The Sidebar is a limited-edition newsletter from Mozilla, the makers of Firefox. We’ll drop into your inbox every two weeks with tech insights, tips and behind-the-scenes stories about the web you won’t find anywhere else.
WHAT WE LOVED ON THE WEB THIS WEEK
The philosopher decoding AI
What does philosophy have to do with AI? A lot, says ethics expert Cansu Canca. In this Q&A, she explains why we need to ask bigger questions about AI: What do we lose when AI does the thinking for us? How is it shaping our choices? What perspectives are being left out? If you care about the future of tech (or just enjoy a good philosophical debate to kick off the weekend), this one’s worth a read.
— Kristina, editor at Mozilla
HOW-TO…
Keep your dating app from sharing too much
Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate. And if you’re on dating apps, we’ve got some privacy advice for you, courtesy of Reem Suleiman, advocacy lead at the Mozilla Foundation.
Turn off unnecessary data sharing. Head to your dating app’s settings and opt out of anything that sounds like “sharing” or “selling” your personal info. (If only real-life red flags were this easy to spot.)
Limit location tracking. Set your location to “only while using the app” or turn it off completely if you can. No need to broadcast your every move.
Actually delete your data. Deleting the app doesn’t mean your info is gone. You’ll need to request a full data deletion — otherwise, it’s still out there.
Watch this week’s episode of our podcast, Outside the Fox.
THE COMMENT SECTION
Rethinking social media
As more of us grow disillusioned by social media, what happens to the open conversations that make the web feel like one big community? Bluesky’s Emily Liu makes the case for keeping internet public forums alive.
“Social networks have become vital public infrastructure, whether it’s to get the latest breaking news, find jobs and opportunities, or stay in touch with our friends and family,” Emily says. “Yet over the last decade, closed networks have locked users in, preventing competition and innovation in social media as their services deteriorate. On the other hand, Bluesky is both a social app where your experience online is yours to customize, and an open network that reintroduces competition to social media. This also means that the social network isn’t defined by whoever the CEO is, however capricious they might be.”
ONE COOL PROJECT
Talk like the movies
A fun way to learn a language (drama included, or not): film and TV scenes.
Koel Labs — founded by three students whose experience with language barriers “shaped [their] understanding of how pronunciation challenges impact confidence and opportunities” — is creating an AI-powered language coach that helps improve a learner’s pronunciation using clips from movies and TV shows. The project, part of the Mozilla Builders Accelerator’s first cohort, prioritizes privacy and accessibility. The app’s waitlist is open for a closed beta launch this year.