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Mozilla Debuts Firefox Extension that Recommends Content Based on Your Browsing Activity (venturebeat.com)

Posted by msmash on from the interesting-moves dept.

Mozilla on Tuesday began testing a Firefox extension that shows you its best guesses for what you want to see on the web. From a report: The Advance web extension is available for anyone from today and can analyze content on current active web pages to recommend related tidbits you may want to "read next" from other websites. It will also surface recommendations based on your recent browsing history in a "for you" section. With the extension installed, you just browse the web as you normally would and the little sidebar will show things that are relevant to what you've been looking at. The extension is powered by Laserlike, a VC-funded, machine learning-powered "interest search engine" that delivers personalized content. As such, Laserlike will receive users' browsing history -- something Mozilla wants people to understand before they install the extension. But the company has also built in some tools to boost control and data transparency.

8 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. Who asked for this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And please be **specific**....

    1. Re:Who asked for this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The NSA and the GCHQ.

    2. Re:Who asked for this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Some project team at Mozilla, same as the ones that want to ignore your DNS settings and route it all through their selected provider. Or the ones that forced pocket into the browser when it should have been an extension. Maybe even the ones who hilariously run this.

    3. Re:Who asked for this? by vux984 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If I had to guess I would expect Laserlike is paying for this, and is paying Mozilla to develop and promote it.

      And that's fine.

      It's an extension.
      And it's pretty clearly disclosed what it does.

      It's not something I would ever want; but its the right way to do it, and really its how pocket should have been done too.

    4. Re:Who asked for this? by mikael · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Then they will supply it pre-installed with Firefox downloads. Then to improve speed and performance, it becomes built into the browser.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  2. Still No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    >Laserlike, a VC-funded, machine learning-powered "interest search engine" that delivers personalized content.

    Yeah. Sounds as legit as the ASK Toolbar.

  3. You know what interests me? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What I choose to view. I don't need some lousy piece of software trying to guess what I want to view next or might be interested in, especially when someone else will use that information for their benefit. Hey, Mozilla, take your stinking software off me, you damn dirty programmers!

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  4. The best thing about this extension by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The best thing about this extension is that you do not have to install it.