The IP addresses are just a fact of life of web server logging. They are not stored in the location or leaderboard databases.
Thanks! My post's intention was to suggest that Mozilla revise the privacy policy to clarify it for everyone. What are your thoughts?
edit after downvote: also, mozilla engineering PMs will intimate on hackernews that it won't internally correlate and potentially sell any of the location and other information it most obviously could correlate about people, even though it has already announced its intention to advertise.
We never got authorization from individuals to do that correlation.
We aren't perfect, but I think we do a pretty good job of respecting and protecting your privacy at Mozilla.
one industry norm that makes these things tough (again, not Mozilla's fault) is that at least under US law, Mozilla could change its privacy policies at some point in the future and do a lot more than it currently does.
and... my parent comment was brash and probably deserved the downvote it received.
(Disclosure: I work for Mozilla. I am helping write an updated set of privacy guidelines for engineering teams, to be as explicit as possible about how careful and respectful we need to be with data.)
regarding Mozilla's intention to advertise: http://www.zdnet.com/mozilla-clarifies-defends-firefox-ad-po...
The privacy policy[1] could be clarified for less technical readers, and even for others. I infer that collected data is anonymous because you write,
1) We receive publicly observable data about WiFi access points and cell towers around you, your estimated latitude and longitude, and the date -- Not associated with anything else, that may be anonymous data -- though you could guess my home network or home location by the most common/strongest wifi signals. If you track data by submitter, you also would have a good idea of their travels.
2) we may receive certain temporary data such as your IP address. This data is deleted after being used as follows ... -- You seem to be implying that you do receive non-anonymous data, and delete it after innocuous uses.
3) You can send us data anonymously or under a nickname -- Which implies anonymity is possible.
If what I infer is correct, why not restate it directly and unequivocally with something like the following:
Unless you choose otherwise, the data you send will be anonymous and not associated with you in any way. We will not record who you are or what phone sent the data. We do receive some non-anonymous data, but we delete it within X hours/days after using it as follows ...
And add more detail after that.
[1] https://location.services.mozilla.com/privacy
EDIT: Clarify a bit, and a correction to #1