~sentence answering~~ the question "Is Firefox free?" ~~that read~~ ", and we don’t sell your personal data.".

Another section Mozilla changed is removing part of the answer to the question "Is Firefox free?". This section concluded with the phrase "and we don’t sell your personal data.". This section has since been removed.

Both of these were present in the FAQ until at least January 30th 2025 ~~with the removal of the~~ .<ref name="faq">{{cite web

Both of these were present in the FAQ until at least January 30th 2025.<ref name="faq">{{cite web

|author=

|title= Firefox older FAQ

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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130092351/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/faq/

|archive-date=30 Jan 2025

}}</ref>

}}</ref><ref name="github-faq">{{cite web

<ref name="github-faq">{{cite web

|author=

|title= Github commit showing TOS FAQ changes

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==Mozilla's response==

[[File:Firefox-privacy-lawful-bases.png|thumb|Partial screenshot of lawful basis section for data usage from the Firefox privacy policy.]]

~~At the time of writing~~ Mozilla ~~has not issued~~ an ~~official response but has updated the~~ initial blog post to ~~include~~ the ~~following~~<ref name="tos-announce" />:

Initially, Mozilla added an update to their initial blog post in an attempt to clarify the language of the terms of use.<ref name="tos-announce" />

This is what the update says:

'''UPDATE''': We’ve seen a little confusion about the language regarding licenses, so we want to clear that up. We need a license to allow us to make some of the basic functionality of Firefox possible. Without it, we couldn’t use information typed into Firefox, for example. It does NOT give us ownership of your data or a right to use it for anything other than what is described in the Privacy Notice.

</blockquote>

~~While not putting~~ concerns ~~to rest due~~ to the broadness that can be attributed to the wording of the terms~~, the~~ privacy policy ~~does contain~~ fairly extensive and clear statements on how data ~~is to be used by the company~~. It does not explicitly ~~contain~~ mention ~~of AI/LLM~~ tools other than the ability to use third party chat assistants ~~(as well as the fact~~ that Mozilla has no access to ~~those~~ chats).

Notably, this update doesn't address the concerns relating to the broadness that can be attributed to the wording of the terms.

Mozilla's privacy policy contains fairly extensive and clear statements on how Mozilla uses user data. It does not explicitly mention artificial intelligence tools other than the ability to use third party chat assistants. The privacy policy clarifies that Mozilla has no access to these chats.

==See also==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Incomplete|Issue 1= This article is being written as this incident is ongoing so the severity and relevance to the wiki is still to be determined.|Issue 2= The [https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/update-on-terms-of-use/ update issued] by mozilla on Feb 28 is not included }}
-In February 2025 Mozilla introduced [[Terms of service|terms of use]] (TOS) for the Firefox browser for the first time as well as an updated {{wplink|Privacy policy|privacy policy}}. The new privacy policy has caused concern among the browser's user revolving around the way the section that describes the rights Mozilla has over their data is phrased.
+In February 2025 Mozilla introduced [[Terms of service|terms of use]] (TOS) for the Firefox browser for the first time as well as an updated {{wplink|Privacy policy|privacy policy}}. These terms of service contain a section about the rights and permissions the user gives to Mozilla. This has caused concern among Firefox users due to how this section was initially phrased.
 ==Background==
-Mozilla anounced on the 26th of February 2025 the introduction of a TOS and an updated privacy policy for the Firefox web browser. In the topics outlined in the TOS past use of the browser and transparency around it was handled via the open source license and public commitments by the organization.<ref name="tos-announce">
+On the 26th of February 2025, Mozilla announced they were introducing terms of service and updating their privacy policy for the Firefox web browser. Until February 2025, Mozilla always relied on Firefox's open source license (the [https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/ Mozilla Public License version 2.0]) for the browser and their public commitments. They say that by adding these terms, they want to make their commitments "abundantly clear and accessible".<ref name="tos-announce">
 {{cite web
 |first= Ajit
@@ Line 20: / Line 17: @@
 ==Questionable phrasing in the TOS and consumer response==
-The new terms contain phrasing that has caused concern by the users of Firefox and the reasoning for its inclusion in the privacy focused browser.<ref name="reddit-1">{{cite web
+The new terms contained phrasing that has caused concern by users of Firefox and the reasoning for its inclusion in the privacy focused browser.<ref name="reddit-1">{{cite web
 |author=<!--not stated-->
 |title= Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox
@@ Line 49: / Line 46: @@
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227171252/https://lemmy.world/post/26091770
 |archive-date=27 Feb 2025
-}}</ref>
+}}</ref><ref name="moz-connect">
-<ref name="moz-connect">
 {{cite web
 |author=AshleyT
@@ Line 61: / Line 57: @@
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228135428/https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/information-about-the-new-terms-of-use-and-updated-privacy/m-p/87949/highlight/true#M33725
 |archive-date=28 Feb 2025
-}}</ref>
+}}</ref> Concerns center especially around the phrasing of terms outlined in the section titled "You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions".<ref name="TOS">
-Concerns center especially around the phrasing of terms outlined<ref name="TOS">
 {{cite web
 |author=<!--not stated-->
@@ Line 73: / Line 68: @@
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227073459/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/
 |archive-date=27 Feb 2025
-}}</ref> in the section titled "You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions":
+}}</ref>
+This is what that section originally said:
 <blockquote>
 You give Mozilla all rights necessary to operate Firefox, including processing data as we describe in the Firefox Privacy Notice, as well as acting on your behalf to help you navigate the internet. When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.
 </blockquote>
-The vagueness of the terms has resulted in users questioning how much of their data they were granting Mozilla a licence to use, especially since the company puts a lot of emphasis on transparency and privacy on their manifesto.<ref name="manifesto">
+The vagueness of the terms resulted in users questioning how much of their data they were granting Mozilla a license to use, especially since the company puts a lot of emphasis on transparency and privacy on their manifesto.<ref name="manifesto">
 {{cite web
 |author=<!--not stated-->
@@ Line 88: / Line 85: @@
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227045402/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/
 |archive-date=27 Feb 2025
-}}</ref> Of note is the concern of the possible use of user "input" to "help you experience online content" by training and creating AI/LLM based tools.
+}}</ref> One notable concern is the possibility that license to user input could be used to train artificial intelligence tools. This became a concern since Mozilla has recently been working on AI tools.<ref>https://orbitbymozilla.com/</ref>
 ===Date of effect===
@@ Line 94: / Line 91: @@
 ===Change of Firefox's FAQ===
 [[File:Firefox-faq.png|thumb|Firefox FAQ wording changes, new left old right.]]
-Also of note is a recent change to the firefox FAQ page<ref name="faq-old">{{cite web
+Also of note is a recent change to the Firefox FAQ page to remove the section promising not to sell personal data.<ref name="faq-old">{{cite web
 |author=<!--not stated-->
 |title= Firefox FAQ
@@ Line 103: / Line 100: @@
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227214216/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/faq/
 |archive-date=27 Feb 2025
-}}</ref> to remove the section promising not to sell personal data:
+}}</ref>
+Before its removal, this is what the section said:
   Does Firefox sell your personal data?
   Nope. Never have, never will. And we protect you from many of the advertisers who do. Firefox products are designed to protect your privacy. That’s a promise.
-and removing part of the sentence answering the question "Is Firefox free?" that read ", and we don’t sell your personal data.".
+Another section Mozilla changed is removing part of the answer to the question "Is Firefox free?". This section concluded with the phrase "and we don’t sell your personal data.". This section has since been removed.
-Both of these were present in the FAQ until at least January 30th 2025 with the removal of the .<ref name="faq">{{cite web
+Both of these were present in the FAQ until at least January 30th 2025.<ref name="faq">{{cite web
 |author=<!--not stated-->
 |title= Firefox older FAQ
@@ Line 117: / Line 116: @@
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130092351/https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/faq/
 |archive-date=30 Jan 2025
-}}</ref>
+}}</ref><ref name="github-faq">{{cite web
-<ref name="github-faq">{{cite web
 |author=<!--not stated-->
 |title= Github commit showing TOS FAQ changes
@@ Line 129: / Line 127: @@
 ==Mozilla's response==
 [[File:Firefox-privacy-lawful-bases.png|thumb|Partial screenshot of lawful basis section for data usage from the Firefox privacy policy.]]
-At the time of writing Mozilla has not issued an official response but has updated the initial blog post to include the following<ref name="tos-announce" />:
+Initially, Mozilla added an update to their initial blog post in an attempt to clarify the language of the terms of use.<ref name="tos-announce" />
+This is what the update says:
 <blockquote>
 '''UPDATE''': We’ve seen a little confusion about the language regarding licenses, so we want to clear that up. We need a license to allow us to make some of the basic functionality of Firefox possible. Without it, we couldn’t use information typed into Firefox, for example. It does NOT give us ownership of your data or a right to use it for anything other than what is described in the Privacy Notice.
 </blockquote>
-While not putting concerns to rest due to the broadness that can be attributed to the wording of the terms, the privacy policy does contain fairly extensive and clear statements on how data is to be used by the company. It does not explicitly contain mention of AI/LLM tools other than the ability to use third party chat assistants (as well as the fact that Mozilla has no access to those chats).
+Notably, this update doesn't address the concerns relating to the broadness that can be attributed to the wording of the terms.
+Mozilla's privacy policy contains fairly extensive and clear statements on how Mozilla uses user data. It does not explicitly mention artificial intelligence tools other than the ability to use third party chat assistants. The privacy policy clarifies that Mozilla has no access to these chats.
 ==See also==