After searching through Mozilla-related topics in the DC Forum (site:donationcoder.com Mozilla) for a thread that discussed ad-blocking by Mozilla, I did a "necro thread arise" on this particular thread and renamed it especially for this post (see below) to make the point that the situation seems like it might well have been reversed 180° - turned on its head, so to speak - at Mozilla.
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You want the Web and your browsing experience of that to be
Healthy, Commercially Sustainable and Resilient™, don't you? Yes, of course you do, and if you haven't thought very much about the matter, well read on - because we
have and we can tell you what to think about it! Isn't that exciting? We know what's acceptable to users and what's not, so we've taken charge already - yes, we have! - and are working assiduously round the clock with publishers to ensure that that is what you will be getting! You'll be so pleased, I know!
You see
we've had a Vision - yes! Yes we have! And it's so perfect - better even than Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes' vision of the Immaculate Conception - that we can't
wait to proselytize and tell you
all about it! Well, not too much, of course, because, well, its complicated, d'you see? I was chosen because I'm in charge of all that complicated legal stuff, you see, because, well, a lot of people didn't
believe poor little Bernadette's vision - and some people
still don't believe it, even after all that time (silly, eh?) - and we want
so much for you to believe the Mozilla Vision that we're going to use a special magik language called
"legalese doublespeak" to explain it all to you, and I'm fluent in that language - I speak it like a native!
Anyway, best beloved users (and we
do love you so, you know! - each and every one of you! We love you to bits!), in the Vision, we were charged with the sole responsibility of making the Web - and your browsing experience of that -
Healthy, Commercially Sustainable and Resilient™. And some of us wanted to add the word "Agile" in there too - because all users like "Agile", of course - but it was getting a bit
too long, so we left it out.
What we did was we put our collective little heads of diverse colours together - equal numbers of girls and boys and all the other 5 genders! - and then we had a lovely diverse collective
Vision for the Mozilla Corporation! So it's Mozilla's Vision - d'you see? And I have been Chosen - given the honour - of telling you about it. It makes me
so happy, and I'm smiling as I write this - can you feel the smile? It's in my words. We were so
wrong and broken before, but
now, well,
now we're all fixed and so
right! And you will be too! You'll see!
It really is amazing, our Mozilla Vision! Have we got a deal for
you!Are you sitting comfortably? ... Then we'll begin...
Mozilla’s Vision for a Healthy, Sustainable Web | The Mozilla Blog(Copied below
sans embedded hyperlinks/images.)
Sep 24 2015
Denelle Dixon-Thayer
Not surprisingly, the latest discussions around content blocking have resulted in a polarizing debate about the users who choose to block content as a way to control their Web experience, and the commercial interests who monetize that content. All of this inevitably leads to a discussion about which content is good, which content is bad, and which content should be blocked.
Rather than focusing on the symptoms of the problem, we should be asking ourselves why users have sought to use blunt instruments like content blockers to help them navigate their online lives. We don’t know the full answer to this question yet. What we see is that the reasons differ among users and may depend on the device (e.g. on desktop users may be focused on privacy and performance may be a side benefit, whereas on mobile performance and data usage may be a main focus). We as an industry need to understand the user’s needs.
User needs and commercial interests are not a zero-sum game – they are complementary parts of one thriving, resilient Web. Creating a balance between commercial profit and user benefit is critical to the health of the Web.
An issue needing more balance is user data. The collection and use of data is not inherently harmful. It helps with powering personalized features, keeping products up to date, providing user support and improving the ways products work. Providing user value through data collection is a healthy and necessary way to help create compelling experiences. However, when data is collected without providing the user with value or control, and the value exchange becomes opaque, confusion sets in. Then users start to mistrust the entire system—including the good actors.
We are trying to get to the root of the problem – but not just through research. We are also working to develop products, features and engagement supporting a great user experience and commercial sustainability.
We need your help to find this delicate balance and to chart the path for a Web based on trust.
You can help us test Private Browsing with Tracking Protection in Firefox Beta. The tracking protection feature in private browsing is targeted toward those users who are seeking more control – whether that control is about the protection of data or the desire for better performance. Additionally tools such as Lightbeam, Smart On Privacy, and Web Literacy programs educate users and offer better insight into how the Web works.
On the commercial end of the equation, we are playing a leading role with publisher initiatives to take charge of the experiences delivered on their sites and deliver more acceptable advertising experiences to users.
As an industry we need to keep the user at the center of the product vision rather than viewing the user as just a target to acquire. It’s the only way to honor the user’s choice and deliver the best, most trusted and most valuable experiences possible.
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Yours, BFF,
Danielle.
PS: Here's a full image of the lovely blog page we made especially for this post. It's yours to keep! I hope it makes you happy and smiley as much as it does me.
Ad Industry Attacks Firefox (click to enlarge)
