Firefox is about: No more confusion about add-on data collection
Anyone who installs a Firefox extension must first agree to any data collection. However, according to Mozilla, the query has worked poorly so far.
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A standardized dialog for all Firefox extensions: Mozilla is fundamentally changing the query for accessing data. All extensions already have to specify which user information they collect. However, how they design this dialog is up to each Firefox add-on provider (addons.mozilla.org – AMO). Accordingly, they look different – which is confusing for users, but also costs the Firefox team a lot of work.
Guidelines for control and transparency remain
Extensions for the browser are as popular as they are potentially dangerous: in principle, they can read all the information that a user enters. Accordingly, users need to know what data they want to disclose before installing an add-on –, depending on how much they trust the provider. Consequently, the guidelines for extension developers are extensive. Firefox also emphasizes in them that users must always retain control over their own data and that data collection must be transparent. This does not only apply to Firefox: the controversy surrounding the PayPal subsidiary Honey once again highlighted the importance of such guidelines for add-ons.
According to Mozilla itself, however, the resulting dialog during installation has not always met this standard of control and transparency: the differences would confuse users. In addition, the Mozilla team has to check all extensions offered in Firefox as well as new versions of these. As there is no standard for data retrieval, this check is therefore more time-consuming. Finally, additional work is also required from the developers themselves if they have to decide independently how they want to design the dialog so that they comply with Mozilla's guidelines.
Dialog with optional data queries
In future, developers will be able to simply specify the data queries required by their extension in the manifest file. The browser itself will then create a dialog from this standardized information, which will not differ from one add-on to the next. Furthermore, programmers can specify which optional information they would like to collect from the user –, for example to measure the performance of the extension. Users can activate or deactivate these options individually during installation. Finally, the add-ons should already list on their AMO page which information they require.
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The timetable for the introduction of the new system has not yet been set: in the announcement, Mozilla states that it will be launched in 2025. However, the nightly versions of the browser should support the new dialogs first. To make the transition as easy as possible for developers, Mozilla wants to extend the existing WebExtensions permissions APIs so that they also include the new optional data collection. Add-on programmers can also take part in a specially created survey. In it, they can specify their previous process for these dialogs and explain how they handle data queries in general.
(fo)
