1731176 - make VPN promo prevention & url params usable throughout firefox, not just with captive-portal-login triggers

Status: NEW

(Firefox :: Messaging System, task, P2)

Description

[Dan Mosedale (:dmosedale, :dmose)]

Requirements:
a) promo display is prevented even if current region changes while browser is running
b) promo display is always prevented in builds with a pref set to false
c) promo display prevention is reflected correctly as much as possible in messaging system exposure events

We hope this will allow us to back out the nasty hack from bug 1730621 (need to verify requirements with legal, china, partner repacks, region repacks)

One set of strategies that might achieve these requirements:

1. implement currentRegion targeting
2. ASRouter message targeting for currentRegion, homeRegion, and preference
3. Experiment/rollout targeting for currentRegion, homeRegion, and preference (by excluding most display prevention ahead of time at experiment enrollment time so that most exposure events are correct).
4. Add a question to the experimenter form asking about whether there are any specific legal concerns in all affected regions, pointing to a list of examples.
5. Migrate entirely from ASRouter remote settings message deployments to Experimenter rollouts.

Comment 1

[Dan Mosedale (:dmosedale, :dmose)]

Andrei points out that having a pref in play here has problems:

It makes sense but this is still really fragile (and can trick us into thinking it's fixed): we can still launch CFRs, infobars and any number of campaigns that promote VPN. We can also launch campaigns that have nothing to do with the captive portal trigger and instead open the URL for Mozilla VPN. I still think the best way to handle this is in experiment/message targeting.

I'm realizing now that the pref isn't the requirement itself; rather, it's a way to try to ensure correct behavior in repacks for partners and regions, which is closer to the actual requirement. So I'll think on this a bit more, and clarify the requirements more before I get them reviewed by the various stakeholders.