Found this notification this morning on my pixel 6.
Google warning you about Mozilla is just peak fucking irony
this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2025
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Isn't that just because Firefox got access to location data because some site asked for it?
Yep. Like a map website...
Even if this isn't entirely true, you know Google wouldn't pass up the opportunity to reduce Firefox market share to scare everyone back to Chrome.
Like chrome does something different?
Yes, chrome is doing something different. It is even worse!
That's not the point they're trying to make I think. It's more of an attack on perfection. Like "the alternative is not perfect either so why not just stay with Chrome". It's not a very strong argument in general but it might be enough to keep people from switching.
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(2 replies)
There's no need to reduce Firefox marketshare. Most people don't even consider using anything else than whatever is default in their device.
Also, it's not a Google scare tactic or a flex. Every application on the Play Store must disclose the general outlines of their data policy, including the sharing of data. Lying with those checkbox is not a good idea but they are completely informative and put there by the publishing party, so the people responsible for publishing Firefox on mobile just updated these, and this is what is shown when an app publisher say their app is sharing data with third parties.
tl;dr: it's very likely that not a single soul at Google even looked at this, as this is just the regular behavior of the Play Store with apps that changes their data policy or indicate sharing user data with third parties.
There isn't to much to reduce. I don't think Google is scared or afraid by Firefox, like at all.
I stopped my donations to Mozilla.
Sigh
Google: "Forcing us to divest Chrome could have impacts on our ability to support Mozilla and their high executive salaries as we own the space with Chrome."
Also Google:
Okay, turned it off. If a site needs my location it can ask me and I can politely tell it to fuck off unless it has a warrant.
FWIW I'm not seeing this on the Play Store for Firefox 136.0.1 on my Pixel 8a, and I'm not seeing any warnings on Beta or Nightly either:
"Quick! Jump to chrome instead!" - Google spokesperson
Any good browser suggestion??
I like Zen. Waterfox is also good.
I like Vivaldi
Which is chrome in a trench coat.
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(4 replies)
Well, if there was any doubt before, with the weird ToS p.r. dance they were doing last week, now we know, for sure.
I've already switched to LibreWolf on the desktop. Is there a good non-Firefox browser for Android available?
~This~ ~comment~ ~is~ ~licensed~ ~under~ ~CC~ ~BY-NC-SA~ ~4.0~
IronFox, Fennec, Mull, Tor Browser
Mull is supposedly no longer being developed.
The DDG app shows no 3rd party tracking attempts made by Firefox at all... So far...
Yeah. People can avoid all this nonsense by installing one simple app... Duck duck go browser.
You don't have to use the browser. It just sits in the background quietly blocking tracking requests from other apps.
It's absolutely horrifying on first use to see how egregious tracking is.
There's also the PersonalDNSFilter which does the equivalent while being a tiny open-source app that serves only for that purpose and also somehow still not getting banned from the Google Play store or AdAway which also has this feature or TrackerControl or...
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(9 replies)
Wait a second. You're expecting Google to not FUD? Ha ha ha oh wow. I mean I didn't actually expect them to do so, but yeah.
Alright gang, what are some good open source Firefox forks available on Android and Linux?
Waterfox
Hey guys, did you know?
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