It's because people looked at a line of a diff without looking at the actual context.
It's like finding the line in a diff where someone deleted a call to "check password" and concluding that this means the service is no longer verifying passwords.

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

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/privacy/faq/

We never sell your personal data. Unlike other big tech companies that collect and profit off your personal information, we’re built with privacy as the default. We don’t know your age, gender, precise location, or other information Big Tech collects and profits from.

Basically, they consolidated and clarified their data privacy policies to be legally accurate. People took a content change to be a policy change on the assumption that you can't just delete words in one place and put new ones somewhere else.

[–] tatterdemalion@programming.dev 71 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ha. I'd expect nothing less from Theo.

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

precise location

Wtf does that even mean? Why would they need that in the first place?

[–] Sekoia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 28 points 2 weeks ago

They automatically get your approximate location from your IP, and some websites do need your precise location.

They don't need it, but google chrome sure gets it!

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Websites using precise location permission

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com -2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

But that shouldnt get to Mozilla. My logic and limited understand would argue they just implement the logic to get it. But that sounds like they could poll and access the location.

[–] Redkey@programming.dev 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

When you use any piece of Internet-enabled software, any and all data that passes through it can theoretically be copied and siphoned off back to the authors of the software.

Should they do it? No. Can they do it? Yes.

Does Mozilla do it? They say they don't, and I'm inclined to trust them. Do other major browsers do it? Absolutely.

As regards your physical location, geoIP databases can get pretty close these days.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 weeks ago

Understood.
Thank you very much :)

[–] ryannathans@aussie.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

As the other commenter says, Mozilla don't log it when it's passed through the browser. Others do

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago

In that case, I am fine with it.
Thanks for clarifying :)

[–] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago

They don't. They're saying they don't have it.