[gf000]

Pinging a Mozilla server to see if there is an active and usable internet connection is not spyware, let's stop with these useless accusations.

It's a product which optionally does accept some help from the users, e.g. opt-in error reports, which is a huge help. Certain people consider that a blatant violation of their rights for some reason, and they would apparently rather see the last bastion of a non-chrome internet die.

[nullc]

If all of these 'phone home' features are as benign as you say-- why isn't there a clear, exposed, and stable user setting to disable them?

At best there is maze of about:config which incompletely prevent firefox from phoning home and are regularly undermined by new additions.

[lukan]

"Pinging a Mozilla server to see if there is an active and usable internet connection is not spyware, let's stop with these useless accusations."

No, but have you checked your firefox settings lately?

Meaning in the last 5 years or so? (Probably has been longer by now)

Some updates brought "allow firefox to install and run studies".

That sounded like experimental features, but were in reality spyware to study the user behavior to sell that data to ad companies.

It is still there. And a more blatant checkbox by default also arrived lately. (I think just in forefox mobile)

And then there are ads activated by default.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/privacy/firefox/#health-report

"How is your data used?"

... lots of seemingly innocent technical blabla

and then

" Firefox also shares information with our marketing partners to measure and improve these campaigns; what information is specifically shared varies (depending on how you discovered Firefox and your operating system) but generally includes how you were referred to our download page and whether you actively use Firefox. Where Firefox is pre-installed on your device, technical and interaction data (your device type and whether Firefox is used) will be sent to our marketing partners, and shared with Mozilla."

Lots of words and details to hide the kind of important detail, that they do sell the data by default how you browse the internet. What websites you use, how long etc.

[account42]

It's no business of the browser to know if there is an active and usable internet connection. All it needs to know are the responses to the URLs I have asked it to request.