Re: Firefox update breaks media autoplay setting

On 2024-10-13, Shadow <Sh@dow.br> wrote:

On 13 Oct 2024 04:00:31 GMT, Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net>
wrote:
>

In Devuan Daedalus, updating from firefox-esr 128.3.0esr-1~deb12u1
to 128.3.1esr-1~deb12u1 appears to have broken the media autoplay
setting, as measured by YouTube ads playing immediately after page
load, even though media autoplay is turned off (except for a couple
of about:welcome* "sites".
>
In an attempt to workaround the apparent (and possibly deliberate)
bug and following this page
>
   https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/firefox-dont-block-video-play-even-if-autoplay-is-prohibited/m-p/49998
>
I have these settings in about:config:
>
dom.media.autoplay-policy-detection.enabled true
media.autoplay.allow-extension-background-pages false
media.autoplay.block-event.enabled false
media.autoplay.blocking_policy 1
media.autoplay.default 5
media.autoplay.enabled false
services.sync.prefs.sync.media.autoplay.default false
>
Even with that, YouTube ads play without warning.
>
Are there any known workarounds (other than switching to another
browser?)
>
Thanks.

>
Ever started Wireshark and then loaded Firefox? Don't open any
external pages, just load it.
It connects to over a dozen sites, and worse, maintains
several connections. My /etc/hosts file looks like a shopping list.
And that is with "safebrowsing" , geolocation , prefetch and
all other "excuses" turned off.
>
It's been on this list
>
<https://www.linuxcompatible.org/story/linux-security-roundup-for-week-42-2024/>
>
For the last 20+ weeks. Always a regression or backdoor "that
allows a remote attacker to gain control of your machine when visiting
a specially crafted page".
>
Why do I still use it? Chrome is worse....
[]'s

Good idea to use Wireshark--if I could afford the time.  It might
scare me enough to push me over the edge and ditch Firefox.

I run squid with a custom URL rewriter to block domains that have
have demonstrated behavior or content I find offensive.  Also, I
check (formerly /var/log/messages) and (now) /var/log/syslog and
observe a ton of blocked packets, mostly either

- outbound to port 19302 (IIRC) to 74.125.250.129 (Google)

- inbound from port 443 from DeepIntent and a few of its allies

- inbound ICMP from a ton of IP addresses

Being behind two NAT routers might account for some of the
above.  A friend suggested many of those packets might be content
providers trying to find a lower-latency "edge" host.

--
Robert Riches
spamtrap42@jacob21819.net
(Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)