Make Firefox Private Again

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Private Attribution feature & disabling it

  • Firefox added a “privacy-preserving attribution” experiment (dom.private-attribution.submission.enabled) for ad conversion measurement.
  • Some users found it already disabled; others had it enabled even with strict privacy settings.
  • It can be turned off via:
    • about:preferences#privacy checkbox (“Allow websites to perform privacy-preserving ad measurement”).
    • about:config or adding user_pref("dom.private-attribution.submission.enabled", false); to user.js.
  • On Android, it can be changed in Nightly via about:config, or via chrome://geckoview/content/config.xhtml in some builds; recent versions reportedly have it off by default.

curl | sh backlash

  • Many criticize the campaign’s suggested curl https://make-firefox-private-again.com | sh as unsafe and unnecessary for a single preference change.
  • Even with visible script content, people warn that the fetched code could differ from what’s displayed.
  • Several argue that screenshot/GUI instructions are safer and more inclusive.

Views on Mozilla’s direction & funding

  • Strong disappointment that Mozilla is moving deeper into ad-tech (e.g., attribution, acquisition of an ad-related company).
  • Some see this as a conflict of interest that may eventually lead to Chrome-like restrictions on ad blockers or more tracking “anti-features.”
  • Others argue that ad measurement is already pervasive; PPA is framed as a less-invasive alternative for non–ad-blocking users.
  • A linked Mozilla explainer and blog post are referenced, but several commenters find the justification vague or “trust us”–based.

Advertising, tracking, and business models

  • Widespread hostility to tracking; many also oppose advertising itself, even if “privacy-preserving.”
  • Large debate over whether the web can sustainably move away from ads:
    • One side: without ads, much current content and platforms (e.g., YouTube-scale hosting, news sites) would vanish.
    • Other side: loss of ad-driven garbage and clickbait would be positive; more paywalls, donations, or hobbyist content would be acceptable.
  • Multiple comments stress that ads are never truly “free”: users ultimately pay via higher prices and manipulation.

Alternatives & hardening

  • Several people recommend Firefox forks and alternatives (LibreWolf, Pale Moon, Brave, ungoogled-chromium, WebKit-based browsers, Ladybird, Orion).
  • Mixed views on these: some praise zero-telemetry defaults; others question security posture, feature gaps, or project governance.
  • Arkenfox and Mozilla’s own privacy-tweaks pages are cited, but users warn these can break logins and session state.