An European privacy group, noyb, has filed a complaint against Mozilla, accusing the company of violating GDPR regulations by enabling tracking in Firefox without user consent.
The complaint revolves around Mozilla’s new “Privacy Preserving Attribution” (PPA) feature, which noyb claims turns Firefox into a tracking tool for websites, contradicting its long-standing commitment to privacy.
According to the group, this feature operates similarly to Google’s “Privacy Sandbox,” signaling a shift towards browser-level tracking.
Although Firefox users can opt out of PPA, noyb argues that the option is too hidden, asserting the feature should be disabled by default.
Mozilla responded, stating that the PPA was a limited test aimed at improving ad measurement without identifying users. The company also emphasized that the feature can be easily disabled in settings.
If regulators side with noyb, Mozilla could face fines of up to 4% of its global revenue and be required to change its practices, including deleting any data collected under this feature.
Adding to the situation’s complexity is Mozilla’s financial relationship with Google, its competitor on privacy, which remains a key revenue source through a search engine deal.
