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jcoglan

exactly this: mozilla does not need to use the input that users enter into firefox, mozilla as a legal entity is not involved in the operation of software on your own computer. the only possible applications of this license grant are nefarious mastodon.social/@sarahjamielew

their argument would imply that open source authors require a license grant from users of their software to handle inputs to the software, which is categorically false *unless they are exfiltrating user input* which would render their work malware

hence my conclusion has to be: either these license clauses are redundant and should be removed, or firefox is malware

a license grant is needed when a user sends data to another person or organisation who will process said data outside the user's direct control. the only recipient of your input to a web browser should be the target website and network services required to access said website, none of which mozilla operates

a web browser's vendor processing your input to third party websites is a fundamental breach of trust, which is also why any browser that requires that you "log in" to it before use is not trustworthy

@jcoglan I wonder if a cease and desist letter from an european lawyer mentioning the GDPR would make them back-off.

wait, didn't mozilla mention going into the ads business recently?

@jcoglan yeah. The most charitable reading is that they’ve let the lawyers run stupid.

@jcoglan we don't actually know that's true until it's tested in court

@jcoglan @sarahjamielewis sometime in the last decade or so software began using “We” in messages like “please wait while we perform X on your computer.” I’m reminded of times in the past when I would ask someone what internet service they were using and they’d say “internet explorer.”

People are prepped to believe Firefox is a service. We have lost the battle and need to regroup around the message that your computer is personal and you control what happens on it.