Each Firefox download has a unique identifier

[BreakingDad]

Each Firefox download has a unique identifier - gHacks Tech News

Internet users who download the Firefox web browser from the official Mozilla website get a unique identifier attached to the installer that is submitted to Mozilla on install and first run.

www.ghacks.net

The way out:

Firefox users who prefer to download the browser without the unique identifier may do so in the following two ways:

1. Download the Firefox installer from Mozilla's HTTPS repository (formerly the FTP repository).
2. Download Firefox from third-party download sites that host the installer, e.g., from Softonic.

Comments?

 

[cptnoblivious]

Don't like it.

I'm curious if Pihole / Adguard filter that type of telemetry with their default blocklists

 

[Yota]

The way out:

This won't give you clean Firefox, you need to modify more than 31 variables inside about:config, some telemetry variables don't even exist, you need to create it manually.

For anyone wanting a clean Firefox, I recommend going straight to Tor or LibreWolf, they removed all telemetry from the start of the build.

For Android phone users should use Fennec or Iceraven.

These are really clean forks of Firefox.

I'm curious if Pihole / Adguard filter that type of telemetry with their default blocklists

No, they won't.

 

[sbsnb]

Comments?

This kind of behavior has unfortunately been becoming more commonplace with Firefox. Late last year I finally ditched Firefox after 29 consecutive years of using Netscape -> Mozilla -> Firefox. I just couldn't support them anymore. The last decade or so they have seemed utterly determined to steer that plane into a mountainside.

 

[BreakingDad]

For anyone wanting a clean Firefox, I recommend going straight to Tor or LibreWolf, they removed all telemetry from the start of the build.

Librewolf Installed, Firefox removed.

The only thing I don't like is the forced light theme for Fingerprint protection and the starting minimized for fp. I guess these are the downsides of privacy. Also autocomplete not working as expected on password manager

 

[sfx2000]

Comments?

install and first run

And that's a problem?

Anyways, looked on my ubuntu install, and FF doesn't have the issue...

 

[BreakingDad]

install and first run

And that's a problem?

Anyways, looked on my ubuntu install, and FF doesn't have the issue...

Linux does not have UID.

 

[itpp20]

A pleasant surprise browser: https://vivaldi.com/download/

 

[Yota]

The only thing I don't like is the forced light theme for Fingerprint protection and the starting minimized for fp.

If you don't like the downsides of RFP, or you are not concerned about fingerprinting, you can disable RFP in the LibreWolf settings, or in your overrides.
In that case consider using an extension like CanvasBlocker to retain at least a minimum amount of fingerprinting protection.

Also autocomplete not working as expected on password manager

We believe you should use a password manager that is better for your security and comfort, please consider some of the options in our recommended addons.

Read more: https://librewolf.net/docs/faq/

Firefox removed.

By the way, you may not be able to completely remove Firefox on desktop OS, they will always leave some traces/files in the OS and they will know you are still you the next time you install Firefox.

A pleasant surprise browser

Welcome to Google's data collection club

 

[BreakingDad]

Choose your browser carefully

www.unixsheikh.com

interesting

 

[sfx2000]

Let's all buy Macs and use Safari

 

[BikeHelmet]

Let's all buy Macs and use Safari

Apple tracks just as much as the others. How about Lynx, on Linux Mint? Or Palemoon on Windows?

 

[anotherengineer]

This kind of behavior has unfortunately been becoming more commonplace with Firefox. Late last year I finally ditched Firefox after 29 consecutive years of using Netscape -> Mozilla -> Firefox. I just couldn't support them anymore. The last decade or so they have seemed utterly determined to steer that plane into a mountainside.

What do you use for a browser?

 

[anotherengineer]

Choose your browser carefully

www.unixsheikh.com

interesting

Indeed

odd thing though. Can’t Firefox forks all use about:config??

 

[BreakingDad]

Indeed

odd thing though. Can’t Firefox forks all use about:config??

Yes they can,i've actually gone back to firefox now, but with loads of config changes, and from a clean version.

 

[sbsnb]

What do you use for a browser?

de-googled chromium.

 

[anotherengineer]

Each Firefox download has a unique identifier - gHacks Tech News

Internet users who download the Firefox web browser from the official Mozilla website get a unique identifier attached to the installer that is submitted to Mozilla on install and first run.

www.ghacks.net

View attachment 40240


The way out:

Firefox users who prefer to download the browser without the unique identifier may do so in the following two ways:

1. Download the Firefox installer from Mozilla's HTTPS repository (formerly the FTP repository).
2. Download Firefox from third-party download sites that host the installer, e.g., from Softonic.

Comments?

Directory Listing: /pub/firefox/releases/99.0/

ftp.mozilla.org

there are 3 x64 versions, does it matter which one?

 

[BreakingDad]

Directory Listing: /pub/firefox/releases/99.0/

ftp.mozilla.org

there are 3 x64 versions, does it matter which one?

Arch is the linux one

-

Eme free (taken from reddit)=

EME = Encyrpted Media Extensions. The EME add-ons ("OpenH264 Video Codec provided by Cisco Systems, Inc." and "Widevine Content Decyrption Module provided by Google Inc.") provide digital rights management for HTML5 streams, such as streaming from Netflix and YouTube.

It is the "Hollywood" studios and the like that insist that if they license their content to be streamed, the streaming service must enforce some sort of digital rights management, such as certain EME extension; without it, they won't allow their content to be streamed.

"EME-free" means "without EME", which would break YouTube and Netflix (the streaming side) and potentially other streaming sites that, because of their agreements with the rights holders of various video streams, are forced to use some form of digital rights management.

-
Win64 plain is the one you want for Windows, however if you have a previous install you need to completely wipe it from registry and your profiles or it will still know it's you, as mentioned above. There are guides all over google on how to do this.

https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/99.0/win64/en-GB/ (UK)
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/99.0/win64/en-US/ (USA)
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/99.0/win64/en-CA/ (Canada)


Then you have to clean up your install with https://www.howtogeek.com/557929/ho...he-telemetry-data-firefox-collects-about-you/

However be careful with the about:config settings, testing them 1 at a time, I believe one of them messes up password managers, sorry can't remember which, took me ages to get mine right.

 

[anotherengineer]

Arch is the linux one

-

Eme free (taken from reddit)=

EME = Encyrpted Media Extensions. The EME add-ons ("OpenH264 Video Codec provided by Cisco Systems, Inc." and "Widevine Content Decyrption Module provided by Google Inc.") provide digital rights management for HTML5 streams, such as streaming from Netflix and YouTube.

It is the "Hollywood" studios and the like that insist that if they license their content to be streamed, the streaming service must enforce some sort of digital rights management, such as certain EME extension; without it, they won't allow their content to be streamed.

"EME-free" means "without EME", which would break YouTube and Netflix (the streaming side) and potentially other streaming sites that, because of their agreements with the rights holders of various video streams, are forced to use some form of digital rights management.

-
Win64 plain is the one you want for Windows, however if you have a previous install you need to completely wipe it from registry and your profiles or it will still know it's you, as mentioned above. There are guides all over google on how to do this.

https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/99.0/win64/en-GB/ (UK)
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/99.0/win64/en-US/ (USA)
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/99.0/win64/en-CA/ (Canada


Then you have to clean up your install with https://www.howtogeek.com/557929/ho...he-telemetry-data-firefox-collects-about-you/

However be careful with the about:config settings, testing them 1 at a time, I believe one of them messes up password managers, sorry can't remember which, took me ages to get mine right.

Thanks for the info. And yep I changed something in about config that did something wonky too lol. I did try out Librewolf though and thought it was decent. Seemed faster than firefox and ublock built in. I think for me Librewolf might be “good enough” Or at least good enough to recommend to family members over google chrome. Modding one browser is fine, but I don’t want to be doing all my family’s all over the place. So just looking for the “good enough” or “least worse” browser that just works for the layman’s person.

 

[BreakingDad]

Thanks for the info. And yep I changed something in about config that did something wonky too lol. I did try out Librewolf though and thought it was decent. Seemed faster than firefox and ublock built in. I think for me Librewolf might be “good enough” Or at least good enough to recommend to family members over google chrome. Modding one browser is fine, but I don’t want to be doing all my family’s all over the place. So just looking for the “good enough” or “least worse” browser that just works for the layman’s person.

I thought Librewolf was great, but again it would not play nicely with password managers for me and I couldn't be bothered to work out why. I figured that millions of people use firefox (unmodded) anyway, it's usp is supposed to be privacy and with additional telemetry changes, firewall and advert blockers etc it's pretty safe as any other browser to use.

I agree with not doing all the settings on all of your families computers as well, I set up the basics when I install and leave them to it, as we know to many privacy settings can screw up websites and who are they gonna call to fix it. I am considering going from firefox to chrome however for my parents as I think it may be easier for them to use.