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| Firefox address bar now contains ads |
Starting with version 93.0, the Mozilla Foundation has introduced a new functionality for Firefox Suggest search results in the Firefox address bar.
Firefox Suggest is a Mozilla feature that allows you to search for relevant information and websites to achieve your goals. These suggestions are similar to most browsers.
But as the report on the company's support page makes clear, it also contains content from paid advertisers. The support message reads: If you enable contextual suggestions, Firefox Suggest will use your city location and search terms to provide contextual suggestions from Firefox and our partners while keeping your privacy up to date.
Relevant suggestions from trusted partners are displayed at the bottom of frequently used search suggestions from your bookmarks, browsing history, and open tabs. This is a less intrusive version of search ads, but still technically ads.
According to the support page, Firefox Suggest does not need to collect, store, or share any new data to make these new recommendations, and the company works with partners that adhere to the Mozilla Firefox privacy standards.
This feature has worked at least since the previous version 92.0, although it first appeared in the release notes for the current release.
After updating to the latest browser version, Firefox may display a popup asking if you want to enable popup suggestions or adjust your settings.
If you accidentally enable Firefox Suggest features without realizing it, you can still disable them.
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Firefox is a popular alternative to browsers like Google Chrome. In fact, users' privacy is stricter and generally uses less data.
If you trust the Mozilla Foundation and want to support it, Firefox's suggestion feature may not be an issue. This is not the first time the company has entered the advertising field. In 2018, it includes links for paid advertisers and suggestions for reading articles in new tabs.
Mozilla's motto is "The Internet is for people, not for profit." However, the company has to finance all its projects, which sometimes forces it to other options.