Mozilla Firefox released its 98.0.1 update which includes the removal of Russian search engines to combat misinformation.
Mozilla Firefox recently updated its web browser releasing Firefox 98.0.1.
Along with the recent update yesterday, March 14, Firefox also stated that it will remove Russian search engines from its browser.
Mozilla Firefox Removes Yandex
Mozilla Firefox has decided to temporarily suspend Russia's search engine providers.
While numerous companies like Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter have withdrawn their presence in the country in response to the geopolitical chaos Russia is causing, other tech companies like Mozilla are also making efforts in eradicating fake news and misinformation on the internet.
In line with the current events, Mozilla has decided to suspend Yandex Search, Mail.ru, and OK.ru due to the search engines favoring state-sponsored reports.
In Russia, these three websites are among the most popular on the internet, with over a hundred million visitors per month.
Mozilla has made Yandex its default search engine in Russia since 2014. Mozilla's suspension of the Russian search engines extends to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.
According to BleepingComputer, a spokesperson from Mozilla explained that the suspension was not made abruptly without proven evidence. Mozilla made thorough and careful research on the cause and impact of the situation before deciding on the ban.
A Mozilla spokesperson stated:
"After careful consideration, we are suspending the use of Yandex Search in Firefox due to credible reports of search results displaying a prevalence of state-sponsored content, which is contrary to the principles of Mozilla.
This means for the time being Yandex Search will not be the default search experience (or a default search option) for users in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. In the meantime, we are pointing people to google.com."
Mozilla Firefox 98.0.1
The announcement of the suspension came from Mozilla through its release of Firefox 98.0.1.
Along with the release of the new version today, Mozilla announced that the Yandex and Mail.ru search providers had been removed from the browser's drop-down search menu. On the official page of the Firefox 98.0.1 release, the company did not include details as to why the search engines were suspended.
"If you previously installed a customized version of Firefox with Yandex or Mail.ru, offered through partner distribution channels, this release removes those customizations, including add-ons and default bookmarks. Where applicable, your browser will revert back to default settings, as offered by Mozilla. All other releases of Firefox remain unaffected by the change."
An anonymous Hacker News reader pointed out that, in addition to Yandex and Mail.ru, the Russian social networking site Odnoklassniki (ok.ru) was also removed as part of this process. As a subsidiary of Mail.ru, BleepingComputer has learned that they have been impacted as well.
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New Features of Firefox 98.0.1
In the Notes released by Firefox, its new update will allow users to choose their own desired search engines as their default. They can choose from numerous options the company will provide.
However, Mozilla was unable to obtain formal permission to continue including certain search engines in Firefox. Some users who had previously configured a default engine may notice that their default search engine has changed in this release.
In addition to the new feature, Firefox now has a more efficient download flow. Instead of prompting each time, files will be downloaded automatically instead. However, they can still be accessed directly from the downloads panel by simply clicking on them.
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