Is the killswitch in settings? Because I had to set browser.ml.enable to false in about:config since there was nothing related to it in settings
Firefox dev clarifies that AI features will be 'opt-in' and there will be a 'killswitch' to disable them
Submitted 2 days ago by ryujin470@fedia.io to technology@beehaw.org
https://fedia.io/media/32/3a/323a4d88f0f02ab98c208bdd975bf01656b92d97a4205d1916f337537653a9a0.jpg
Comments
BarbedDentalFloss@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
SmoochyPit@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
Yeah, that’d be like the web browser equivalent of going into the Windows registry editor and changing a value in there. Like, it’s there, but unless you already know what you’re looking for, it’s not really an option.
vivi@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
They have said they will make one outside of about:config.
BurgerBaron@piefed.social 2 days ago
Yeah. I’m still pissed off dev hours get wasted on this shit instead of, idk, HDR support? Persistent pinned tabs?
Xylight@lemdro.id 1 day ago
Thank god we have a photo of the firefox logo instead of an article
XLE@piefed.social 2 days ago
They say a switch will be built in. There is no switch yet. Which means the deluge of little popups about AI tab grouping and the “look at Perplexity” messages are not going away until these changes are actually released.
cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
the killswitch is in
about:configbrowser.ml.enable browser.ml.chat.enabled browser.ml.chat.menu browser.ml.chat.page browser.ml.chat.page.footerBadge browser.ml.chat.page.menuBadge browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled browser.ml.pageAssist.enabled browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled browser.tabs.groups.smart.userEnabled extensions.ml.enabled browser.search.visualSearch.featureGateXLE@piefed.social 2 days ago
That’s… Not really a switch. If somebody has to go to a secret place, get past a warning sign, and type in a half dozen secret commands… it sounds more like an espionage movie than the flipping of a switch.
And people have already complained that some of those flags don’t affect newer ones, which Mozilla keeps adding. We might as well say Microsoft has a setting to turn off telemetry, never mind it’s also hidden and it also keeps getting switched back on.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
This is 12 switches
nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 2 days ago
Or you could just use Librewolf
FF build with adblock built in and AI/spyware ripped out
vivi@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
they have said they will make an option that is not in about:config
Kichae@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
This is good enough for me. This means the Firefox code base will not get so integrated with AI features that forkers cannot remove them, and that was my primary concern.
SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 2 days ago
“You won this round. But we’ll try again tomorrow!”
cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
then make it an extension.
slacktoid@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
Hmm no
Our mission is to ensure the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. An Internet that truly puts people first, where individuals can shape their own experience and are empowered, safe and independent.
Thats the first paragraph from their mission statement here www.mozilla.org/en-US/mission/
Doesn’t say anything about environmentally friendly. Also I think this part “where individuals can shape their own experience and are empowered, safe and independent.”, and their stance on AI in their browser and it being opt in make sense. Some people want to use it. Let them have a safe and private way to use it. Maybe Mozilla can show how a privacy respecting AI experience can be. Wouldn’t that still be a net good?
fullsquare@awful.systems 2 days ago
no no no no it’s on by default so it’s opt-out, and switch for that isn’t even implemented yet
MotoAsh@piefed.social 2 days ago
“people first”
puts AI in
calliope@retrolemmy.com 1 day ago
Firefox has actually become less stable for me, which is crazy because it was stable for several years.
Firefox had gotten bloated and unstable when Chrome first came out, too.
Why does Mozilla always trend toward mediocrity?
Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 day ago
The enshitification of Firefox may slow at times, but it’s been consistently getting worse since Firefox 2.0 over 2 decades ago.
I wonder if it’s google telling Mozilla what to do, to keep getting their money.
Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 hours ago
5min ago some heresay said it would be easy to opt-out.
Can’t believe anything until it’s out.
MolochHorridus@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
The best killswitch is called Librewolf. Another good one is Waferfox.
Tonava@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
I switched to Waterfox immediately after they released the first news. Having to disable the AI stuff in about:config was already annoying enough, so I have no trust in whatever they claim anymore.
Jack@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Anyone know why LibreWolf isn’t in the default Debian repositories? I trust Debian - I’m not going to add a repository to get LibreWolf.
Until it’s available from a default Debian repo, I’ll keep going thru my list of all the garbage I have to go switch off in Settings and about:config every time I install Firefox for someone.
FatVegan@leminal.space 2 days ago
I just installed librewolf yesterday. Pretty cool, except for the no dark mode thing.
ramenu@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Yawn. People have been saying “Screw MozIlla, I’m switching browsers now!”
Nothing new. Just disable the feature like you do with telemetry lol.
optissima@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
I disabled telemetry by switching browsers tho
Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 day ago
Yep, faster and easier than spending an hour configuring Firefox every time reinstalling it on a new OS install.
imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Opt-in you say? How about RMB click with AI chatbot that you can disable by clicking “Disable AI bot” there? Wasn’t opt-in first. And, how is that in aboug:config .ml. list contains tons of entries set to True, rather than False? How in the fuck is it opt-in? It has been opt-out and in order to opt-out most of it, you would need an intermediate/advanced user. There was no toggle switch on a sidebar for normies to see and click. I call BS on this statement.
Digit@lemmy.wtf 1 day ago
Oh great, another item to waste my time checking when installing Firefox… Already takes near an hour to configure Firefox each time… Now have to watch out for the day they let the rest of that AI camel in the tent.
*Installs LibreWolf, stays sane*
pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
i don’t distrohop so my betterfox user.js is serving me well.
0ndead@infosec.pub 2 days ago
Get a new CEO and get back to me
NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Lol, lmao. Still deleting firefox, get fucked. Mozilla betrayed its users trust by choosing to follow this slop trend, and they’ll suffer the consequences.
biotin7@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
& you’ll suffer the consequences of monopoly.
NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Why should I wait it out with a company that’s betrayed the userbase’s trust when it comes to not only privacy, but by also implementing a feature that everyone KNOWS is harmful to both the planet and society as a whole.
I’ve already moved browsers to one that respects its users enough to not push something that’s a quick cashgrab while it burns the planet and harvests our data.
Paulemeister@feddit.org 1 day ago
So you’ll just not visit websites at all anymore?
eleitl@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
The rms approach looks better and better.
NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Yep, never using the internet again. Firefox is the only platform available to browse the internet, and since they’re sloppifying themselves I’m leaving the whole internet.
leadpipe@piefed.social 2 days ago
Too late, I switched
mesamunefire@piefed.social 2 days ago
good.
flamingos@feddit.uk 2 days ago
Link to the article as it doesn’t show up on Lemmy: gamingonlinux.com/…/firefox-dev-clarifies-there-w…
Butterbee@beehaw.org 2 days ago
For now.
HubertManne@piefed.social 2 days ago
They really should have come out with a local llm poduct seperate from firefox that is compatible with using it out of box.
FaceDeer@fedia.io 2 days ago
I guess we'll see what people here find to complain about now.
BobQuasit@beehaw.org 1 day ago
Too little too late
eestileib@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
That’s a contradiction
natecox@programming.dev 2 days ago
“Changes course after backlash” != “clarifies”.
Feyd@programming.dev 2 days ago
I dunno that seems very compatible with
Also here is a link to the posts mastodon.social/…/115740500373677782
Also, the dev says the following and I think they have a point.
TehPers@beehaw.org 2 days ago
There’s a lot Mozilla has done right, but there’s a lot they haven’t done right as well. These days, the cynical view has proven itself to be more reliable in general, so it’s hard not to apply it here as well.
That being said, FF has supported AI chatbots for a while and I haven’t seen it come up once in my browser beyond when they said “this is a thing now”. But this has also been a good opportunity to explore alternatives, so I’m trying out Zen now (ff-based still).
natecox@programming.dev 2 days ago
“Can easily turn off” implies that it ships to you on.
Honestly, asking us to assume that every action comes from a place of good will just makes me doubt them even more. You earn that kind of trust, you don’t ask for it; and if they don’t have it they should be asking hard questions about why.
They are a company that used to be about independent choice but are effectively reliant on Google (a privacy nightmare) to be solvent, and they’re now putting their bets into being “a modern AI browser”. Nothing about that tells me I should just trust them.
MotoAsh@piefed.social 2 days ago
Something easily turned off is distinctly not opt in. They’re still lying to everyone.
leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Changes courseswerves erratically before continuing in the same general direction.theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Maybe but I although critical of some recent firefox actions think its possible given the og statement it is a clarification from a somewhat vague statement that was taken in the worst possible way by some and posted again and again often by people not even reading beyond the headline.