675333 - Notify user about ToS/PP changes through the Sync client UI (Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, notification, updates)

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: Sync, enhancement)

Description

[[:Aleksej]]

When Terms of Service or Privacy Policy are updated, the new version goes into effect without requiring every time an explicit re-agreement from the user:

TOS: “Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of such changes constitutes your acceptance of such changes.”

PP: “Mozilla may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Each time you use the Firefox Sync Service the current version of this Privacy Policy will apply. Any and all changes will be reflected on this page. You should periodically check this page for any changes to the current policy. To make your review more convenient, we will post an effective date at the top of this page.”


Unlike many websites’ TOS, there is some promise of notification:

TOS ( https://services.mozilla.com/tos/ ) says: “If the changes are substantive, we will announce the update through Mozilla’s usual channels for such announcements such as blog posts and forums.”

PP ( https://services.mozilla.com/privacy-policy/ ) says: “Material changes will also be announced through the standard mechanisms through which Mozilla communicates with the Mozilla community.”


However, most users probably don’t read Mozilla blogs and forums. Most users won’t check for policy updates even if they care about them, because manual checking is inconvenient. Firefox Sync has the advantage of being able to have some data about the user’s usage of it, so it can have an idea on whether the user should be notified about a policy update.
For example, the client could
* tell the user if there’s been a recent update (e.g. during the last n contacts with the server).
* let the user tell it if the user wants to be notified of a certain update (e.g. store the date of the last user-acknowledged update in the User Data).

Comment 1

[Lina Butler [:lina]]

Sync now requires FxA, and FxA ToS changes are communicated via email.