Firefox users lose trust in Mozilla after a 'Mr. Robot' promo went horribly wrong
Protip for Mozilla and the USA Network: In the future when you're plotting a tie-in for a show about vigilante hackers, maybe don't actually compromise people's privacy.
Some Firefox users were none too thrilled to discover that the web browser had installed an add-on called "Looking Glass" without permission. Bearing a description that read simply, in all-caps, "MY REALITY IS JUST DIFFERENT THAN YOURS," people were understandably suspicious.
(The all-caps utterance, it should be noted, is a quote from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.)
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
That last tweet is from a Mozilla employee, in case it's not clear.
Looking Glass turned out to be a promotional tie-in for Mr. Robot, serving as the foundation for a new alternate reality game. But the initial lack of clarity as to its purpose, coupled with the fact that it installed unprompted, caused understandable alarm.
Once it became clear that users were unhappy, Mozilla moved quickly to set things right. The initial 1.0.3 version of the Firefox extension featured the cryptic Carroll quote and nothing else, as TechCrunch noted, but a subsequent 1.0.4 update included text explaining its purpose as an ARG.
Mozilla also created a support page to more thoroughly explain Looking Glass, and make it clear that users would have to opt in if they wanted to participate in the ARG. On top of that, the support page includes a vague mea culpa that lays out Mozilla's mission and commitment to giving people "more control over their lives online."
The Mr. Robot series centers around the theme of online privacy and security. One of the 10 guiding principles of Mozilla's mission is that individuals' security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional. The more people know about what information they are sharing online, the more they can protect their privacy.
Mozilla exists to build the Internet as a public resource accessible to all because we believe open and free is better than closed and controlled. We build products like Firefox to give people more control over their lives online.
Looking Glass didn't self-install in every version of Firefox, and as the conversation around it grew, users began to figure out what happened. The extension is a product of Mozilla's Shield Studies program, which is a "user testing platform for proposed, new and existing features and ideas."
While some Shield Studies testing items prompt users for approval before installing, others are added automatically and require a manual opt-out. And, as some discovered, it's possible to participate in Shield Studies without specifically opting in (h/t Engadget).
Ultimately, Looking Glass doesn't actually do anything unless the user in question chooses to participate in the Mr. Robot ARG. But this is a trust issue more than anything else. And with Mozilla's Firefox Quantum update freshly launched -- and vying to bring back users stolen away by Google Chrome -- this secretly added extension is not a good look.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
