1415 points by mfsch 2583 days ago | 368 comments on HN
| Mild positive
Contested
Editorial · v3.7· 2026-02-28 07:08:05 0
Summary User Autonomy & Control Advocates
Mozilla's technical blog post announces Firefox 66's feature to block audible autoplay media by default, protecting users from unwanted distraction while preserving user agency through whitelist mechanisms and developer guidance. The content advocates for user autonomy and control over their browsing experience while balancing legitimate web developer use cases, demonstrating commitment to both user protection and free expression.
Muted autoplay is still allowed. WTH Mozilla. Just stop. Stop the stupid auto-playing video. Nobody wants it.
This announcement almost made my morning. It's frustrating seeing video everywhere when you're just trying to read an article. If I wanted video, I'd turn on my TV.
The article shows that user will be able to whitelist sites on the desktop, but what about mobile?
My use case is that I use FF on Android as my default web browser. If I turn off media autoplay, I'm 99% happy. However, there are a few sites that I want to autoplay. In fact, my local NPR stream refuses to play if not played via autoplay. So I'm forever toggling the autoplay setting on and off mainly so I can listen to my local NPR station.
been waiting for this since v1.0 ... on the other hand, popup windows appears to have made a come back... my dad clicked a "cat video" link on Facebook (external link) and it was pretty scary (had to end task or click download)
"Muted autoplay is still allowed." Hopefully that will remain configurable, that behavior is still visually annoying and a waste of bandwidth and energy.
I've been disabling autoplay in Firefox via about:config since it was available, no audio or video unless I click play. I've never run into a scenario where I've wanted or needed it to be any other way.
Now if I could only get NetFlix to stop it as well.
Is there anyone that actually likes the autoplay when watching Netflix on TV?
Update/Note: This is in the Roku app. I'm specifically talking about previews autoplaying while I scroll though different shows on the main navigation...
> At this time, we’re also working on blocking autoplay for Web Audio content, but have not yet finalized our implementation. We expect to ship with autoplay Web Audio content blocking enabled by default sometime in 2019. We’ll let you know!
So you can auto-play a video, muted, and auto-play audio separately? Well that seems like a trivial work-around.
I've always found it curious that this sort of tech is called "blocking", as if the browser has to proactively prevent websites from reaching into your computer and playing a video or displaying an ad or popping up a window.
If you click on the video to unmute it, you can't click again on the pause or mute icons to stop it or mute it. This behavior of ignoring your clicks happens in both Chrome and Firefox. Even clicking on Chrome's tab area with the little speaker icon doesn't mute it. To stop it, you can click on the video window's hamburger menu -- or close out the entire tab.
I don't know if it's aggressive javascript tricks or a bug in the browsers. It was the first webpage I found where Chrome's speaker icon on the page's tab couldn't mute the audio.
I don't understand why there isn't a button next to the url bar in the browser that can allow/disallow auto-playing audio and/or video. This should be an easily accessible on/off switch.
66 has been around in the dev release for a while now, and I love this feature. I can finally visit a news sites, and not have a random unrelated article's video with sound (usually off-screen) start playing.
Just a heads up, it also includes blocking timers ringing set on DDG and Google. I found that out the hard way with over-hard boiled eggs two days in a row.
I hate autoplay so much that probably no one in the whole universe hates it more than me. This is the stupidest human invention ever. </rant>
I'm really grateful for customizability of firefox. I discovered "media.block-play-until-visible" in about:config some time ago and I hope that they don't have plans of removing that option in the future.
This is long overdue. Now if someone could just fix the autoplay setting in Safari so that it actually does what it claims to do.
Oh, and also fix the "block pop-ups" feature so that it actually blocks the obnoxious pop-ups that follow you around as you scroll (and often include annoying autoplay videos, demands to "subscribe to our newsletter," etc..)
Edit: Wait, "Muted autoplay is still allowed?" Why is it so hard to stamp out the scourge of autoplay? :(
I have a couple of HTML4 DOM-based games. Looks like I should prepare for gazillion of support requests saying that the sound stopped working in the game.
So, what should I do, rewrite everything from scratch in HTML5 and tax CPU/GPU unnecessary.
Another instance of asss ruining the technology for everyone else.
The Brave browser (https://brave.com) has been doing this for a while. I'd recommend it. It's faster, saves bandwidth and blocks the majority of ads. Only downside is that I have to explicitly let my online bank see my location in order to log in.
This is because of animated GIFs. If you disable muted video people will just use GIFs instead and it'll chew up way more of your bandwidth than a video file would. If you disable animated GIFs someone will make a JS library that recreates it, using (probably) even more bandwidth and CPU cycles.
This was the case on mobile until recently (maybe a couple of years?) and the benefit to users after the change is obvious. I get the frustration but it's very much a real-world compromise with good reason. I do think that they could make this a configurable option though, much like disabling JS.
I personally want it, and I'm sure a lot of people want it too.
There are a lot of interesting experiences that can be enabled by autoplay. If a site ends up being too annoying it will simply lose visitors, and extensions can perform more aggressive blocking for those that don't like it.
In Nightly at least, media.autoplay.allow-muted = false should disable muted videos as well. I'm not positive they're moving this feature into FF66 for release but it seems likely.
I don't mind when it autoplays the next episode of something i'm watching. Though i find it stops the autoplay and asks me if i'm still watching at probably the worst times.
I can't stand though when it autoplays trailers or previews or automatically starts something new when i've finished something i'm watching. Scrolling through netflix and having things autoplay as I scroll through is annoying as all fuck.
What it's doing is that it's intercepting your click on the video, preventing the default click action (of pausing the video), and then manually pausing the video. I would assume this is for cross-compatibility: Some browsers would pause the video, and others wouldn't, so the script interception makes it so the video correctly pauses on all browsers.
On my computer, it plays/pauses without issue.
Most likely, you've configured your computer to disallow the prevention of the default click action, so when you click, it toggles the play/pause state to pause, and then the script toggles it again, back to play.
As for Chrome's tab area, the little speaker icon no longer mutes sites as of Chrome 70 or so. You now have to right-click on the tab and click "Mute Site", which works normally for this video.
Each of those cases is far more difficult than you imply, because the browser has to try to distinguish legitimate usage of APIs from the usage you want to block.
For example there is no "display an ad" DOM API or HTML element. There are simply APIs that put text and images on the page, and you're asking the browser to figure out which are ads and block them.
There is a window.open API that can open a new window, and it has legitimate uses that you don't want to block (e.g. pop out Gmail reply to its own window).
Even "playing a video" is tricky because Web pages can play video without using the <video> element, e.g. just flipping through a list of static images, which is not blockable in practice.
So in practice the browser does have to do a lot of work to filter out unwanted behaviors.
I was on a sports site a while ago reading an article.
After a bit over the top of the article played an entirely unrelated video from that site because man they wanted me to watch their video content. There was no way you could have read all the article, you were guaranteed to be interrupted.
Out of curiosity I went to an article on their site that was just a video and started that video.
After a bit over the top of that video played an entirely unrelated video from that site.... on top of the video I chose to watch.
If you're not imagining physical assault on the people in power who decide to enable autoplay for their content, then I'm certain there are people who hate it more than you do. But I also definitely think the people who enable autoplay, lack a certain kind of imagination that people could possibly be driven to irrational levels of hate because of this misfeature. But then this also applies to spam and spammers.
It is so annoying because the reasoning is so insultingly simple and ultimately, the height of irony and stupidity. I can see the middle manager in my mind boasting how this feature increased their key video playback time metric by 5% so it's here to stay!
I'm _this_ close to cancelling Netflix because of this behavior on Roku. Also the utter lack of closed captions configurability is wearing on my nerves.
Because animated GIFs are already muted, autoplaying videos. If you don't give web devs an efficient way to play silent animations and videos, they resort to horrible and inefficient hacks (animated GIF, image sprites, drawing video frames to a canvas, etc.)
Safari allows you to change the autoplay blocker to include all media, not just audible. But, for the web in general, muted autoplay is the right default.
I cancelled my Netflix subscription because of the auto-playing previews. I'm surprised people put up with them, let alone that they increase engagement. Half the time the previews are auto-generated. They have a few clips of the show along with some generic music. One of the tracks was reused so often that I started to think of it as the Netflix theme.
High Advocacy for transparent technical information Framing knowledge sharing as beneficial Coverage of new capability
Editorial
+0.60
SETL
+0.24
Content transparently explains a new technical feature to web developers with clear rationale, implementation details, and actionable guidance. Post states: 'We want to make sure web developers are aware of this new autoplay blocking feature' and provides extensive developer-facing advice.
FW Ratio: 67%
Observable Facts
Post clearly identifies author ('By Chris Pearce') and publication date ('Posted on February 4, 2019').
Content is openly published without registration or payment barriers.
Post provides detailed technical guidance: 'If you want to avoid having your audible playback blocked, you should only play media inside a click or keyboard event handler, or on mobile in a touchend event.'
Post acknowledges counter-perspective: 'There are some sites on which users want audible autoplay audio and video to be allowed.'
Inferences
Transparent sharing of technical knowledge and rationale supports Article 19's right to free expression and information access.
Open access and clear attribution support editorial integrity and freedom of information.
Medium Advocacy for user protection Framing autoplay blocking as dignity protection
Editorial
+0.50
SETL
+0.32
Content frames autoplay blocking as protecting user dignity and freedom from distraction, aligning with the Preamble's invocation of 'inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights.'
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Post states 'We know that unsolicited volume can be a great source of distraction and frustration for users.'
Feature positions user agency as central ('users can click on the icon to access the site information panel').
Inferences
The framing of unwanted autoplay as a threat to user peace and autonomy aligns with UDHR's emphasis on inherent dignity.
Mozilla's design choice to preserve user control reflects a rights-based approach to technology governance.
High Advocacy for developer education Coverage of technical capability
Editorial
+0.50
SETL
0.00
Post serves explicitly educational function for web developers: 'We want to make sure web developers are aware of this new autoplay blocking feature in Firefox.' Provides actionable guidance, code strategies, and best practices.
FW Ratio: 67%
Observable Facts
Post title and intro explicitly state educational purpose: 'We want to make sure web developers are aware.'
Content provides multiple implementation strategies: 'Another strategy to consider for video is to autoplay muted, and present an unmute button to your users.'
Post explains technical error handling: 'Firefox expresses a blocked play() call to JavaScript by rejecting the promise returned by HTMLMediaElement.play() with a NotAllowedError.'
Content advises: 'If you want to avoid having your audible playback blocked, you should only play media inside a click or keyboard event handler.'
Inferences
Transparent technical education supports developers' right to knowledge and skill development.
Open sharing of implementation guidance enables developer community to participate in shaping web standards.
Medium Framing autoplay blocking as universal protection
Editorial
+0.30
SETL
+0.17
Autoplay blocking feature applies equally to all Firefox users regardless of background or status.
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Post states feature applies universally: 'Starting with the release of Firefox 66 for desktop and Firefox for Android, Firefox will block audible audio and video by default.'
Inferences
Universal application signals commitment to equal protection regardless of user characteristics.
Medium Framing feature as respecting web development and cultural creation
Editorial
+0.30
SETL
0.00
Content acknowledges legitimate creative use cases and preserves developer freedom: 'There are some sites on which users want audible autoplay audio and video to be allowed.' Feature design accommodates muted autoplay and provides user control mechanisms.
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Post acknowledges competing interests: 'Part of the challenge of this feature is balancing annoyance mitigation with enabling genuine use cases.'
Feature preserves developer options: 'Muted autoplay is still allowed.'
Inferences
Balancing user protection with developer freedom reflects respect for web as a creative and scientific domain.
Mozilla's advocacy for open web standards supports Article 27's protection of participation in cultural and scientific advancement.
Feature respects user autonomy to decide which sites can autoplay: 'Users can click on the icon to access the site information panel, where they can change the Autoplay sound permission for that site.'
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Post emphasizes user choice: 'users can click on the icon to access the site information panel, where they can change the Autoplay sound permission.'
Inferences
User ability to curate a whitelist reflects respect for freedom of thought and personal choice.
Medium Framing feature as balancing community interests
Editorial
+0.20
SETL
+0.14
Content explicitly addresses the balance between user protection and developer/web creator interests: 'Part of the challenge of this feature is balancing annoyance mitigation with enabling genuine use cases.'
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Post states: 'Part of the challenge of this feature is balancing annoyance mitigation with enabling genuine use cases.'
Inferences
Explicit acknowledgment of competing interests reflects Article 29's principle that rights come with duties to respect others' rights.
Low Framing feature as protective of existing rights
Editorial
+0.10
SETL
+0.10
Feature designed to protect existing user rights (autonomy, peace) rather than restrict them.
FW Ratio: 50%
Observable Facts
Feature provides user control: 'Users can click on the icon to access the site information panel, where they can change the Autoplay sound permission.'
Inferences
Protection mechanism is designed to enable rights exercise, not restrict it.
Medium Structural privacy concern: embedded analytics
Editorial
-0.10
SETL
+0.14
Content does not address privacy protections; no discussion of user data or privacy safeguards.
FW Ratio: 60%
Observable Facts
Page source contains Google Analytics tracking: '_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-35433268-8']'.
Page includes GTM configuration: gtag('config', 'G-5WVW12ST9K').
Script includes IP anonymization ('_gat._anonymizeIp'), indicating some privacy awareness.
Inferences
Presence of analytics tracking on a privacy-adjacent blog suggests structural tension between advocating for user control and deploying tracking mechanisms.
Anonymization feature indicates awareness of privacy concerns, but does not eliminate data collection.
Site implements Google Analytics and GTM tracking with UTM parameter removal utility, indicating awareness of privacy concerns but continued analytics deployment.
Terms of Service
—
Terms of service not observable in provided content.
Identity & Mission
Mission
+0.20
Article 19 Article 27
Mozilla's stated mission around open web and developer empowerment aligns with knowledge-sharing and technical security education.
Editorial Code
+0.05
Article 19
Technical blog format with clear author attribution and date stamps supports editorial transparency.
Ownership
+0.10
Article 19
Mozilla Foundation ownership as non-profit organization supports commitment to public interest over profit-driven content.
Access & Distribution
Access Model
+0.15
Article 26
Open access technical content published without paywall or registration barrier.
Ad/Tracking
-0.10
Article 12
Google Analytics and GTM tracking present on page reduces privacy score despite Mozilla's privacy advocacy.
High Advocacy for transparent technical information Framing knowledge sharing as beneficial Coverage of new capability
Structural
+0.50
Context Modifier
ND
SETL
+0.24
Published on open blog without paywall; clear author attribution (Chris Pearce) and publication date (February 4, 2019); structured for accessibility and shareability.
Medium Structural privacy concern: embedded analytics
Structural
-0.20
Context Modifier
ND
SETL
+0.14
Page includes Google Analytics (UA-35433268-8) and Google Tag Manager (G-5WVW12ST9K) tracking scripts, collecting user behavior data without prominent privacy notice in the fetched content.