Firefox browser maker Mozilla updated its terms of use within a week, following a critical overload language that provides the company with all the information it uploaded by users.
The revised terms and conditions are in their current state –
Give Mozilla the necessary rights to run Firefox. This includes processing your data, as explained in the Firefox Privacy Notice. It also includes a non-existent, royalty-free, global license for the purposes of making requests using content entered in Firefox. This does not grant Mozilla ownership of the content.
Previous versions of this provision, which came into effect on February 26th,
When you upload or enter information through Firefox, we offer a non-exclusive, royalty-free, global license that helps you navigate, experience and interact with online content using that information, as demonstrated in your use of Firefox.
The development comes days after the company first introduced Firefox Terms of Use, and days after introducing an updated privacy notice aimed at increasing transparency in data practices for users.
“We’ve heard some of the community’s concerns about parts of the TOU, especially the licensing,” said Ajit Varma, vice president of products at Mozilla, in a statement. “Our intention was to be as clear as possible about how Firefox works, but doing so also created confusion and concern.”
Mozilla highlighted that it would not sell or buy data about users, and that it made changes as certain jurisdictions define the term “selling” more than others.
In addition to that, it said it already collects and shares some data with partners from optional ads and sponsor suggestions provided in the new tab as a way to maintain it’s “commercially viable”.
Mozilla also noted that while it does not access user conversations with third-party artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots enabled via the sidebar (via shortcuts), it collects technical and interaction data on how this feature can help improve the FireFox browser.
This includes how often each third-party chatbot provider is selected, how often the proposed prompt is used, and the length of the selected text.
“Every time we share data with our partners, we do a lot of work to make sure that the data we share is potentially identified, is only shared in aggregations, or that we are removing it being located in privacy storage technologies (such as OHTTP),” says Varma.
The pushback to Mozilla’s terms of use was scrutinized by regulators and watchdogs who say it raises privacy concerns in accordance with Google’s new ad tracking policy.
The ADS Platforms program policy published on February 16, 2025 allows fingerprint users to use IP addresses to reach the entire platform without having to re-identify them. The UK Intelligence Commission (ICO) calls it “irresponsible” change.
“Organisations seeking to deploy advertising fingerprinting techniques must demonstrate how they comply with the requirements of data protection laws,” the ICO said in a statement. “These include providing transparency to users, ensuring freedom to provide consent, ensuring fair processing, and endorsing information rights, such as rights to erase.”
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