The State of Mozilla

Just like we did on the desktop, Mozilla is setting out to ensure that the mobile Web is full of freedom, choice and opportunity and that it has the ability for users to create anything they want. With Firefox OS, we can break open the world of native operating systems and closed platforms once again.

Firefox OS is the first truly open mobile platform. Developers are already embracing HTML5, but so far HTML5 applications on mobile have been held back because they can’t access the device’s underlying capabilities the way that native apps can. Firefox OS overcomes these limitations and provides the necessary APIs to show how it is possible to run an entire device using open standards.

Firefox OS devices will launch in early 2013 through Telefónica, establishing HTML5 as a viable platform for the mobile industry. The Web as the platform will free developers to create groundbreaking new apps that work seamlessly across all devices, spurring a new era of innovation and creativity for the ubiquitous Web.

Firefox will always be the part of the Mozilla mission that people can see, feel and touch. We are excited by the progress and innovation we have seen with the desktop version of Firefox over the past year. Several performance and security improvements, memory enhancements make this the best Firefox yet. We're proud of the work that we're doing to make developing on Firefox easier by adding exciting tools for developers, like Developer Command Line, Web Console and “Tilt” the 3D Page Inspector.

Recently, we have been experimenting with ways to integrate social functionality into Firefox. Firefox will support a new Social API that lets developers integrate social services directly into the browser. The Social API will support multiple providers and has endless potential for integrating social networks, e-mail, finance, news and other applications into your Firefox experience. Our first experimental provider is Facebook.

The unique power of the Web means that anyone can make and build with it. Our new educational offering, Mozilla Webmaker, will place that power in the hands of millions of new creators everywhere.

Webmaker tools, projects and events help educators, youth, media-makers and everyday consumers around the world move from using the Web to making the Web. In 2013, Webmaker will mobilize a global community of mentors, instructors and youth to teach and learn together; advance revolutionary Webmaker software tools like Popcorn and Thimble; and work together to build a more Web-literate planet.

Mozilla has always contributed to Web standards, going back as far as the start of the project, and we will continue to do that moving forward. We co-founded the WHAT-WG to kick off HTML5. We are a leader in JavaScript standardization. We have some of the top CSS and layout experts in the world.

Standards are a multi-vendor effort, but Mozilla is proud of the many technologies we have pioneered and submitted to standards bodies to make them interoperable for the Web as a whole. Some examples of these include geolocation, WebGL, the Gamepad API, Web Telephony and IndexedDB.

Mozilla is proudly non-profit and answers to no one but you. That means we're uniquely able to fight for users at a critical moment in the Web's history. Looking forward, we will mobilize millions of people to stand up for privacy, security and online freedom. We will take on new threats to the Web's future — from locked down proprietary platforms, to would-be censors and gatekeepers, to short-sighted government legislation. Together we will set the mobile Web free, reassert the vital importance of privacy and user sovereignty, and join others in building a more Web-literate world.

Our Internet experiences involve more of our personal data, which forms a picture or profile of who we are online. The ability for organizations to monitor, log, store, use, correlate and sell information about who we are and what we do has huge implications for individuals and for society.

In an effort to give users more control over their Web experiences, we developed the Do Not Track feature in Firefox. We also became the first browser manufacturer to offer it on multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. Do Not Track is even available for Firefox OS so that user privacy settings can be controlled on a system-wide level to ensure that every third-party application on a user's device respects their choice.

Do Not Track is important because it gives users a voice online to express their preference for privacy and personalization. It captures the user’s intent and allows them to put their hand up and ask for privacy online.

SOPA/PIPA

Mozilla was instrumental in the movement to motivate the Web community to act against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP act. These laws, had they gone into effect, would have given the US government and private businesses incredible censorship powers that would have global ramifications, weaken the Internet's security and discourage innovation and investment worldwide.

Mozilla was one of many organizations that blacked out its websites in opposition to the SOPA/PIPA bills in congress. For the first time, the Web community of more than 15 million people came together to speak against a policy that affected the Web as a whole. This historic protest represented a significant turning point for the Web as a way to engage the electorate and mobilize citizens for change.

ACTA

Early in 2012, Mozilla warned against the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by the European Parliament. In a blog post, Mitchell Baker urged the policymakers that opaque processes were a “bad way to develop Internet policy” — in particular, that the global trade agreement was negotiated in private without open involvement of all the stakeholders. After massive street protests of Net-savvy citizens across Europe, the European Parliament rejected ACTA on July 4th in an unequivocal vote.

This year we brought back Firefox Flicks — a video challenge for aspiring filmmakers, animators and creatives from around the world to produce and submit short films. These films made by Firefox fans, promoted and educated users about the issues that affect their online lives such as privacy and security. Most importantly, these filmmakers shared what makes Firefox different using their own voices. Celebrities and film-industry experts helped select the regional winners from more than 400 submissions from thousands of filmmakers worldwide.