Mozilla Faces Data Privacy Complaint Over Browser Tracking Practices

An advocacy group based in Vienna recently announced that it has filed an official grievance with Austria’s data protection authority concerning Mozilla, the creator of the Firefox browser. The group alleges that Mozilla has been tracking user behavior on various websites without obtaining proper consent from individuals.

NOYB, known as None Of Your Business and founded by a prominent privacy advocate, claims that Mozilla has activated a feature termed privacy preserving attribution (PPA), effectively transforming the browser into a tracking mechanism for web activities without adequately informing users about it.

A spokesperson for Mozilla stated that the limited rollout of PPA aims to enhance the landscape of intrusive advertising by offering technological alternatives that shield user identities and browsing activities. However, NOYB contends that despite being less invasive than unrestricted tracking methods, this feature still violates user rights established by EU privacy legislation, particularly as it is set to be active by default in Firefox.

Felix Mikolasch, a data protection attorney with NOYB, criticized the organization for assuming that users lack the capacity to make informed decisions, emphasizing the importance of choice and the need for the feature to be disabled by default.

Once favored for its robust privacy features, Firefox has seen its popularity diminish, now trailing behind lead competitors such as Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge, holding a meager share of the market.

NOYB is urging Mozilla to provide clear disclosures regarding its data handling practices, transition to an opt-in approach, and eliminate any unlawfully processed information pertaining to a substantial number of affected users.

This organization, which previously filed a complaint against Alphabet for alleged tracking of Chrome users, has also initiated numerous complaints against other major technology firms, some resulting in significant financial penalties.