Firefox's new feature sparks controversy: Is user privacy at risk?
Firefox, a browser renowned for its commitment to user privacy, has ignited controversy with the introduction of a new feature in its version 128. The "Privacy-preserving attribution" (PPA) feature, which is automatically enabled, permits Firefox to gather data for advertisers. Users wishing to disable this feature must do so manually. The PPA aims to allow advertisers to measure conversions without using third-party cookies, often blocked by users for privacy protection.
Understanding PPA's data collection process
According to Mozilla's support page, the PPA process involves Firefox remembering and storing an "impression" of ads shown on websites. After a user visits the landing page and conversion occurs, the website can request Firefox to generate a report. This report is then submitted to an "aggregation service," where it is combined with similar reports. The destination website periodically receives a summary of these reports, which includes noise providing differential privacy.
Critics question Firefox's privacy commitment
According to Firefox, the PPA feature assists sites in understanding their ad performance without gathering individual user data. However, critics argue that Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, is misleading users by introducing another tool for advertisers to track online interactions. Jonah Aragon, founder of the Privacy Guides blog, expressed his disappointment with Mozilla and labeled PPA as another instrument in the advertiser tracking features arsenal.
PPA technology sparks heated discussions
Aragon pointed out that the PPA technology originates from Anonym, a recently acquired AdTech company, and traditional content-blocking extensions cannot combat it. He argued that merely adding 'privacy' to a feature's name does not ensure its privacy. Aragon believes Mozilla would have publicly explained such a feature and allowed developers time to explore it if they thought users would accept it. The introduction of PPA has led to intense debates on Mastodon, a social networking platform.
Mozilla defends PPA amid user backlash
In response to the backlash, Bas Schouten, Mozilla's Performance Tech Lead, defended PPA as a tool that provides advertisers with specific click-through information without tracking users. Schouten stated that no browsers are uncompromised and explained that only aggregated reports are generated from the collected data. He said that explaining a system like PPA would be a challenging task due to its complexity.
Critics challenge Mozilla's claims on PPA
Critics counter that cookieless tracking provides little privacy and that the collected data can be deanonymized and linked to unique advertising IDs. They also highlight that the feature is not limited to advertising and can be used on any element a website loads. Despite Mozilla's assertion that PPA helps sites understand ad performance without collecting individual data, critics remain skeptical about its privacy implications.
How to disable the feature
Go to Settings (In the Menu bar click Firefox, select Preferences or Settings). Now, under the Privacy & Security head, find the 'Website Advertising Preferences' section. Simply uncheck the box labeled 'Allow websites to perform privacy-preserving ad measurement' to turn off PPA.
