Firefox seems to have started showing ads in New Tab page

The desktop version of Firefox seems to have started showing ads in the browser’s New Tab page. An advertisement from a booking site appeared there among various users. Mozilla has not yet responded.

Several Firefox 64 users noted on Reddit that the ad appeared with two different texts on the page users see when opening a new tab. The text specifically mentions Firefox and the link goes to Booking.com. He also has a page publicly online for what appears to be a campaign with Mozilla.

The ad appears to come from a feature Mozilla calls “Snippets,” which in the past has shown tips for features in Firefox, among other things. There is nothing in the settings about it being used for advertising.

Mozilla has not yet commented on the matter. In the past, the browser builder has often criticized revenue models based on advertisements. The ads are not visible to all users. Ads can be turned off by turning off snippets in Options.