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It doesn't speak well that the first item of their FAQ is patently false. > Q. What is Mozilla doing that is causing concern? > A. On February 25, 2013, Mozil

by elehack 13y ago

It doesn't speak well that the first item of their FAQ is patently false. > Q. What is Mozilla doing that is causing concern? > A. On February 25, 2013, Mozilla announced intentions to block all third-party cookies by default in upcoming releases of its Firefox browser. Only first-party cookies would be allowed. No, they are not blocking all third-party cookies by default. They are blocking all third-party cookies from non-visited sites. google.com can track, doubleclick.net likely can't. There is an interesting discussion to be had about tracking, cookie policy, defaults, etc., but making false representations about what is actually being proposed is not a good way to have that discussion.

oneeyedpigeon 13y ago
That FAQ is full of misinformation and poor writing. The second point ("What is a cookie?") includes: "To personalize your web browsing experience and to make the Internet work operationally," Make it work 'operationally' as opposed to ...? Anyway, as we all know, cookies aren't a requirement for the Web to work, let alone the Internet. "websites you visit" Correction: some websites ... "place (or allow their approved partners to place)" No mention that 'approved partner' is utterly meaningless "a small harmless file, called a "cookie", in your browser." Congratulations - apart from the slightly strange use of the word 'in', this is correct "Cookies contain numbers and letters that identify your web browser, but not you personally." Just utterly wrong It does not contain your name, address phone, email or other information that can personally identify you." Well, 'it' could, of course, so another meaningless statement "Companies use cookies to learn more about user interests through users’ web browsing activities and to remember the preferences you set on their sites, such as the language you like to read, the last items you purchased, and the resolution at which you likes (sic) to watch videos." "you likes" - seriously? Is this organisation just a kid in his bedroom? "For example, a cookie can tell a website that you’re a repeat visitor, and then can let the site fill in your username for you." As, of course, can your browser. The fact that these people obviously have very little understanding of the issues they're talking about just convinces me we need responsible organisations like Mozilla to help prevent them from exposing us to privacy and security risks.
- nollidge 13y ago
  Not to mention that yes, cookies tell a website you're a repeat visitor, but that'd definitely be a first-party cookie, not a nonvisited third-party one.
- subpixel 13y ago
  "The fact that these people obviously have very little understanding of the issues they're talking about just convinces me we need responsible organisations like Mozilla to help prevent them from exposing us to privacy and security risks." Amen.
cpeterso 13y ago
An interesting side effect of this third-party cookie policy is that the online advertising industry will probably consolidate to the big name players like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo that have popular destination websites. So more personal information will be held in fewer hands. I hope it is easier for regulators to watch a few big players. Also, the big players (excluding Facebook?) are probably more well-behaved than the shady small-time ad networks.

by elehack 13y ago

oneeyedpigeon 13y ago

That FAQ is full of misinformation and poor writing. The second point ("What is a cookie?") includes: "To personalize your web browsing experience and to make the Internet work operationally," Make it work 'operationally' as opposed to ...? Anyway, as we all know, cookies aren't a requirement for the Web to work, let alone the Internet. "websites you visit" Correction: some websites ... "place (or allow their approved partners to place)" No mention that 'approved partner' is utterly meaningless "a small harmless file, called a "cookie", in your browser." Congratulations - apart from the slightly strange use of the word 'in', this is correct "Cookies contain numbers and letters that identify your web browser, but not you personally." Just utterly wrong It does not contain your name, address phone, email or other information that can personally identify you." Well, 'it' could, of course, so another meaningless statement "Companies use cookies to learn more about user interests through users’ web browsing activities and to remember the preferences you set on their sites, such as the language you like to read, the last items you purchased, and the resolution at which you likes (sic) to watch videos." "you likes" - seriously? Is this organisation just a kid in his bedroom? "For example, a cookie can tell a website that you’re a repeat visitor, and then can let the site fill in your username for you." As, of course, can your browser. The fact that these people obviously have very little understanding of the issues they're talking about just convinces me we need responsible organisations like Mozilla to help prevent them from exposing us to privacy and security risks.

nollidge 13y ago
Not to mention that yes, cookies tell a website you're a repeat visitor, but that'd definitely be a first-party cookie, not a nonvisited third-party one.
subpixel 13y ago
"The fact that these people obviously have very little understanding of the issues they're talking about just convinces me we need responsible organisations like Mozilla to help prevent them from exposing us to privacy and security risks." Amen.

cpeterso 13y ago

An interesting side effect of this third-party cookie policy is that the online advertising industry will probably consolidate to the big name players like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo that have popular destination websites. So more personal information will be held in fewer hands. I hope it is easier for regulators to watch a few big players. Also, the big players (excluding Facebook?) are probably more well-behaved than the shady small-time ad networks.