Keep in mind that Firefox opens their website on first run and on every update and that includes Google Analytics.
I find the majority of their privacy claims dubious and dangerously misleading for those that don't know any better. If they were serious about privacy they'd offer uBlock Origin (or equivalent functionality) preinstalled by default.
Their current countermeasures such as containers, tracking protection and this cookie thing is trivial to bypass with browser fingerprinting and IP address tracking if you have a global view of the Internet (which Facebook and Google do have).
I modified the settings long ago to come up with a blank tab on startup. I use NoScript and do not allow google analytics through. No facebook domains make it through NoScript as far as javascript is concerned, very few google ones do.
I get you about the updates. It's a risk-reward ratio I accept because firefox + noscript + always starting in a private session is way more helpful than the update problem is harmful. Using a VPN a lot of the time helps, too. There is no solution I know of that is perfect. My threat model is pretty relaxed, though, so what I do is mostly for my peace of mind. You have reminded me that I should start spoofing my user agent again.
I don't disagree that it's possible to configure Firefox to respect your privacy. I myself use it sometimes and have a similar configuration.
But it is extremely misleading for them to be shouting "privacy" at every opportunity while the truth is that their browser leaks personal data like a sieve in the default configuration. This would give a false sense of security to non-technical people who don't have the skills to see through these lies.
And here are the FUD-spreaders yet again, that instead of the tiny “bad” things like some form of harmless analytics (it is not even that) they would run towards the goddamn gate of Hell itself. Like, what do you imagine chrome does? Or do you think brave have eveything removed? It’s the exact same browser with different name and logo and preinstalled adblocker..
Sorry for the somewhat angry comment, but I honestly can’t understand this mentality.
Google Analytics isn't harmless though. It's giving a single party a wide view on the entire Internet (thus the ability to circumvent cookie-based tracking by just using IP addresses and heuristics) and said party makes its money by tracking people online.
I'm not saying Chrome is any better, but at least Chrome doesn't toot the "privacy" horn at every opportunity.
Brave does have some kind of blocker built-in which might actually help even if it's not perfect.
"neither Mozilla nor Pocket ever receives a copy of your browser history. When personalization does occur, recommendations rely on a process of story sorting and filtering that happens locally in your personal copy of Firefox."
I find the majority of their privacy claims dubious and dangerously misleading for those that don't know any better. If they were serious about privacy they'd offer uBlock Origin (or equivalent functionality) preinstalled by default.
Their current countermeasures such as containers, tracking protection and this cookie thing is trivial to bypass with browser fingerprinting and IP address tracking if you have a global view of the Internet (which Facebook and Google do have).