NOYB Approaches Data Protection Authority For Privacy Complaint Against Mozilla

NOYB Approaches Data Protection Authority For Privacy Complaint Against Mozilla

Alleges that its feature turns the browser into a tracking tool for websites without directly telling its users

Vienna-based advocacy group, NOYB (None Of Your Business), founded by privacy activist Max Schrems, has filed a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority against Mozilla accusing the Firefox browser-maker of tracking user behavior on websites without consent.

(Firefox was once a top browser choice among users due to its privacy features but now lags market leader Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Edge with a single-digit market share).

The digital rights organization accused Mozilla of enabling a "privacy-preserving attribution" feature that turns the browser into a tracking tool for websites without directly telling its users.

However, Mozilla stated it wanted to help websites understand how their ads performed without collecting data about individuals. By offering a non-invasive alternative to cross-site tracking, it hoped to reduce the collection of individual information.

NOYB argued that Firefox turned on the feature by default. While it may be less invasive than unlimited tracking, it interfered with user rights under the European Union privacy laws.

Felix Mikolasch, the data protection lawyer at ΝΟΥΒ held, "It's a shame that Mozilla believes that users are too dumb to say yes or no. Users should be able to choose and the feature should have been turned off by default."

NOYB wants Mozilla to inform users about its data processing activities, switch to an opt-in system and delete all unlawfully processed data of millions of affected users.

It had recently filed a complaint against Alphabet for allegedly tracking users of its Chrome browser. It also filed hundreds of complaints against big tech companies, leading to huge penalties.