1759570 - Yandex search engine has been removed in bad way from the end user point of view

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Firefox :: Search, defect)

Description

[Taras]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Fedora; Linux x86_64; rv:98.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/98.0

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install Firefox from Fedora GNU/Linux official repository
2. Configure Firefox to use Yandex as main search engine and use it for a long time
3. Update to ver. 98

Actual results:

• Yandex search engine was silently removed from Firefox
• Google became default search engine

From 98 release notes (https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/98.0/releasenotes/):

Firefox allows users to choose from a number of built-in search engines to set as their default. In this release, some users who had previously configured a default engine might notice their default search engine has changed since Mozilla was unable to secure formal permission to continue including certain search engines in Firefox.

Expected results:

Such behaviour is incorrect from the end use of view. Mozilla should not remove explicitly selected by the use search engine from installed Firefox (especially previously compiled from the source code).

Mozilla could remove search engine if it's not selected/used by the end user.

Comment 1

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The Bugbug bot thinks this bug should belong to the 'Firefox::Search' component, and is moving the bug to that component. Please correct in case you think the bot is wrong.

Comment 2

[Robert Longson [:longsonr]]

It's in the release notes as that's what's intended: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/98.0.1/releasenotes/

Comment 3

[Taras]

(In reply to Robert Longson [:longsonr] from comment #2)

It's in the release notes as that's what's intended: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/98.0.1/releasenotes/
From this link:
If you previously installed a customized version of Firefox with Yandex or Mail.ru, offered through partner distribution channels, this release removes those customizations, including add-ons and default bookmarks. Where applicable, your browser will revert back to default settings, as offered by Mozilla. All other releases of Firefox remain unaffected by the change.

It is not true because I installed Firefox from Fedora GNU/Linux distro repository. Furthermore this ticket is about bad way to remove already used search engine settings by the end user. Mozilla also has changed it to Google (without user approval). It's obviously bad practice especially from such company like Mozilla!

Comment 4

[Robert Longson [:longsonr]]

Intentional changes aren't bugs and this is Mozilla's bug reporting facility.

Comment 5

[Taras]

These intentional changes broke user experience and were made in the bad manner. Mozilla remotely has changed search engine setting in use and without user approval.

Comment 6

[xentar]

It is very sad that Mozilla, like many others, could not take a completely neutral position. That position of the free Internet, about which so much was said on the Mozilla website. In addition, it violated the long-term experience of users of its product without prior warning.
I often use Google to search for news, but more often I use Yandex to search for places and events in my hometown that Google does not give a search for. And I can say with confidence that Google is doing exactly the same as Yandex regarding the filtering of search results.
I hope that at the end of the current sad events, this bug report will be closed, and the Yandex search will be returned to its place. And I also hope that mozilla will remove its hypocritical statement about supporting the free Internet.

Comment 8

[Taras]

Could you please reopen this ticket cause it is about incorrect action ("changed search engine setting in use and without user approval.") made by Mozilla. There should be more detailed reaction from Mozilla in addition to the very short release notes. Mozilla is very important company to the Internet especially as the last independent browser vendor and for its visibility and openness. When Mozilla simply remove remotely end user settings without clear description it makes step in wrong way.

Comment 9

[Sandro kensan]

I absolutely agree with @Taras. Firefox is the last independent browser and cannot lose the historic freedom of choice it gives the user.

This override of the user search engine choice is not in keeping with Mozilla's history.

Comment 10

[Konstantin]

This is a big call from mozilla to the attitude of users. We'll have to consider alternatives.

Comment 11

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

From time to time, Mozilla may update the pre-installed default search provider or the optional search providers in the drop-down search menu in Firefox. Users can update and/or add search engines at any time in Settings. Our support page provides more detailed instructions on how to do that.

We recognise that this may cause disruption to some users and we've informed users of the change through an in-product notification which included instructions on how to change their default search engine.

Comment 12

[Taras]

Mark, thanks for the reply!

Could you please answer: is it clear, that my ticket is about changing of the search engine option already in use (not default list of search engines to choose from)? I mean that Mozilla remotely have changed option in already installed browsers (including those what built from sources in GNU/Linux distros) and that user preference was in use by many users. They chose to use this search engine and not that Mozilla changed to. It is like sneak into the house and change favourite brand of some product in their fridge.

Comment 13

[Mark Banner (:standard8)]

(In reply to Taras from comment #12)

Could you please answer: is it clear, that my ticket is about changing of the search engine option already in use (not default list of search engines to choose from)?

Yes it is clear. However for this to affect you, you had to have selected Yandex as one of the application provided (aka "default list") of search engines - even if it wasn't the main default engine. We did not make any changes to engines that users had installed separately.

They chose to use this search engine and not that Mozilla changed to. It is like sneak into the house and change favourite brand of some product in their fridge.

Yes, we understand this, and is the reason we provided the notification (in recent versions).