The support thread links to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/lookingglass.
That page says, in a clearly delineated box,
> No changes will be made to Firefox unless you have opted in to this Alternate Reality Game.
PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS INCONSISTENCY.
That doesn't make it OK, but it would make me look at them with suspicion instead of hostility.
True, and that's why I never stopped and recommending Firefox since I first installed Phoenix. That said, they're already installing and enabling Cliqz by default (for some users), and that's no bug. So it's not absurd that people might assume this isn't either. Reputation is hard to gain and easy to lose.
Except for:
Google Analytics being used on the Firefox Addons menu – solved by adding, in grey text on grey background, a tiny "Privacy Policy" link: https://github.com/mozilla/addons-frontend/issues/2785
Automatically sending URLs visited of random German Firefox users to a German company (CliqZ) owned by a publishing, advertisement and tracking company (Burda): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15421708
Mozilla forcefully enabling toolkit.telemetry.enabled in Nightly and Developer versions, and, upon being asked, saying that "below the download link is a text telling you that by downloading these, you opt-in to telemetry".
Benefit of the doubt is over, it’s time to get the pitchforks out.
>hey look, a voice of reason!
Where's official statement saying it's a bug and it will be disabled ASAP? All I see is Mozilla workers here trying to justity the "bug".
I wasn't involved in its development, so I can't speak to its origin or the decision to use Shield for distribution, but I can gather feedback and answer technical questions about Firefox and the add-on.