Firefox: ad on New Tab page was an experiment and not a commercial

Mozilla, through a spokesperson, has responded to an ad that appeared on the New Tab page of the Firefox web browser a few days ago. According to the company, this was an experiment and not an advertisement.

The Mozilla spokesperson told VentureBeat that it was “an experiment to bring more value to Firefox users through a partner offer.” The spokesperson said Mozilla is constantly looking for more ways to thank users for using the browser.

According to the spokesperson, it was not a paid placement or an advertisement. He also points out that Firefox users were previously also given the opportunity to attend a free concert of Phosphorescent. The spokesperson says these types of initiatives are intended to support an ‘open ecosystem’. According to the company, no data is shared with the partner, “until users choose to enter into a relationship.”

Several users of Firefox 64 previously appeared an advertisement from a booking site, in which the text linked to Booking.com. The booking company has a special page online for this Firefox campaign.

The ad was in the form of a ‘snippet’ and was available for five days; the spokesperson says that about 25 percent of US users of the latest Firefox version were able to see the ad. Disabling the ‘snippets’ feature in Firefox’s settings allowed the ad to be removed, although these snippets are also used to communicate messages, greetings and tips to users.