Firefox and Google

The Mozilla Corporation's relationship with Google has been noted in the media, especially with regards to use of Firefox to provide revenues and data for Google. The release of the anti-phishing protection in Firefox 2 especially raised controversy Enabled by default, anti-phishing protection is based on a list that is updated about twice per hour and downloaded to the user's computer from Google's server. The user cannot change the data provider within the GUI, and is not informed who the default data provider is. The browser also sends Google's cookie with each request for update. The "advanced" security feature of builds by the Mozilla Foundation activate an anti-phishing feature to provide live protection and, according to the Mozilla Wiki, send each visited URL to Google. The user must explicitly opt-in for this service, however. There are Internet privacy concerns surrounding how Google may use the data, even though Firefox's privacy policy states that Google may not use personal information for any purposes other than the anti-phishing protection feature.
In 2005, the Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation had a combined revenue of US$52.9 million. Approximately 95 percent of this revenue was related to their search engine relationships.


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Firefox 2
The award-winning Web browser is now faster, more secure, and fully customizable to your online life. With Firefox 2, we’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better.


Enjoy a Better Web Experience
Firefox 2 delivers helpful new features to make your online experience more productive.
Stay Secure on the Web
Firefox continues to lead the way in online security, and now includes active protection from online scams to keep you safer.
Personalize Your Browser
Choose from over a thousand useful add-ons that enhance Firefox. It’s easy to personalize Firefox to make it your own.