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Firefox’s new AI ‘Smart Window’ (only in beta builds so far) surprises reviewer by unexpectedly handing browsing history to 3rd party hosted models
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Arthur Besse lemmy.ml cypherpunks@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2022-01-17
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157   Original
solrize lemmy.ml solrize@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2023-06-22
#2 · Quote Reply

Never change, Mozilla. Oh wait.

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Scott 🇨🇦🏴‍☠️ sh.itjust.works RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2025-05-19
#3 · Quote Reply

Mozilla is now bigtech, at least as far as their actions go.

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Kallestar lemmy.ml Kallestar@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2025-04-09
#4 · Quote Reply

Remember when every piece of Window$ software back in the day tried to get you to add their browser bar to your web browser? I really thought that would be the peak of how awful browser add-ons could get. Guess I wasn't dreaming big enough to imagine a boondoggle as utterly useless as an LLM integrated into a browser. I mean, I hated Clippy at the time, but never imagined anyone (even a marketing clown) would try to jam him into a web browser, and have him remember everything you did online so he could chat with you about it.

What an amazing idea to try to push users from reading articles to reading bullshit hallucinations of summaries of articles. AI really feels like the thing that's pushing us to become the humans from Wall-E faster than any other invention right now.

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AltoCuddle lemmy.world AltoCuddle@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-03-14
#5 · Quote Reply

Remember when every piece of Window$ software back in the day tried to get you to add their browser bar to your web browser? I really thought that would be the peak of how awful browser add-ons could get. Guess I wasn't dreaming big enough to imagine a boondoggle as utterly useless as an LLM integrated into a browser. I mean, I hated Clippy at the time, but never imagined anyone (even a marketi...

Man. I so do not miss toolbars.

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jtzl lemmy.zip jtzl@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-12-31
#6 · Quote Reply

Remember when every piece of Window$ software back in the day tried to get you to add their browser bar to your web browser? I really thought that would be the peak of how awful browser add-ons could get. Guess I wasn't dreaming big enough to imagine a boondoggle as utterly useless as an LLM integrated into a browser. I mean, I hated Clippy at the time, but never imagined anyone (even a marketi...

Agreed. I think of Wall-E often and think its vision of the future is more accurate, but Idiocracy makes for a more descriptive term to summarize it. And suddenly, I feel like I'm rehashing HS English class: "Does 1984 or Brave New World summarize society more accurately?" The premise being that in 1984, the government deliberately sought to shrink reality, whereas in "Brave New World," individuals opted-in.

My perspective is that oligarchical wannabes are essentially giving people what they think those people want, but they're clearly not following the ideas through to their logical conclusions. Like, AI in schools.... OK..... Why? Because thinking is too hard? Don't be silly -- that's what brains do reflexively. And like, when did hard stuff get such a bad rap? IMHO, so-called friction is good, probably fundamental. This notion that everything should be all upside all the time is probably not even possible, much less desirable.

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yeehaw lemmy.ca cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-08-09
#7 · Quote Reply

I turn off all AI things wherever I can. I don't need it. It hasn't really improved anything for me. And I'm also sick of hearing that acronym.

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owenfromcanada lemmy.ca owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-04-18
#8 · Quote Reply

Remember when every piece of Window$ software back in the day tried to get you to add their browser bar to your web browser? I really thought that would be the peak of how awful browser add-ons could get. Guess I wasn't dreaming big enough to imagine a boondoggle as utterly useless as an LLM integrated into a browser. I mean, I hated Clippy at the time, but never imagined anyone (even a marketi...

2006: "Install our browser toolbar! It offers a marginally useful feature, and it definitely doesn't slow down your browser or send all your personal data to an evil corporate overlord! Promise!"

2026: "Install our browser AI addon! It offers a completely useless feature, and it absolutely slows down your browser and sends all your personal data to an evil corporate overlord! Promise!"

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nastyyboi lemmy.world nastyyboi@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-01
#9 · Quote Reply

Man. I so do not miss toolbars.

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new_world_odor lemmy.world new_world_odor@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-01-27
#10 · Quote Reply

Remember when every piece of Window$ software back in the day tried to get you to add their browser bar to your web browser? I really thought that would be the peak of how awful browser add-ons could get. Guess I wasn't dreaming big enough to imagine a boondoggle as utterly useless as an LLM integrated into a browser. I mean, I hated Clippy at the time, but never imagined anyone (even a marketi...

Oh, the horrors.

Bonzibuddy.

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Kallestar lemmy.ml Kallestar@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2025-04-09
#11 · Quote Reply

This used to be a filter to tell which of your friends and/or family were tech literate.

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BananaOnionJuice lemmy.dbzer0.com BananaOnionJuice@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2023-08-09
#12 · Quote Reply

No Slopzilla I don't want your AI browser Fireslop.

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ghost_laptop lemmy.ml gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml
Joined: 2020-11-25
#13 · Quote Reply

I think this is the perfect example of how democracy does not exist under capitalism, much less the US Empire. Lobbying modifies the political and structural basis of any enterprise. There's no reason for Mozilla to do this, much less have a CEO that earns as much as he do, but that's what Google want so Mozilla will comply.

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nulltape piefed.zip nulltape@piefed.zip
Joined: 2026-02-18
#14 · Quote Reply

So what are the best browsers to use now for privacy's sake? I'm hesitant to use Librewolf anymore even

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ki9 lemmy.gf4.pw ki9@lemmy.gf4.pw
Joined: 2025-01-09
#15 · Quote Reply

This used to be a filter to tell which of your friends and/or family were tech literate.

"I don't know what they are. They just appeared! "

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imjustmsk lemmy.world imjustmsk@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-03-15
#16 · Quote Reply

So what are the best browsers to use now for privacy's sake? I'm hesitant to use Librewolf anymore even

Librewolf is just firefox, You could just change a couple settings, or use a custom CSS if you don't likw how it looks?

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undefinedTruth lemmy.zip undefinedTruth@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-09-25
#17 · Quote Reply

It's getting harder and harder to defend those idiots. Come on Mozilla, WTF is that?

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nao sh.itjust.works nao@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-08-07
#18 · Quote Reply

What follows is a hands-on with Smart Window in Firefox 149 beta

Mozilla says this was a flub; it will refine the onboarding around Smart Window to limit memory formation to post-opt-in activity only. That’s obviously the right fix.

So was that a beta only issue?

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