Firefox Policy Mess: Discrepancy Between policies.json and Actual Browser Status Confuses Advanced Privacy Users
Technical friction centers on policy enforcement consistency in Firefox. Specifically, users report that disabling DNSoverHTTPS within `policies.json` and `about:settings` does not align with the status visually displayed on the `about:policies` page, even when tested on fresh profiles.
The user 'MonkderVierte' stressed this policy discrepancy issue persists, noting the failure to sync DNSoverHttps settings across controls. Meanwhile, 'ariadna' pulled focus to IP Protection, asking sharply if it relies on the internal Mozilla VPN or if it is a standalone Nimbus setting. 'ariadna' also dropped the specific flag, `browser.ipProtection.enabled`, referencing Bugzilla ID 1971634.
The discussion settles on two firm disagreements. First, the core technical flaw is the lack of synchronization between policy inputs and the displayed browser status. Second, the functionality of IP Protection remains technically unclear, with users needing concrete answers on its source code lineage.
Key Points
DNSoverHttps policy settings conflict between `policies.json` and `about:policies` visualization.
MonkderVierte observed the discrepancy multiple times, confirming the failure to reflect status changes.
IP Protection feature source is ambiguous.
ariadna questioned if the feature is tied to the Mozilla VPN or if it functions independently via Nimbus settings.
Identification of the specific experimental flag for IP Protection.
ariadna provided the flag `browser.ipProtection.enabled` and the corresponding Bugzilla link.
Policy discrepancies are reproducible and persistent.
MonkderVierte confirmed the issue is not profile-specific, persisting on fresh user data.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.