Mozilla has removed the default search providers Yandex Search, Mail.ru and OK.ru from its Firefox browser following reports that state-sponsored content is heavily favored in search results.
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These sites are three of the most popular websites in Russia, used by over a hundred million users per month.
Since 2014, Mozilla has made Yandex the default search engine in Russia, and the following year made it the default search for users in Turkey.
With today's release of Firefox 98.0.1, Mozilla announced that it has removed Yandex and Mail.ru providers from the browser's search drop-down menu, but did not provide details on why this was done.
"Yandex and Mail.ru have been removed as optional search providers in the search drop-down menu in Firefox," the release notes for Firefox 98.0.1 state.
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For those affected, Mozilla said that default search providers and any associated customizations, add-ons, default bookmarks have been removed as part of this process. Affected users will reset their browsers to their default search provider, which is currently Google.
In a statement to BleepingComputer, Mozilla says they removed search providers from users in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.
"After careful review, we are suspending the use of Yandex Search in Firefox due to credible reports of search results showing a prevalence of state-sponsored content, which is contrary to Mozilla's principles," a Mozilla spokesperson explained to BleepingComputer.
"This means that for now Yandex Search will not be the default search experience (or a default search option) for users in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. In the meantime, we are sending users to google.com."
In addition to Yandex and Mail.ru, a Hacker News reader noticed that the Russian social network Odnoklassniki (ok.ru) was also removed as part of this process.
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While Mozilla has not yet stated which search results favor Russian state media spreading disinformation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
