Viennese advocacy group NOYB has filed a complaint with Austria’s data protection authority against Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, accusing the company of tracking users across websites without their consent. Founded by activist Max Schrems, NOYB (None Of Your Business) claims that Mozilla has enabled a “privacy-preserving attribution” feature in Firefox, which inadvertently transforms the browser into a tool for tracking users without their knowledge. This tracking allegedly benefits website owners at the expense of user privacy.
The Controversy Over User Privacy
Mozilla defends this feature by stating that it allows website administrators to gain insights into ad performance without collecting personal information about individual users. The organization describes this functionality as a non-invasive alternative to traditional cross-site tracking, aiming to reduce personal data collection significantly. However, NOYB contends that even in its current form, the feature infringes upon users’ rights as guaranteed by European privacy laws, particularly since it is enabled by default in Firefox.
Felix Mikolasch, a lawyer for NOYB, expressed concern, stating, “It is a shame that an organization like Mozilla thinks users are too stupid to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Users need to be able to make a choice, and the feature should be disabled by default.” While Firefox was once a favored choice among users for its privacy features, its market share has dwindled to single digits, falling behind competitors like Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
NOYB’s Demands and Ongoing Efforts
In response to these allegations, NOYB is urging Mozilla to inform users about its data processing practices, disable the tracking feature by default, and delete any data it believes has been collected illegally from millions of users, notes NIX Solutions. In June, the organization filed a similar complaint against Alphabet, claiming illegal tracking practices by Chrome. NOYB has a history of filing complaints against major tech companies, with some leading to significant fines.
We’ll keep you updated on any developments regarding this complaint as it unfolds.