PSA (?): just got this popup in Firefox when i was on an amazon product page. looked into it a bit because it seemed weird and it turns out if you click the big "yes, try it" button, you agree to mandatory binding arbitration with Fakespot and you waive your right to bring a class action lawsuit against them. this is awesome thank you so much mozilla very cool
https://queer.party/@m04/112872517189786676
So, Mozilla adds an AI review features for products you view using Firefox. Other than being very useless, it's T&C are as anti-consumer as it possibly can be. It's like mozilla saying directly "we don't care about your privacy".
I actually use fakespot a lot, but will never install an add-on for this.
I got that notice a few months ago, but I didn't use either button on the bottom. I used the X on the top, and haven't seen it since.
I thought we were done with the age of Toolbars, but here we are, back there. An app or add-on for every damn thing. No, I don't want this integrated into my browser. No, I don't need your HTML5 app on my phone to do less than the webpage does. No, I don't want your spyware app to view the one-off Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram link a friend sends me. No, I don't mean 'maybe later', I mean 'no forever'.
The upside is that if you're ever prompted to install a thing to your browser to use a site's features, it's because the built-in sandbox is too restrictive for what they want. It's an immediate red flag.
I also view prompts to "use our (phone) app" the same way. I'm already seeing your site, in my browser, with ten different kinds of adblock and tampermonkey scripts running. I already have what I want, and I'm not letting you anywhere near my data plan.
Clearly, it's time for a "no means no" extension.
But the thing is, most people don't think twice about it, and just go, "meh, why not, what's the harm?" and install it, which tells those scummy summersons that "we" want this, and they keep pushing it, and making their site more and more useless without it, to the point, where 'desktop view' no longer works (I'm looking at you, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, to name a few).
I never explain exactly why. I skirt. "my phone isn't compatible with your app", "I don't have a modern smartphone that works with your app", "I don't install apps on my phone", "I don't have space on my phone for your app", "I only a work phone, and I'm not allowed to install anything", and so on. They don't care about your privacy, so don't give it as a reason. "it's not about privacy, I'm just poor".