Tutorial Firefox. Disable the integrated AI chatbot in Firefox ?...Here's how

Condobloke

Condobloke

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At the link, there are a lot of hints, tips, etc etc
For those who do not wish to wade through the link to pjotr's blurb and the yoube video, here is the approach to turn off ai in Firefox.

Disable the integrated AI chatbot in Firefox​

8.1. Firefox features an integrated AI chatbot. By default, it's turned on. This might negatively affect both your privacy and the performance (speed) of Firefox.

Thankfully, it's rather easy to disable this feature. Like this:

a. Type in the URL bar of Firefox:

about:config

Press Enter.

b. Now you're being presented with a warning. Ignore it and click on the blue button "Accept the Risk and Continue".

c. Copy/paste the following search term into the configuration search box:

browser.ml.

d. Find the following entry: browser.ml.chat.enabled
That's currently set to the boolean value true. Double-click on it, so that it changes into false.

Do the same for the entry: browser.ml.enable

e. Close Firefox and re-launch it.

Note (1): Leave the other browser.ml. settings as they are: usually, the less invasive a hack is, the better. Because this reduces the risk of unexpected unwanted side effects.

Note (2): Disabling this is a user preference, so repeat this in each user account.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In all cases, it is prudent to take a Timeshift snapshot, prior to implementing any changes to your system.

The material from that author, pjotr, is generally quite reliable, but taking a precaution such as a snapshot will also guard against mistakes etc on your own part.
 
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This Reddit post has some interesting comments

https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmint/comments/1pqe7ub/the_firefox_situation

....including this one (among many others)


I used Firefox since almost the beginning,

But for the last few years on a fresh Linux install, Firefox gets the boot without opening it and letting it generate and transmit its unique advertising ID.

I got tired of it constantly turning things on behind my back at every update. That is Windows behaviour.

Firefox has become the sugar baby to big daddy Google.

I really wish google would pull their funding, we would either get Firefox back where it should be or it would die, and stop sucking up the oxygen in the room for a better FOSS browser.
 
1766180540604.png

1766180551404.png
 
CaffeineAddict said:
I highly suspect it is a product of spy agency.
Click to expand...
Any reading you can link to? I use Brave for work cloud software and Outlook mainly. They can spy on that all day. I use Mullvad for everything else and Chromium as a third browser. :O) I use Firefox to get on the USPS website. For some reason the other three do not work for that website but Firefox does. So I keep Firefox for that one thing.
 
MzQ1NjExN2 said:
Any reading you can link to?
Click to expand...
There is no link, my suspicion is based on common sense...

If a spy agency is unable to collect information from small group of people that are privacy paranoid, meaning they use all sorts of protections like tor etc. then in order for spy agency to harvest data from this group is to give them what they want, a browser that promises privacy.
 
Maybe true. I'll have to take the definite results below versus a potential risk.

Brave browser:
1766182122335.png


The best result for any browser I've used.

Mullvad is a top result. I'm not sure which one is better randomized or non unique. All other browsers are unique or nearly unique that I've used.
1766182301406.png
 
1766188030351.png

Reddit has recently tightened up security, and that action is more than understandable

Facebook is still the top social media platform with 3.1 billion monthly active users.
Click to expand...
YouTube comes in second with 2.5 billion active users.
Click to expand...
Instagram and WhatsApp both have 2 billion monthly active users.
Click to expand...
TikTok had 1.562 billion monthly active users in 2024 (excluding shutdown).
Click to expand...
Reddit has around 850 million monthly active users. ************
Click to expand...
Snapchat has around 800 million active users.
Click to expand...
Threads has over 130 million monthly active users.
Click to expand...
Mastodon has around 975,000 monthly active users.

That figure (2024) makes them a huge target.
Click to expand...
So, log in if you wish to participate there, is the message they are sending.
 
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I'm not using a vpn and Reddit works fine.
 
^^^^ ditto.
 
The Firefox CEO has publicly stated that you will be able to disable the AI. I started using Firefox back when it was called phoenix/firebird; before that I used Netscape. I don't see the problem. You can always create a user.js and turn off all telemetry and the current ai features.
Code: 
// AI Section
// PREF: AI master switch
// [1] https://github.com/yokoffing/Betterfox/issues/416
//user_pref("browser.ml.enable", false);

// PREF: AI chat ( UI in sidebar)
//user_pref("browser.ml.chat.enabled", false);

// PREF: link previews ( Has a UI under Settings>General>Browsing)
//user_pref("browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled", false);

// PREF: AI-enhanced tab groups ( Has a UI Settings>General>Tabs)
// [1] https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-use-ai-enhanced-tab-groups
//user_pref("browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled", false);

//user_pref("extensions.ml.enabled", false);
 
craigevil said:
The Firefox CEO has publicly stated that you will be able to disable the AI. I started using Firefox back when it was called phoenix/firebird; before that I used Netscape. I don't see the problem. You can always create a user.js and turn off all telemetry and the current ai features.
Code: 
// AI Section
// PREF: AI master switch
// [1] https://github.com/yokoffing/Betterfox/issues/416
//user_pref("browser.ml.enable", false);

// PREF: AI chat ( UI in sidebar)
//user_pref("browser.ml.chat.enabled", false);

// PREF: link previews ( Has a UI under Settings>General>Browsing)
//user_pref("browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled", false);

// PREF: AI-enhanced tab groups ( Has a UI Settings>General>Tabs)
// [1] https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-use-ai-enhanced-tab-groups
//user_pref("browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled", false);

//user_pref("extensions.ml.enabled", false);
Click to expand...
Thanks. The user.js would go in the following directory?
Code: 
/lib/firefox-esr/defaults/pref/
 
In your /home look for .mozilla then go to the working profile.
 
Thanks I tried that after I failed with putting it in root directory. Tried it again and it worked this time. There were three profiles. I had used the wrong one.

FYI for anyone else interested:
1766256935932.png

1766256946249.png

1766256953899.png

Create text file user.js and paste the following into file (uncommented the relevant lines):
Code: 
// AI Section
// PREF: AI master switch
// [1] https://github.com/yokoffing/Betterfox/issues/416
user_pref("browser.ml.enable", false);

// PREF: AI chat ( UI in sidebar)
user_pref("browser.ml.chat.enabled", false);

// PREF: link previews ( Has a UI under Settings>General>Browsing)
user_pref("browser.ml.linkPreview.enabled", false);

// PREF: AI-enhanced tab groups ( Has a UI Settings>General>Tabs)
// [1] https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-use-ai-enhanced-tab-groups
user_pref("browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled", false);

user_pref("extensions.ml.enabled", false);
Restart firefox.
 
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Correction to the post above. Screenshots should be pointing to root directory not local directory.

Also while I'm playing around with this been wanting try out hardened Firefox. Same as above but a user.js already premade that "detoxifies" Firefox and bolsters it. Went through two or three of the AI options above and they are disabled.

Copy and paste all text from the following site into the user.js file:
github.com

user.js/user.js at master · arkenfox/user.js

Firefox privacy, security and anti-tracking: a comprehensive user.js template for configuration and hardening - arkenfox/user.js
github.com github.com

Some reading:
github.com

Home

Firefox privacy, security and anti-tracking: a comprehensive user.js template for configuration and hardening - arkenfox/user.js
github.com github.com
https://www.reddit.com/r/PrivacyGuides/comments/rnxylz
does_the_arkenfox_user_js_need_to_be_updated_or/

For anyone who was using Firefox and switched due to the weird stuff the above should be an excellent fix.
 
craigevil said:
I don't see the problem. You can always create a user.js and turn off all telemetry and the current ai features.
Click to expand...
The problem being that not all Linux users would have even half a clue where to start in putting together your lines of code from #13

Thanks for that ! Mighty useful.
 
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