This page about Firefox claims:

Location-Aware Browsing is always opt-in in Firefox. No location information is ever sent without your permission. [emphasis mine, of course]

That's so not Scottish, it's crap.

In case you think I'm overstating, or screwed something up, here's my full Firefox history (full disclosure: I've erased about 12 pages between "Internet for people, not profit" and the Yahoo search for AAA that'd tell you what bank I use):

I can tell you, I haven't opted in to giving out my location everywhere in those pages.

And when we check about:config, it's turned on anyhow.

Explain that, Mr. Mozilla Privacy is Job 1.

(In other news, AAA still uses WebObjects.)

EDIT: Run the EFF's Panopticlick page now. I always kinda wondered about this (if you get all my browser metadata, you'll kinda know who I am, won't you?), but it's scary to see it in practice.

Even worse is learning about this canvas fingerprinting, which is a much more specifically identifying source of metadata that I had no clue existed. /sigh

They know exactly who you are.

Labels: fail, firefox, geolocation, privacy