Mozilla is conducting an experiment to switch 1% of Firefox users to use Microsoft Bing as their default search engine. The experiment began on September 6 and will last until the end of January 2022. Users can check their participation in Mozilla's experiments on the 'about:studies' page. For users who prefer other search engines, the option to choose their preferred search engine remains in the settings.
It is worth noting that in the English version of Firefox, Google is offered as the default search engine, while Yandex is the default in the Russian and Turkish versions, and Baidu is used in the Chinese builds. Default search engines have contracts in place to pay for referrals, which account for the majority of Mozilla's revenue. For example, in 2019, revenue from partnerships with search engines made up 88% of Mozilla's earnings. The deal with Google regarding search traffic generates about $400 million a year. This deal was extended in 2020 until August 2023, but further cooperation is in question, which is why Mozilla is preparing for a change in its primary search partner.
Source: opennet.ru
