Mozilla Private Browsing: stats released!

Theophany

Theophany

Theophany

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So the Mozilla analytics team recently revealed statistics on the usage of Firefox's Private (pr0n) browsing feature. In a way, we all already knew what that feature was for, just like we all know OJ is guilty as hell even if the evidence was refuted. But Mozilla announced the figures that confirmed it:

http://blog.mozilla.com/metrics/files/2010/08/time_of_day-1024x615.png

and how long did people tend to use the Private browsing feature?

http://blog.mozilla.com/metrics/files/2010/08/time_in-1024x615.png

...an average of 10 minutes. Which makes sense really, any longer and you're doing it wrong.

The full and painfully high-brow article is over on the Mozilla analytics blog here and is entitled 'Understanding Private Browsing', which seems a little redundant but I guess the open source community take themselves a little too seriously.

I mean, we all got what the guy in the Windows 7 advert was really talking about - "do your thing, clickety click and nobody knows what you've been up to, your secret's safe"?? :p
 
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Makes sense. I'd like to know what kind of data the browser is sending back to Mozilla though. I had no idea they were collecting data to begin with, however 'anonymously' that might be. ^-^

BTW you're hotlinking. Either download and re-host the images or leave them as links. You might end up on your holidays otherwise. :(

EDIT:

wannabedamned said:
The private browsing function is for buying gifts for loved ones without them knowing about it.

Stop trying to make it perverse
Click to expand...

Ahaha. Yeah. Gifts... :o :D
 
*Fixed! :)

There is an odd question about privacy underlying the whole thing for sure, but I personally avoid using Firefox until the next version. Far too sluggish these days. I use Chrome because Google would never misappropriate user data...

;)
 
[FnG]magnolia;17361430 said:
Can someone explain how it works? I've never used it and always just delete my por ... uh, my private browsing history.
Click to expand...

It puts all your naughty bits into a "bin" and sends it to the binmen when you've finished. Wife comes home and finds the bin empty and clean. :D
 
I tried it in Opera (presuming here that it works in the same way as in FF), and one website rejected my attempt to browse it claiming that I was a bot. Think that helps, I'm not sure.

I didn't think it changed a person's browsing at all outside of the pc a private tab/window was used on. I thought it just removed any traces of the user's activity on his/her machine.

Edit - just saw the first graph. I am never shaking a guy's hand again after lunch. :(
 
Spend-an-hour-looking-for-high-quality-porn-ejaculate-in-2-minutes.jpg
 
I've always had browsing history turned off anyway and use bookmarks. With Google I don't need form history either.
 
fidget said:
Not that "private" then is it?
Click to expand...

Depends on how you define privacy, the stats don't break down what percentile of users were browsing Brazilian fart porn at the time, just how many users had activated the feature. I highly doubt Mozilla would be collecting IPs and histories of the sessions purely because they'd bring the entire open source community into disrepute amongst the mainstream. Whilst you may not define it as 'private', Google defines 'private' as them knowing where you live, who you email, where you've been and what you've Googled and browsed. I think their defence was something along the lines of 'you can turn all that off if you go through a convoluted and lengthy procedure, so we're not at fault for coding it as the default setting.' People seem to want their cake and eat it too with the cesspool that is the intarwebz, we all cry for privacy, yet want Facebook accounts. When somebody loses their job for something in their online life we cry foul, yet want suspected paedophiles and terrorists to be monitored relentlessly.

Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware. We all know the risks of the Internet, logging on is practically the same as accepting a EULA.

But that argument is way too high brow for such an opportunity for shameless toilet humour. ;)
 
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