Yahoo becomes the default search engine in the US version of Firefox
If you install the American version of Firefox, you will soon have Yahoo as the search engine by default. Mozilla has announced that. The agreement between Mozilla and Google to set that search engine as the default has not been renewed.
Mozilla and Google had an agreement since 2004 that made Google the default search engine in Firefox, in exchange for a hefty sum of money that made up the bulk of Mozilla’s budget. However, that agreement has not been renewed, Mozilla has announced. Instead, Mozilla has signed an agreement with competitor Yahoo. As a result, Yahoo becomes the default choice in the US English version of Firefox. In the Russian version, the local search engine Yandex will soon be the default; in the Chinese version it remains Baidu.
It is unknown what Yahoo will pay as part of the deal. Mozilla assures that users can continue to choose other search engines, including Google but also Bing and DuckDuckGo. However, it is still unclear what will become the default search engine in language versions other than US English, Chinese and Russian.
Mozilla hints that the organization has chosen not to renew the agreement with Google. “Each of the partnership options we had provided better financial conditions,” Mozilla writes. However, the organization writes that it wanted the search engine deal “to be in line with the value we place on choice and independence.”
The search deal is for five years, and also includes Yahoo’s commitment to adhere to the do-not-track standard. This ensures that advertisers do not follow internet users through advertisements; websites have to choose themselves to participate in it. In addition, Yahoo is getting a new look and feel for Firefox users, which was designed together with Mozilla.
This is what Yahoo will look like for Firefox users.