Tyler Downer said

If you carefully read Mozilla's announcement, you will see that there is no mention of rolling any sort of product out to any users. This is because this is simply a research project at this point, the best and the brightest getting into a room and thinking about what we can do to help the average internet user know what websites and sources are trustworthy, and what needs to be read with a grain of salt. If there is ever a tool that can be tested by users, it will be announced along with what exactly it does, but such a tool does not exist at this time. As for the why Mozilla is doing this, well, the Mozilla Foundation's mission is clearly stated at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/. I think that finding a way for users to know when a website is trustworthy or when it isn't is very much in line with our principles. Keep in mind, there is no mention of any censorship, simply helping people know what to trust. Again though, I need to reiterate, there is no product that anyone anywhere in the world is using from Mozilla to serve this purpose because it doesn't exist yet, and possibly will never exist.

Hi Tyler,

I get, and understand the distinction between a project that is exploring possibilities, and a finished product that is being rolled out.

My concern, and it's a very big one, is that Mozilla thinks it's either a good idea, or indeed acceptable, to look into an area where a successful project outcome could ultimately result in your company restricting access to areas of the internet that some individual or group claims peddles "fake news". And even if not outright censorship, flagging content as untrustworthy is almost as bad.

I have come to expect such manoeuvering from the likes of Google and Facebook, along with the condescension coming from what is commonly called the mainstream media. I am shocked however that Mozilla, once so firmly in the corner of freedom on the internet, appears to have given up their battle for the little guy, and acquiesced to those who appear to be afraid of something; freedom of speech.

Not trusting your customers to be able to differentiate between what is really going on in the world, and a fiction (no matter how elaborate), suggests to me that you doubt the ability of your users to discriminate (in the truest sense of the word - no race involved).

I hear the word bigotry thrown about a lot today, and I suspect not everyone who casually throws it about is aware of its true meaning. Bigotry is an inability, or unwillingness to accept any point of view, other than their own. And when it is applied to this consistent, constant stream of "news" provided by the mainstream media, it begins to make so much sense. A very deliberate and concerted effort appears to be underway, to close down all but the mainstream media's narrative, and their talking points aired there.

If we stray from the accepted bifurcation of argument usually associated with politics, then one is likely to be labeled a peddler of fake news. I was brought up to believe that it is exposure to that very diversity of opinion and points of view that encourages us to develop our own point of view; rather than merely buying into one we heard or read online, usually, though certainly not exclusively, from the mainstream media.

As I said, I'm all grown up (all 52 years of me), and I will never need a net nanny. And of course, all this is assuming that there is no ulterior motive lying behind this. Because there is clearly a push on so many fronts to try to "harmonise" the news; in essence making sure every outlet is singing from the same hymn sheet. And anything that does not fit that narrative is quickly pounced on and labelled as fake news, or dare I say a conspiracy …theory.

I don’t need to be told who or what to trust, it’s one of those life skills that we hopefully develop as we advance in years; dare I say it’s part of growing up. sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don't; but hopefully, we always learn from the mistakes and the hurt.

Trust is a subjective thing, and I’m not sure that the very corporations (Google, Microsoft et al) that lobby political parties and fund them, are perhaps best placed to be policing, or making judgement calls on, who or what is trustworthy, or indeed the truth.

I do so hope that this is a bandwagon Mozilla can climb down from, before those wheels start spinning too fast.

Just a thought,

Roddy

I would suggest that you look at Mozilla's track record of working hard to protect the open internet, and then wait and see if anything is even released, and if it is, what is released, before making any decisions. In the future, please always trust the official sources (Mozilla's own blog for instance) over dubious, click-baity headlines.

I believe that I have clearly articulated Mozilla's current stance on this issue, where this project stands, the fact that it is not associated with Soros or any other projects being worked on by other groups, and that there is no product in the field or planned. Do you have further questions? Otherwise, I will lock this thread again as it really has no real place on a support site for actual products being used by millions of real users every day.

If you would like help with the slowness and crashes you described, we would love to assist you, but I'd suggest you start a new thread, as this one has gotten cluttered with off-topic responses.

Tyler Downer said

Do you have further questions? Otherwise, I will lock this thread again as it really has no real place on a support site for actual products being used by millions of real users every day.

Hi Tyler, I think I've probably said all I need to say, let's hope that Mozilla sees the light before it's too late.

Though I think it's a shame that others will not be able to comment their thoughts.

Kind regards,

Roddy

Other's interested in giving Mozilla feedback can do so at http://input.mozilla.org/feedback/

SUMO is not meant for general feedback.

I'm locking this thread now. Please open a new thread for your crashing and slowness issues.