Comment by tombrossman | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tombrossman | Hacker News Reader

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Google Analytics T&Cs[0] make it explicitly clear that users must disclose to visitors that they use it. "You must post a Privacy Policy and that Privacy Policy must provide notice of Your use of cookies that are used to collect data. You must disclose the use of Google Analytics, and how it collects and processes data."

I know many people ignore it just like with all the other "I agree" check-boxes that pollute websites, but it is a breach of the Terms to sneak it onto your site or service.

Mozilla just launched a new podcast called "IRL" and in the first episode they warn people about all the creepy third-party tracking out there[1]. To listen to the podcast you have to allow third-parties to track you, and there is no privacy policy on the website to warn you.

It's actually a good podcast episode and I recommend checking it out.

[0]https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html

[1]https://irlpodcast.org/ , https://twitter.com/tombrossman/status/883972350387134464

To be fair, there's a link to the Mozilla Privacy Policy at the bottom of every add-on page, that explicitly states that they may use analytics (and even names Google Analytics).

Currently there is no such link at the bottom the discovery page, this is still an open PR, and was created as response to this thread.

Additionally, this still violates the Cookie Law.

> The addressees of the obligation are Member States, who must ensure that the use of electronic communications networks to store information in a visitor's browser is only allowed if the user is provided with “clear and comprehensive information”, in accordance with the Data Protection Directive, about the purposes of the storage of, or access to, that information; and has given his or her consent. The regime so set-up can be described as opt-in, effectively meaning that the consumer must give his or her consent before cookies or any other form of data is stored in their browser.

Does that mean that I could sue Mozilla?

Potentially. I recommend you check with your Landesdatenschutzbeauftragter, in Schleswig-Holstein, that’d be the https://www.datenschutzzentrum.de/ (you can send them E-Mail via GPG), and discuss that with them. Additionally, you might get help from the Verbraucherzentrale.

You agree to that same Mozilla Privacy Policy when you install the browser. It's linked from the browser's About screen. There's no requirement it be on every page.

What about Firefox coming preinstalled in Linux distributions?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com