Mozilla Accused Of Privacy Violations In Firefox Browser Tracking

Vienna-based advocacy group noyb (None Of Your Business) announced on Wednesday that it has lodged a formal complaint against Mozilla. The complaint alleges that the Firefox browser maker has been tracking user behavior on websites without obtaining the necessary consent.

Noyb, a digital rights organization founded by privacy advocate Max Schrems, has alleged that Mozilla has activated a feature called privacy preserving attribution (PPA). This feature reportedly turns the browser into a tracking tool for websites.

The complaint states that users have reportedly not been informed about the PPA feature, or provided with an option to consent. This feature is not mentioned in Mozilla’s data protection policies, and users must navigate through sub-menus to opt-out.

The implications of this complaint are significant, as millions of European users could be affected by the undisclosed tracking practices.

A Mozilla spokesperson defended the decision, stating that the limited test of PPA aims to improve invasive advertising practices by providing more technical alternatives.

“These techniques prevent any party, including Mozilla, from identifying individuals or their browsing activity,” the spokesperson said to Reuters.

However, noyb argues that while PPA may be less invasive than traditional tracking methods, it still violates user rights under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Felix Mikolasch, a data protection lawyer at NOYB, criticized Mozilla’s approach, suggesting that the company has succumbed to the narrative that the advertising industry has a right to track users.

“While Mozilla may have had good intentions, it is very unlikely that ‘privacy preserving attribution’ will replace cookies and other tracking tools. It is just a new, additional means of tracking users,” Mikolasch stated.

Noyb demands that Mozilla properly informs users about its data processing activities and transitions to an opt-in system for the PPA feature. Additionally, Noyb is calling for the deletion of any unlawfully processed data.