New Firefox Extensions Required to Disclose Data Collection Practices

Starting next week, all new Firefox extensions will be required to declare their personal data collection and transmission practices in the manifest file using a specific key, Mozilla announced, to give users greater visibility during installation. The change applies only to new extensions, not to new versions of existing ones, and requires the browser_specific_settings.gecko.data_collection_permissions key when declaring data collection capabilities in the manifest.json file.

Extensions that do not collect or transmit any personal data must specify this by setting the none prior to data collection permission in this property, according to Mozilla. An extension’s data collection practices will also be displayed on addons.mozilla[.]org, and users will see the information on the extension’s Firefox about:addons page in the Permissions and Data section.

If an extension supports Firefox versions prior to 140 for Desktop or 142 for Android, the developer must continue to provide a clear way to control data collection and transmission immediately after installation, Mozilla notes, and extensions that must use the property but do not set it correctly cannot be submitted for signing. Starting next year, all Firefox extensions will be required to use the data_collection_permissions keys when declaring data collection capabilities.