Eliana Willis

ZDNETI used to be a Firefox fan. That was a long time ago. Also: The best secure browsers for privacyOver the years, tens of millions of other Firefox users and I have given up on the browser. Recently, Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, changed Firefox’s data practices and privacy policies so that you granted Mozilla far more control over your data. Firefox users are unhappy about these changes.Why are people unhappy with Firefox?It all began on Feb. 27, 2025. Then, Mozilla introduced official Firefox Terms of Use and updated its Privacy Notice. This marked the first time Mozilla had a legally binding privacy policy for Firefox users. Before, its policies relied on open-source licenses and informal privacy commitments. Also: Firefox expands access to popular AI chatbots right from the sidebarFor decades, one of Firefox’s biggest selling points was that it gave you more privacy than Chrome or Edge. Under this new policy, though, Mozilla claimed: “When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.” That’s gone over like a lead brick. People believe that Mozilla has granted itself a royalty-free right to anything you type in Firefox. Your data could then be used for advertisers or to train an AI Large Language Model (LLM). In support of the idea that Mozilla would let advertisers use your data, users have noticed that Firefox has deleted from its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file the query: “Does Firefox sell your personal data?” and the answer, “Nope. Never have, never will. And we protect you from many of the advertisers who do. Firefox products are designed to protect your privacy. That’s a promise.” That’s all gone. Now, Firefox merely promises, “to protect your personal information.” That’s not what Mozilla had promised. According to an update by Ajit Varma, Firefox’s VP of Product Management, “Mozilla doesn’t sell data about you (in the way that most people think about “selling data”), and we don’t buy data about you. We changed our language because some jurisdictions define “sell” more broadly than most people would usually understand that word.” Also: Firefox is finally adding vertical tabs – why it’s a game-changing updateAs for AI, in 2023, Mozilla began its own AI startup, Mozilla.ai. As one Firefox user put it, the new language “sounds like boilerplate AI harvesting language.” They’re not wrong. In response, Varma added, “We need a license to allow us to make some of the basic functionality of Firefox possible. Without it, we couldn’t use information typed into Firefox, for example. It does NOT give us ownership of your data or a right to use it for anything other than what is described in the Privacy Notice.” That still hasn’t made everyone comfortable. Others have noticed that Mozilla’s new executives, including Varma, come not from promotion within or the open-source community, but from money-making businesses. Varma’s last job, for example, was at Meta, where he was responsible for monetizing WhatsApp. More

ZDNETAfter all the chaos we have seen in the Kindle world over the last week, I’ve noticed that there tend to be two types of reactions from users.The first reaction is that some people want to move off the Kindle platform as quickly as possible. Their whole interest is setting up a new reading environment where ebook ownership means having all their books’ files on backup media somewhere. The second reaction, fueled by either old Kindle devices or unregistered Kindle devices, is the desire to get a new Kindle. As part of the bulk download process many of us went through before Amazon cut off that ability, my wife realized that although she has three devices, the newest Kindle she owns is a Paperwhite she bought back in 2012. Also: Want free ebooks? These 10 sites offer thousands of optionsHer favorite device, the large-format Kindle DX, can no longer load Kindle books because it lacks connectivity to Amazon. We tried registering an old Kindle Keyboard from 2010. Even though it has Wi-Fi connectivity, the security protocols in that machine are so out of date that it wouldn’t authenticate with Amazon. This article is for those with active Kindle libraries or those who want to get started in the Kindle ecosystem. As it turns out, if you want to buy a new Kindle, there are a number of ways you can save big on the purchase. First, I’ll show you the ways you can save. Then, I’ll build a couple of configurations, and we’ll do some math on the savings. 1. Save 20% with trade-in (plus bonus bucks) Amazon has an offer where you can trade in an old device and get a 20% discount — plus a few bucks for your old device. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETWe’re on day two of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, and the news cycle is still churning. Within the first day at the Barcelona trade show, we saw ultra-slim phones, unique laptop form factors, and surprise appearances from Samsung and Nothing.Also: This tri-foldable phone at MWC 2025 is the most bizarre thing I’ve seen yetBut, as is often the case with multi-day events, we’ll likely see and hear more about what’s new in the mobile space. To keep you updated,  here’s our roundup of the best products the ZDNET team has seen at MWC. Stay tuned as we refresh this list, bulleted in no particular order, throughout the week.1. Samsung made a Nintendo Switch that folds More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways HP’s OmniStudio X 31.5 is on sale now at Best Buy for $1,799. It’s a big-screen all-in-one with a solid suite of hardware that’s both powerful and flexible. However, some users will want to upgrade the peripherals and speakers. –> When I reviewed the Apple iMac M4 last year, I praised […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Withings Scanwatch Nova is available for pre-order now, starting at $599. It’s an elegant smartwatch with a one-month battery, water resistance up to 10ATM, and various health-tracking metrics. A $10/month subscription is required for some advanced metrics, and the watch is only available in one 42mm diameter. –> Healthy heart […] More

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETAt Mobile World Congress 2025, Xiaomi showcased a Modular Optical System (MOS) that magnetically attaches a lens to a custom Xiaomi 15. It’s like a Moto Mod, but with a full-fledged, working camera lens. I had a brief hands-on session with this concept, and left feeling there might be a future where you can attach your camera lens to your phone — and where Camera Control is finally useful.Also: Samsung teased me with its Galaxy S25 Edge at MWC – and I was ready to give up my UltraThe working prototype of the custom Xiaomi 15 features two small pins and a Qi2-like magnetic mounting system. When you attach the lens, it locks into the pins to draw power from the phone’s battery. The lens is detected by Xiaomi’s LaserLink technology, which connects the device to the camera interface so you can use it on the touchscreen. More

Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro at MWC 2025. Kerry Wan/ZDNETPhone brand Nothing creates some of the most aesthetically striking mobile devices on the market. That pattern will continue into 2025, as the company recently revealed its new Phone (3a) Series. Also: This $399 Samsung Galaxy is the mid-range phone most people should buyThe set consists of the base Phone (3a) and the Phone (3a) Pro. Both models house an optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, ditching the MediaTek hardware present in the previous generation. According to Nothing, the new processor allows the duo to be up to “33% faster than [the] Phone (2a)”. The devices are also better at running video games. Players will enjoy more “stable frame rates” plus 11% better graphical fidelity. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThere it was: the unreleased Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hanging on wires at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) show floor. Going into the morning of the Barcelona trade show, I knew I had to make a beeline to the Samsung booth to avoid yet another crowded photo-op with the upcoming Galaxy phone. So I got my badge, skipped to Hall 3, whipped out the DSLR, and started shooting.Also: Best of MWC 2025: The 7 most impressive products you shouldn’t missWith a phone as thin as the S25 Edge — it’s rumored to measure around 6mm — there’s one golden shot that every photographer tries to capture. It requires a steady hand, a bit of waiting for passersby to leave the frame, and just the right amount of focus on that sliver of side railing. The result? The essence of Samsung’s most innovative hardware update to the S line in years, pictured above. More