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Mozilla just ditched its privacy partner because its CEO is tied to data brokers
https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/22/24109116/mozilla-ends-onerep-data-removal-partnership
Mozilla says “customer data was never at risk.”
“I get it. My affiliation with a people search business may look odd from the outside,” Shelest’s statement reads. “In truth, if I hadn’t taken that initial path with a deep dive into how people search sites work, Onerep wouldn’t have the best tech and team in the space. Still, I now appreciate that we did not make this more clear in the past and I’m aiming to do better in the future.”
“Who better to fix the problem than me, it’s creator!” He’s not exactly wrong, it is possible to reform and become an industry leader combating the issue you were once guilty of doing yourself. There are countless examples of that throughout the history of the tech space. However, you absolutely cannot hide that kind of background if you are looking to operate in the privacy and cybersecurity sectors. Doing so is incredibly shady and not the behavior of someone who’s turned white hat.
Mozilla had no option but to walk away immediately and I’m glad they did. They can’t afford to have this stink on their reputation. It’s unfortunate that this information’s only come to light now though.
I could imagine an Oppenheimer situation where he deeply regretted what he had created.
But I highly suspect this was more of a case of "don't look deeply into my past", which, is quite ironic given what he did.
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Agreed. Seems that if someone is truly wanting to be a part of the fix to something they helped create. Then they should be the first person to call themselves out for it. Hiding a fact that can already be found by the people you are trying to get the support of is foolish. Even if you are faking the whole "changed as a person" thing, it is the worst optics for "re-branding" yourself. The "villain to hero arc" is a freaking core element of so many genres of fiction. And for non-fiction, people love seeing people seek redemption and self-improvement. Fucking amateur time over here.
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Let's not get too hasty praising Mozilla... After all, they've had a thriving private data sale branch since 2023...
This is the best summary I could come up with:
“Though customer data was never at risk, the outside financial interests and activities of Onerep’s CEO do not align with our values,” writes Mozilla’s vice president of communications Brandon Borrman, in a statement provided to The Verge.
The service let users hunt down their personal information on the web and submit takedown requests across dozens of websites — all through Mozilla’s partnership with Onerep.
However, an in-depth report from Krebs on Security found that Onerep’s CEO Dimitri Shelest started “dozens” of people-search websites over the course of several years.
Shelest later published a statement admitting that he still holds an ownership stake in Nuwber, which lets visitors search for people based on their name, phone number, address, or email.
“In truth, if I hadn’t taken that initial path with a deep dive into how people search sites work, Onerep wouldn’t have the best tech and team in the space.
“We’re working now to solidify a transition plan that will provide customers with a seamless experience and will continue to put their interests first,” Borrman tells The Verge.
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I know things take time but this story broke days ago, and people who don’t follow tech news have no idea.