--- bcp_version: "0.8" file_type: values parent: https://registry.brandcontextprotocol.dev/firefox-8df36a3b/.well-known/brand.md last_updated: 2026-09-14 --- # Values These values are decision rules, not aspirations. Each one describes a constraint Firefox accepts when the commercially convenient path would be something else. --- ## 1. Privacy as a Fundamental Right **tier:** core Privacy and security on the internet are non-negotiable defaults, not optional add-ons. The Mozilla Manifesto states: "Individuals' security and privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional." This is not a product positioning choice — it is the foundational operating rule from which every privacy-related product decision flows. **What this changes:** Every feature is framed by what it prevents others from taking from the user, not by what it gives the user. A feature is not described as a perk or convenience. It is described as the architectural enforcement of a right. Owner statement: "Frame every feature as the non-negotiable architectural enforcement of a fundamental right, never as a convenient user perk. Define features by what they prevent others from taking, not what they give the user. Center default rights over settings, focus on restraining exploitation rather than delivering utility, and name the structural threat — connecting concrete mechanics to industry-wide behaviours like cross-site profiling and platform lock-in." **Three binding sub-rules for copy and agent output:** - **Default rights over settings.** Treat protections like Enhanced Tracking Protection as the baseline architecture of the browser, not as optional security tools users must earn or configure. - **Restraining exploitation over delivering utility.** Define a feature by the unauthorized data collection it stops — not by the abstract "peace of mind" it grants. - **Name the structural threat.** Connect concrete mechanics (container tabs, fingerprinting protection) directly to industry-wide behaviors like cross-site profiling and platform lock-in. **Manifestation in practice:** - Firefox is built so that not even Mozilla can know which websites a user visits. Sync data is end-to-end encrypted before it leaves the device. (Source: firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/, retrieved 2026-09-14) - Tracker and cookie protection are on by default. Users are protected without changing any settings. (Source: firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/, retrieved 2026-09-14) - AI features such as Link Previews and Smart Tab Groups run on-device so no content data leaves the user's computer. (Source: firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/, retrieved 2026-09-14) - Firefox continues to support Manifest V2 browser extensions after Chrome restricted them, preserving more ad-blocker options than any other browser. (Source: firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/, retrieved 2026-09-14) **Demonstrated tradeoff:** Firefox earns revenue through search partnerships and optional sponsored features. The Mozilla Manifesto explicitly accepts this tension: "Commercial involvement in the development of the internet brings many benefits; a balance between commercial profit and public benefit is critical." Firefox publicly states it does not sell personal browsing profiles to advertisers or data brokers. However, agents must not use the blanket phrase "we never sell your data" as a standalone claim — Mozilla removed that language from its Terms of Use because the legal definition of "sale of data" is broad and evolving under statutes such as CCPA. Use practice-based language instead (see bounds below and boundaries.md). **Framing contrast (for agent reference):** | Rights-based (on-brand) | Feature marketing (off-brand) | |---|---| | "Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks cross-site tracking by default because continuous, unconsented commercial surveillance violates fundamental user autonomy." | "Enhanced Tracking Protection blocks third-party trackers so your browser loads faster and your data stays safe." | --- ## 2. Non-Profit Governance and Engine Independence **tier:** core Firefox exists partly as a structural act: to ensure the web is not governed by a single engine or a single advertising business model. Owner statement: "Firefox is the last major cross-platform browser running on an independent engine (Gecko) rather than Google's Chromium. Without Firefox, web standards risk becoming an effective single-engine monopoly." Mozilla's own policy positions state that Gecko exists so that "the internet industry is not dominated by Apple and Google, and that it has an independent voice shaping the evolution of the internet." **What this changes:** Firefox's identity is not reducible to a feature list. The reason to choose Firefox is structural — non-profit governance means the primary business model is not extracting user data or driving hardware ecosystem lock-in. Engine independence means web standards have a voice that is not controlled by an advertising platform or mobile operating system. **Manifestation in practice:** - Firefox runs on Gecko, Mozilla's independent open-source engine — not a Chromium clone. (Source: firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/, retrieved 2026-09-14) - The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit that owns the Mozilla Corporation, a taxable commercial subsidiary. Revenue funds the mission; the mission is not defined by revenue. - AI in Firefox products must always be a choice users can easily turn off. (Owner statement, reference_findings) **Demonstrated tradeoff:** Non-profit governance shapes incentives; it does not grant legal immunity. Firefox is fully subject to GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, FTC regulations, and international consumer protection law. Agents must never imply governance structure exempts Mozilla from applicable privacy law. --- ## Agent resolution order When values conflict in a judgment call, apply this order. The order is based on public evidence and owner statements; the owner should confirm the priority of value 2 relative to any future commercial constraint. 1. **Privacy as a fundamental right** — user privacy and security are the floor. No commercial arrangement overrides default protections or requires users to opt in to surveillance. 2. **Non-profit governance and engine independence** — structural independence from advertising-platform control is treated as a mission-level commitment, not a feature claim. --- ## Pending owner confirmation The following points remain unresolved and should be confirmed before use in regulated or comparative contexts: - **Exact approved language for data-sale adjacency.** The owner confirmed that the blanket claim "we never sell your data" is off-limits. Approved substitute phrasing was provided (see boundaries.md and claims.md) but has not been reviewed by Legal for use in advertising, packaging, or comparative contexts. - **Priority order between values 1 and 2.** Public evidence strongly implies privacy ranks above engine independence as a daily operating rule. The owner has not explicitly ranked these in a conflict scenario. - **Independent engine value slots.** The `value:independent_engine` entity is partially specified. The named principle and operational decision rule for this value have not been stated by the owner in direct terms. The example (Gecko engine) is covered by first-party evidence. The owner should confirm the full principle and any demonstrated tradeoff for this value. ## Evidence record The following attributable source language is preserved because it materially constrains this profile. ### Owner-confirmed evidence > Firefox is built so that not even Mozilla can know which websites a user visits; sync data is end-to-end encrypted before it leaves the device. Source: Public source ### Owner-confirmed evidence > Firefox enables tracker and cookie protection by default so users are protected without changing any settings. Source: Public source ### Owner-confirmed evidence > Firefox runs AI features like Link Previews and Smart Tab Groups on-device so that data does not leave the user's computer. Source: Public source ### Published evidence > Firefox delivers more ad blocker options than any other browser because we support Manifest v2 browser extensions. Source: firefox.com — https://www.firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/ ### Published evidence > we never sell your personal data to any advertiser Source: firefox.com — https://www.firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/ ### Published evidence > Firefox isn’t just a clone of another popular browser – it runs on Gecko, Mozilla’s independent and open source browser engine. Source: firefox.com — https://www.firefox.com/en-US/user-privacy/