TechnologyI dunno that seems very compatible with the following that was said in the CEO statement.
AI should always be a choice — something people can easily turn off.
Also here is a link to the posts https://mastodon.social/@firefoxwebdevs/115740500373677782
Also, the dev says the following and I think they have a point.
I'm not asking for faith in our direction - the thing I love about the Firefox community is how open, honest, and technical it is.
But I do ask that you don't have the opposite of faith. Like, try not to be determined that we're going to do the wrong thing here.
try not to be determined that we're going to do the wrong thing here.
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).
Something easily turned off is distinctly not opt in. They're still lying to everyone.
Earlier today I found a fucking AI feature automatically turned on... Those idiots need to get their shit straight and fast if they want to remain relevant.
Something easily turned off is distinctly not opt in. They’re still lying to everyone.
It's just that nobody can agree what "opt-in" actually means, apparently.
It means off by default for starters.
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.
~~Changes course~~ swerves erratically before continuing in the same general direction.
They already said as much two or three months ago, but sure, believe that everybody is out to get you via forced AI.
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
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.
They have said they will make one outside of about:config.
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/building-ai-the-firefox-way-shaping-what-s-next-together/m-p/110176/highlight/true#M42473
Is anything related to AI even in yet? Or is it that they just placed the flag in there for future use, but no features are in?
Not sure if it counts but chatbot support in the sidebar has existed for quite some time now.
The tab grouping has an ai thing that suggests groups for you I think
and the right click summarize is in.
Yeah. I'm still pissed off dev hours get wasted on this shit instead of, idk, HDR support? Surround sound audio?
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.
the killswitch is in about:config
browser.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.featureGate
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.
This is 12 switches
the killswitch is in
about:config
Ah yes, the easiest place to put a kill switch for the average user, as opposed to the complexity of a toggle in settings.
People on Lemmy will hate to hear this but the average user wants AI integrations.
That's the main problem Firefox has. They are trying to appeal to a wide audience but their core users would never let them do anything that might do that. Then the core users sit there and wonder why Mozilla struggles and demand they work exclusively on the browser, an endeavor well known to not be profitable.
The average user doesn't give a shit about privacy either as evidenced by the state of the current Internet.
First, citation needed on these people who want AI. People on LinkedIn will hate to hear this, but I don't think the average user does.
Second, I don't understand your point. Do you actually believe the average user would feel compelled to switch to Firefox? Why? Instead, Mozilla is taking aim at their current users.
The average user uses llms like a search engine because search sucks rn
It sucks specifically because the megacorps want to make the AI look better than it is and because they want to keep people on search results pages...
The shittyness is a feature to these vultures.
Search sucks, so they're using LLMs?
That really explains a lot about the current state of the world, to be honest.
The average user doesn't give a shit about privacy either as evidenced by the state of the current Internet.
Indeed but 0% of them are using Firefox. That battles been lost
Or you could just use Librewolf
FF build with adblock built in and AI/spyware ripped out
https://librewolf.net/
they have said they will make an option that is not in about:config
https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/building-ai-the-firefox-way-shaping-what-s-next-together/m-p/110176/highlight/true#M42473
Well they should have done this when the first ai feature was introduced. Bit late now.
"You won this round. But we'll try again tomorrow!"
They already said as much two or three months ago...
Thank god we have a photo of the firefox logo instead of an article
then make it an extension.
the fact that they're entertaining ai at all is antithesis to mozilla's mission of an open and environmentally friendly web free from profit.
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 https://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?
no no no no it's on by default so it's opt-out, and switch for that isn't even implemented yet
I agree they should have put the switch first but also dev is messy. At least you can about:config it. And even then your data isn't being sold out to anyone unless you use it.
"people first"
puts AI in
Get a new CEO and get back to us
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.
Firefox has actually become less stable for me, which is crazy because it was stable for several years.
It had gotten bloated and unstable when Chrome first came out, too.
Why does Mozilla always trend toward mediocrity?
The best killswitch is called Librewolf. Another good one is Waferfox.
I just installed librewolf yesterday. Pretty cool, except for the no dark mode thing.
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.
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.
not sure this is enough for me. Its too late and too large a faux pas to recover from. In my opinion.
For me it's really not. If you don't need to opt out and are proud of your killswitch, just don't put it there for normal people.
Yawn. People have been saying "Screw MozIlla, I'm switching browsers now!"
Nothing new. Just disable the feature like you do with telemetry lol.
I disabled telemetry by switching browsers tho
You cannot do that in chrome.
I started using a firefox fork lol
switching browsers
Firefox fork
So still the same browser, just a different flavor. Chrome and Firefox are different browsers. IronFox and LibreWolf are still Firefox.
I'm interested in Ladybird so we can have an independent browser with no ties to Google.
Yeah, the same browser engine. That'd be like saying all linux is the same because they all use the kernel. I do look forward to ladybird though
Then good
Which fork?
good.
Link to the article as it doesn't show up on Lemmy: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/12/firefox-dev-clarifies-there-will-be-an-ai-kill-switch/
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.
& you'll suffer the consequences of monopoly. Wait it out until LadyBird & Servo gets fully tested out
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.
You should wait for a proper Alternative or make one yourself. Because Chrome is not that
I already moved from chrome to firefox, now from firefox to waterfox
Ok that's good.
So you'll just not visit websites at all anymore?
The rms approach looks better and better.
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.
Well you haven't exactly specified what browser you're moving to, so we're left wondering if you're using a Servo dev build, a terminal-based browser, or carrier pigeons.
Sorry pal, forogt the /S tone indicator
I'm not really sure how that's a response to my comment.
Looks like from another response, you moved to Waterfox? You're still using a fork of Firefox, though your comment made it sound like you moved entirely away from Mozilla (Waterfox still depends on Mozilla developing FF, from my understanding).
Anyway, seems like a good choice at least. Personally, I'm on Zen now. Hopefully we'll get a real alternative at some point though.
That's my bad, seemed like you were taking my comment at face value instead of seeing it was me being snarky at the user saying "So you'll just not visit websites at all any more?" As if firefox/chrome were the only options for web browsers.
Aye, still using a fork of firefox because the baseline application is still solid, just using one that's designed to be respectful of its users. And clearly open about what it foes in the background.
Touch wood Zen is a solid one for you (also holding out hope for a developer to provide an actual web browser without all this data harvesting bollocks)
Too late, I switched
For now.
They really should have come out with a local llm poduct seperate from firefox that is compatible with using it out of box.
5min ago some heresay said it would be easy to opt-out.
Can't believe anything until it's out.
Too little too late
That's a contradiction
I guess we'll see what people here find to complain about now.
