this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2025

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109

Mozilla’s Betrayal of Open Source: Google’s Gemini AI is Overwriting Volunteer Work on Support Mozilla (www.quippd.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by yoasif@fedia.io to c/linux@lemmy.world

30 comments fedilink hide all child comments

TL;DR: Mozilla’s translation bot on Support Mozilla (that is currently overwriting user contributions is based on the closed source, copyright infringing LLM, Google Gemini. This is in spite of Mozilla claiming that they are at the forefront of open source AI, and belies their exhortations to choose to build open source AI and data sets. Although Mozilla has experience in attracting open contributions for data sets in projects like Common Voice, Mozilla is using a closed data set to overwrite open contributions. Since (paid) Gemini queries do not train the model, Mozillians can expect to correct errors every time the bot automatically updates an article.

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[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Gee, and all the people who opposed involvement with Gemini get to say "I told you so!" Question is, will Mozilla start listening again? I recall they used to, once upon a long time ago.

[–] scintilla@crust.piefed.social 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I truly believe at this point the mozilla CEO is actively trying to kill the company for some reason.

[–] Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago

Big big parachutes for upper management. Buy into the next thing, run it into the ground, rinse and repeat.

[–] MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 weeks ago

Mozilla is just Google with a trench coat on. They fund it as protection against antitrust.

[–] jimmy90@lemmy.world -4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

time to make a Brave decision like Zorin and Nobara

[–] FG_3479@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Librewolf eould be better. Brave is full of bloat and has a controversial past.

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Brave got into bed with google.

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago

so how to we push mozilla away from american corps and big tech and towards an open/not-for-profit web again?

[–] Jumuta@sh.itjust.works -2 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

good thing ladybird is starting to be viable now

[–] DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I’ve been testing it. Still needs a ton of work. It’s very basic.

[–] Jumuta@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

yeah it's basic and not a full fledged browser yet, but the progress recently has been huge and crazy fast (things like google maps works now!)

[–] DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Sounds good to me. I build it once a week to test the latest commits.

[+] GraveyardOrbit@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

[deleted]

[–] DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

I understand your sentiment, but I disagree with it. It’s not a very good or practical standard for most of us to boycott software based on the developer’s opinions. Why? Because if you started filtering all software, movies, music, games, books, and technology by the personal beliefs of the creators… You’d never be able to use anything.

Everyone has opinions, some you’d agree with, some you wouldn’t, and many creators have said or done things people don’t like. If you only used products made by people you 100% agree with, you’d isolate yourself and cut yourself off from an entire ecosystem of tools and ideas.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the developer’s opinions on transgenders, but I still want the project to succeed, and I’ll use it. Maybe I’m crazy, but I feel like that that’s the right way to approach it.

Edit: I’d like to add some more to this.
What matters more is, does the software work? Is it safe? Is it ethical in how it’s built and licensed? Does the project itself harm anyone?

If the answer to these is yes, then the developer’s personal politics aren’t relevant.

[–] oyzmo@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Agreed, you should be allowed to have your opinion on all things! I think the important thing is whether or not the person actively tries to turn/force others to its own beliefs. If they do, they should be boycotted - like Elon, who actively tries to force his nazi and corp views on others, therefore I don't buy Tesla or use X.

[–] DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

That’s a great point. That falls under “does the project harm anyone?”. I agree with you. I, too, won’t buy a Tesla.

[–] Jumuta@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

is this a throwaway account? i mean that's fine if you want privacy but your post history is dodgy asf

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Lemmy head dev is an authoritarian shill, but only one of the two people we're talking about lets it influence production and the project, and it's not the transphobe (unless you've heard otherwise?).

So, if we're doing ideological purity tests, do you have a platform you'd recommend we continue this conversation on instead?

[+] GraveyardOrbit@lemmy.zip -3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Well, then, let me give you a Tu Quoque: your original comment contains ad hominem and non sequitur.

Or, if you prefer: "No, U"

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Attacking the ladybird dev who isn't involved in the discussion here isn't an ad hominem, and their response still fits the topic so it isn't a non-sequitur either.

At the same time: Just having a logical fallacy doesn't invalidate the argument. Claiming so is the fallacy fallacy.

[–] w3ird_sloth@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Lol I always suspected people who call others out on fallacies all the time were committing some kind of fallacy. I call it the Ben Shapiro fallacy.

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Fair enough, would you prefer my original term, "ideological purity testing", at which we leftists so excel? I was pointing out that this guy's original comment could just as easily be applied to Lemmy, so how is it relevant? If, for instance, The person who discovers, say, the Haber-Bosch process, also happens to design the chemicals used for the extermination camps, should we avoid using the Haber-Bosch process to revolutionaize agriculture? No, I stand by my claim of non-sequitur, since character assassination is an insufficient reason to throw out a valid argument, contribution, or invention. Should it be scrutinised? of course, but not because one of the developers is a dick. That is immaterial to the project. So either we should throw out the baby with the bathwater, and get rid of all of this free shit we use every day, or we can talk about things that actually matter, like functionality. Trans phobia should be fought, just like Fritz Haber deserves to get his name dragged through the mud. But the Haber-Bosch process has saved millions of lives.

So, is it relevant to the project? It's not like this is something I'm paying for, is it? Does it matter that Haber was a raving anti-semite, Dessalines is an authoritarian whackjob, or that the ladybird dev is a racist transphobe? Well, I'd like to know if it does matter. If things are being put into the browser that would go against its stated purpose, then that's deeply concerning.

If, for instance, the ladybird dev started saying "man, I sure do love Google's tracking protocols", or "wow, look at what a good job trump is doing cleaning up the USA of criminals!", then that would be sufficient for me to say "there's definitely something going on", but it's an open source project. It's going to be difficult to hide authoritarian spyware into it without security- and privacy-conscious people noticing. And when that happens, it will be for that reason, not because someone is a dick, that this will be relevant to the project.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not because they're a dick; because they are authoritarian and literally control a platform of discussion. A communication platform dev being an authoritarian is extremely disconcerting. Any kind of bigot in control of the media you see would be.

My logical fallacy contribution: It's a slippery slope.

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Is the ladybird dev an authoritarian? Because that's very different from a racist, or a transphobe.

I would sooner criticise Lemmy for being developed by actual, self-declared authoritarians, unless I have evidence of similar positions from ladybird. After all, that's why I left Proton. The CEO's a supporter of the US' Authoritarian regime. It doesn't bode well for a closed-source project.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I haven't seen a transphobe that didn't also share authoritarian ideas when it comes to suppressing trans folk. Do you not see how that would be just as bad as a tankie having a bias in propping up non-Western dictatorships?

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Fair! The only reason I'm still here on Lemmy is because it's open source and I can defederate from them, but Ladybird's motives certainly bear scrutiny. However, I'm sure that we'll get a full rundown on privacy and security when it's in a truly unable state.

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today -1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Fantastical! But unfortunately my dog is long gone. He is not just literally dead but has also phonetically, epidermally, notoriously, capricorniously, double-retro-undokiecongeably, irrelephantly, incognizantastically well distributed among air particles. Redonkeoulous right?

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Are you ok?

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today 1 points 2 weeks ago

I'm on Lemmy after all, aren't I?

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone -1 points 2 weeks ago

a shame the developer is a garbage bigot.