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this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2025
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Technology
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Is the killswitch in settings? Because I had to set browser.ml.enable to false in about:config since there was nothing related to it in settings
Yeah, that’d be like the web browser equivalent of going into the Windows registry editor and changing a value in there. Like, it’s there, but unless you already know what you’re looking for, it’s not really an option.
They have said they will make one outside of about:config.
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Yeah. I'm still pissed off dev hours get wasted on this shit instead of, idk, HDR support? Surround sound audio?
They say a switch will be built in. There is no switch yet. Which means the deluge of little popups about AI tab grouping and the "look at Perplexity" messages are not going away until these changes are actually released.
the killswitch is in about:config
browser.ml.enable
browser.ml.chat.enabled
browser.ml.chat.menu
browser.ml.chat.page
browser.ml.chat.page.footerBadge
browser.ml.chat.page.menuBadge
browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled
browser.ml.pageAssist.enabled
browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled
browser.tabs.groups.smart.userEnabled
extensions.ml.enabled
browser.search.visualSearch.featureGate
That's... Not really a switch. If somebody has to go to a secret place, get past a warning sign, and type in a half dozen secret commands... it sounds more like an espionage movie than the flipping of a switch.
And people have already complained that some of those flags don't affect newer ones, which Mozilla keeps adding. We might as well say Microsoft has a setting to turn off telemetry, never mind it's also hidden and it also keeps getting switched back on.
This is 12 switches
the killswitch is in
about:config
Ah yes, the easiest place to put a kill switch for the average user, as opposed to the complexity of a toggle in settings.
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Or you could just use Librewolf
FF build with adblock built in and AI/spyware ripped out
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then make it an extension.
the fact that they're entertaining ai at all is antithesis to mozilla's mission of an open and environmentally friendly web free from profit.
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Thank god we have a photo of the firefox logo instead of an article
Get a new CEO and get back to us
This is good enough for me. This means the Firefox code base will not get so integrated with AI features that forkers cannot remove them, and that was my primary concern.
Firefox has actually become less stable for me, which is crazy because it was stable for several years.
It had gotten bloated and unstable when Chrome first came out, too.
Why does Mozilla always trend toward mediocrity?
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The best killswitch is called Librewolf. Another good one is Waferfox.
I just installed librewolf yesterday. Pretty cool, except for the no dark mode thing.
Anyone know why LibreWolf isn't in the default Debian repositories? I trust Debian - I'm not going to add a repository to get LibreWolf.
Until it's available from a default Debian repo, I'll keep going thru my list of all the garbage I have to go switch off in Settings and about:config every time I install Firefox for someone.
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Opt-in you say? How about RMB click with AI chatbot that you can disable by clicking "Disable AI bot" there? Wasn't opt-in first. And, how is that in aboug:config .ml. list contains tons of entries set to True, rather than False? How in the fuck is it opt-in? It has been opt-out and in order to opt-out most of it, you would need an intermediate/advanced user. There was no toggle switch on a sidebar for normies to see and click. I call BS on this statement.
not sure this is enough for me. Its too late and too large a faux pas to recover from. In my opinion.
For me it's really not. If you don't need to opt out and are proud of your killswitch, just don't put it there for normal people.
good.
Yawn. People have been saying "Screw MozIlla, I'm switching browsers now!"
Nothing new. Just disable the feature like you do with telemetry lol.
Link to the article as it doesn't show up on Lemmy: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/12/firefox-dev-clarifies-there-will-be-an-ai-kill-switch/
Lol, lmao. Still deleting firefox, get fucked. Mozilla betrayed its users trust by choosing to follow this slop trend, and they'll suffer the consequences.
& you'll suffer the consequences of monopoly. Wait it out until LadyBird & Servo gets fully tested out
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For now.
Too late, I switched
They really should have come out with a local llm poduct seperate from firefox that is compatible with using it out of box.
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