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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Short answer: Firefox was not proven by the complaint to have unlawfully tracked its users. In September 2024, Austrian privacy group noyb complained to Austria’s data protection authority about Mozilla’s Privacy Preserving Attribution (PPA) feature. noyb alleged that PPA was enabled by default without adequate notice or consent. Mozilla, as reported by TechCrunch, said the code was a limited prototype that had not been activated and that no end-user data had been recorded or sent. The sources available do not establish a final regulatory decision.
What the Austrian complaint alleged
TechCrunch reported on September 25, 2024, that noyb had filed the complaint with Austria’s data protection authority. The group alleged that a Firefox update enabled PPA by default, without asking users, and sought deletion of data it said had been collected. Those are noyb’s allegations, not findings by the authority.
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The complaint focused on three related questions: whether PPA was enabled, whether users received adequate information and a genuine choice, and whether Mozilla processed data for advertising measurement without a lawful basis. The reviewed sources do not establish how the Austrian proceeding ended.
What Privacy Preserving Attribution (PPA) is supposed to do
PPA is Mozilla’s proposed way to measure advertising or other conversions without giving a website a conventional, person-level browsing history. In the parties’ descriptions, a browser would help produce aggregate results—such as whether a campaign generated activity—rather than exposing a user’s complete cross-site history to an advertiser.
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That design is the subject of the dispute. noyb characterized PPA as an additional advertising measurement and tracking mechanism. Mozilla described it as privacy-preserving aggregate attribution. Whether aggregation is sufficiently different from conventional tracking depends on the technical implementation, the data retained, who can combine it with other information and whether users can refuse it.
What Mozilla said about the prototype
Mozilla’s reported response, as summarized by TechCrunch, was narrower than the allegation. Mozilla said:
- The initial PPA code was included in Firefox 128.
- The prototype was restricted to Mozilla’s own websites, with the test described as limited to the Mozilla Developer Network.
- The feature had not been activated.
- No end-user data had been recorded or sent.
These statements describe Mozilla’s account of the prototype’s deployment and data flows. They do not resolve noyb’s broader objection to the feature’s design or to any default-setting question.
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| Question | noyb’s position | Mozilla’s reported position |
|---|---|---|
| What PPA represents | An additional advertising measurement or tracking mechanism that could add to existing tracking methods. | A privacy-preserving, aggregate attribution system intended to avoid conventional person-level advertising tracking. |
| Whether it was enabled | Firefox allegedly enabled it by default after an update without adequate user choice. | The prototype code was included in Firefox 128 but had not been activated. |
| Whether data was sent | noyb sought deletion of data it said had been collected. | Mozilla said no end-user data had been recorded or sent. |
| Regulatory status | A complaint asking the Austrian authority to examine the practice. | A response disputing that the reported prototype was active. |
Felix Mikolasch, identified by TechCrunch as a data protection lawyer at noyb, said: “Mozilla has just bought into the narrative that the advertising industry has a right to track users by turning Firefox into an ad measurement tool. While Mozilla may have had good intentions, it is very unlikely that ‘privacy preserving attribution’ will replace cookies and other tracking tools. It is just a new, additional means of tracking users.” This is an advocate’s statement for the complainant, not a regulator’s conclusion.
Does Firefox track its users?
There is no single yes-or-no answer because Firefox performs different kinds of processing for different functions. The PPA allegation concerns a 2024 prototype and its deployment. Mozilla’s current Firefox Privacy Notice, effective May 4, 2026, separately describes processing for browser functions, usage understanding, New Tab content and advertising.
For sponsored New Tab content, Mozilla says it may share limited, non-identifying information with advertising providers. It also describes local processing and aggregated or de-identified sharing for some advertising-effectiveness measurement. Users can turn sponsored content off in New Tab settings. Those current disclosures provide policy context, but they do not prove that the PPA allegations were true.
Mozilla’s February 28, 2025 explanation said it revised terms language after community concerns. The company stated that optional New Tab advertising and sponsored search suggestions involve some data collection and sharing with partners, as described in its privacy notice. That is Mozilla’s explanation of its own practices, not an independent finding.
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On desktop Firefox, Mozilla’s support instructions direct users to the browser’s data-collection controls:
- Open the Firefox menu and choose Settings.
- Select Privacy & Security.
- Scroll to Firefox Data Collection and Use.
- Review the available switches, which can include sending technical and interaction data, allowing studies, sending a daily usage ping and automatically sending crash reports.
- Turn off any optional category you do not want to share, then revisit the page after major browser updates.
Labels and the exact options can vary by Firefox version, operating system and device. These controls concern browser-to-Mozilla telemetry; they are separate from New Tab sponsored-content settings and from defenses against third-party trackers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Privacy controls that address websites and trackers
Sponsored New Tab content
Mozilla says sponsored content can be disabled in New Tab settings. This controls optional content displayed on the New Tab page; it is not the same switch as Firefox’s technical-data telemetry controls.
Global Privacy Control
Mozilla says the older Do Not Track setting was removed beginning with Firefox 135 because many websites did not respect the signal and it could sometimes reduce privacy. Firefox instead points users to a Global Privacy Control-based option labeled Tell websites not to sell or share my data. This sends a request to websites; it cannot force every site to comply.
Enhanced Tracking Protection
According to MDN, Firefox Desktop and Firefox for Android include tracking protection. In Private Browsing windows, Firefox blocks content from domains on its list of sites identified as engaging in cross-site tracking, including tracking through third-party cookies. This is a defense against listed third-party content, not a promise of anonymity or a guarantee that every tracker is blocked.
Quick Recap
What users should conclude
- noyb filed a complaint in Austria in September 2024; the central allegations concerned PPA, default enablement, notice and consent.
- Mozilla’s reported position was that the prototype was not activated and that no end-user data had been recorded or sent.
- A complaint is an allegation, not a regulatory finding; the reviewed sources do not establish a final decision in the Austrian case.
- Mozilla’s current privacy notice discusses other practices, including optional sponsored New Tab content, which should not be treated as proof of the PPA allegations.
- You can review Firefox’s data-collection switches, New Tab options and anti-tracking protections, but each control addresses a different data flow.
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