AI controls are coming to Firefox | The Mozilla Blog
blog.mozilla.org
AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it. We’ve heard from many who want nothing to do with AI. We’ve also heard from

Starting with Firefox 148, which rolls out on Feb. 24, you’ll find a new AI controls section within the desktop browser settings. It provides a single place to block current and future generative AI features in Firefox.

They actually listened to the community, thats very nice.

    • Jean-luc Peak-hard@piefed.socialEnglish
      0·
      7 months ago

      people (not calling you out specifically) keep suggesting Librewolf like it isn’t driving around a city in a tank. it gets the job done, sure, but most people will not tolerate its faults. Suggest something more in-between like Waterfox at least.

      Suggesting Librewolf is like asking people to browse the web via Tor. it works, sure, but the inconvenience will make most people give up on gecko-based browsers and give into Google/chrome via Brave or the million other chrome-in-sheep’s-wool browsers.

      Let’s recommend viable alternatives: https://www.waterfox.com/

        • Kristell@herbicide.fallcounty.omg.lolEnglish
          0·
          7 months ago

          Let’s pull some obvious ones from the feature list!

          • Include only privacy respecting search engines like DuckDuckGo and Searx.
          • Always force user interaction when deciding the download location of a file
          • Disable autoplay of media.
          • Disable search suggestions and ads in the urlbar.
          • Disable Firefox Sync, unless explicitly enabled by the user.

          For some other ones:

          • Logs you out of everything every time you close the browser.
          • If memory serves, it letterboxes by default. If it doesn’t, ignore this line, I haven’t used it in a while.

          I’m not saying I don’t like these features. I do. I only accept login cookies from services I host myself.

          Most people will see that as an extreme annoyance the first time it happens, close the browser, uninstall it, and never try another Firefox fork again.

          Most people care enough about privacy to want convenient ways to increase it. Most people do not care enough about privacy to have to log into Facebook every single time they restart their browser.

          All of these are disableable, very few people will even bother looking into how to disable them. They will stop using the browser.

  • solrize@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    Pepperidge Farms remembers when Firefox had a control like that to turn JavaScript on and off. The rest of you are supposed to have forgotten. Oops.

    • blaggle42@lemmy.todayEnglish
      0·
      7 months ago

      I wrote myself a little plugin for firefox.

      It runs nice, and I want to install it permanently. It does something I want.

      Can I? No. Why? Because Firefox… Apparently I’m not adult enough to control my own browser. WTF.

      I have to either get their developer build or become a developer with an account. WTF.

      So I think, I don’t want their developer build, I just want this plugin— I make a mozilla plugin developer account- because apparently that’s how I’m supposed to do it- I try to create the plugin upload —

      Can I? No. Why? Because they want my phone number before I can make a plugin just for myself. WTF.

      So - I ask ChatGPT if there is any work around for this, can it search, I just want to run my own plugin, I don’t want the developer build, I don’t want the developer account, I just want to run my own plugin- ChatGPT says it can’t help me because I’m not adhering to Firefox’s EULA. WTF.

      So I give up on the plugin - and today, I just happen to notice Mozilla silently turned on SYNC for my web history for that fucking Mozilla plugin developer account. So I guess I’m sending them everything I ever do on the web. WTF.

      I go and try to find out what information they’ve stolen from me, can I find it? No. The have some link, to another link, to another link, to another link, which eventually ends up on some page where I can ask them to pretty please send me what information they stole. Why can I not see this without writing a letter! WTF.

      WTF WTF WTF. I hate Mozilla.

      Please let them burn in software hell.

      /rant

        • blaggle42@lemmy.todayEnglish
          0·
          7 months ago

          I understand what you are saying - but - if I want to install a program on my computer - I should be allowed to do so - the same with firefox — maybe it might need me doing the equivalent of sudo, entering some password - or just clicking through, “ok, yes I know, extensions can do bad things.”, “yes I really know that I shouldn’t install an extension if I don’t know exactly what it is” 10 times, but — etc…

          I just don’t buy the “attack vector” argument. There are many ways to mitigate, without removing the ability.

          Anyway, in a way this was a good experience - I am going to try to ditch firefox sooner than later now.

          • WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            0·
            7 months ago

            don’t enable unsigned extensions. It’s there for good reason.

            upload your addon to addons.mozilla.org. there’s an option to not publish, but only upload for signing. then you’ll get back a signed xpi you can install properly.

            • blaggle42@lemmy.todayEnglish
              0·
              7 months ago

              Doesn’t work. Try to do it without giving them a phone number or installing some other application. You can’t. Or I couldn’t.

              Then, after you can’t and you think, “I’ll go to the forums, see if there is a way.” You’ll find out Mozilla has problems with sign in. I mean come on… But this is irrelevant, this whole flow is dumb. And it presumes that I shouldn’t be able to control my own browser.

              We need a new firefox - just like the original firefox showed that Mozilla was bloat and dumb, we need another that shows the current is bloat and dumb.

              • WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                0·
                7 months ago

                Doesn’t work. Try to do it without giving them a phone number or installing some other application. You can’t. Or I couldn’t.

                how did you try? did you try registering a mozilla account?

                You’ll find out Mozilla has problems with sign in.

                It’s probably temporary, it doesn’t have problems usually

                And it presumes that I shouldn’t be able to control my own browser.

                they do it so that malware cant install unvetted addons to your browser. and if someone signs a malware addon this way, and some people report it, mozilla can disable it for everyone.

                We need a new firefox - just like the original firefox showed that Mozilla was bloat and dumb, we need another that shows the current is bloat and dumb.

                what you need is a footgun. you have it in about:config.

                • blaggle42@lemmy.todayEnglish
                  0·
                  7 months ago

                  Nah, I think we just need a dialog box - could be like osx - “are you sure you want to allow the plugin that you said you wanted to use? It was built by: you, not signed by Mozilla.” Maybe put a “You have unsigned plugins running” tool tip - that gets displayed at startup or every 8 hours.

                  Again - imagine if you couldn’t install the programs you wanted on your computer - this is current firefox.

                  I suppose we are both beating the already-dead-horse on different ends now.