It would be helpful if a more impartial article was posted, this one feels pretty biased. For example, this article seems to give a more complete view: Mozilla Firefox Blocks Add-Ons to Circumvent Russia Censorship
It seems to be due to pressure from the Russian government.
Looks like this was addressed earlier today:
In alignment with our commitment to an open and accessible internet, Mozilla will reinstate previously restricted listings in Russia. Our initial decision to temporarily restrict these listings was made while we considered the regulatory environment in Russia and the potential risk to our community and staff.
As outlined in our Manifesto, Mozillaâs core principles emphasize the importance of an internet that is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. Users should be free to customize and enhance their online experience through add-ons without undue restrictions.
By reinstating these add-ons, we reaffirm our dedication to:
Openness: Promoting a free and open internet where users can shape their online experience.
Accessibility: Ensuring that the internet remains a public resource accessible to everyone, regardless of geographical location.
We remain committed to supporting our users in Russia and worldwide and will continue to advocate for an open and accessible internet for all.
This is a followup to what was said yesterday in the (more credible) article @exaCORE linked to:
quote
âFollowing recent regulatory changes in Russia, we received persistent requests from Roskomnadzor demanding that five add-ons be removed from the Mozilla add-on store,â [âŚ] âAfter careful consideration, weâve temporarily restricted their availability within Russia. Recognizing the implications of these actions, we are closely evaluating our next steps while keeping in mind our local community.â
As this link says the add ons are reinstated: The censorship circumvention extension has disappeared from the Russian version of Mozilla Addons - Add-on Support - Mozilla Discourse
This is worrying development. Will Mozzila remove VPNs addons in China if government ask ?
Maybe. I donât know why thatâs surprising to you⌠Corporations have to follow local laws, even if the laws are wrong. Mozilla should continue to push back as much as possible against unfair and wrong orders, but when push comes to shove, the options in that situation are: be shut down or comply
It should also be noted that its not too surprising that Mozilla decided to temporarily comply while deciding what to do considering the dire consequences that the Russian government gives out for not doing what it says
No, they donât. Telegram didnât, or not completely. Guess what, they are still afloat.
I guess they already have no office in russia, so what difference ?
In China, the Firefox and Edge stores are still uncensored. I will certainly hope Mozzila will not believe the stupid âbetter to be changing things from the insideâ and leave if necessary.
I would hope so too, however, thatâs basically the same as âbe shut downâ
Yes, but unless you requests are blocked by the country, being shut down or not doesnât make a difference.
There has already been a special Chinese version of Firefox. Itâs full of ads and run by Beijing Mozilla Online Ltd.(Chineseĺ亏č°ćşç˝çťććŻćéĺ Źĺ¸), also called Mozilla China (Chinese č°ćşä¸ĺ˝). Itâs a for-profit company funded and created by a non-profit organization Mozilla Foundation (Mozilla China - Wikipedia).