88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
he Mozilla Foundation released a new version of their flagship Firefox web browser today that automatically blocks access to all websites affiliated with the gay rights movement.
Firefox Family, which is still in beta testing, was developed for the "traditional values" market in the United States as well as for use in emerging markets such as Saudi Arabia and Uganda, which have strict laws against homosexuality.
In addition to blocking all gay pornography, the new browser blacklists the websites of gay rights organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and displays an error message explaining such sites are blocked as “homosexual propaganda” when accessed.
The blacklist, which also contains the social media accounts of several prominent gay rights activists, is hard-coded into the browser and cannot be modified by the end user.
“Firefox Family is simply intended to provide choice in the marketplace," explained Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich in a Skype call with reporters today. "Some people buy into the gay agenda, and some people don’t. Here at the Mozilla Foundation we believe in serving both types of customers. That's what real equality looks like.
“Why should everybody have to be exposed to this lifestyle when they surf the internet? Some parents want to protect their children from being recruited into homosexuality. They deserve to have the tools to do so. Most people are sick and tired of international fakkitry, and personally I don't blame them.”
Fire The Fox
The release of the controversial new software comes as the Mozilla Foundation is already under fire for its stance on gay rights. Although the organization itself has long had gay-friendly policies, its new CEO Brendan Eich opposes gay marriage and in 2008 donated $1,000 to a campaign against marriage equality in California.
A number of Mozilla employees have called on Eich to step down, a request he has so far refused. Several members of the organization's board of directors have resigned in protest over his selection. And dating site OKCupid is asking Firefox users on its site to switch to competing browsers.
However, Eich reiterated today that he isn't going anywhere and claimed that he's the only one facing discrimination.
"The most persecuted people in the United States are white males who believe in traditional marriage," he pleaded. "If I actively advocate for discrimination against a class of people, then suddenly my job is at risk. Can you believe that? What kind of a fascist, politically correct country is this?
"All that should matter in a leadership role is job performance. What if the CEO of Coca-Cola didn't believe white women should marry black men. And he went around the country giving part of the salary he earned at the company to organizations that tried to ban interracial marriage.
"Would we seriously ask him to step down from his post just because of this personal belief? That would be ridiculous! The company is doing great."
In addition to Firefox Family, Eich is also reportedly working on a version of the JavaScript language which eliminates the use of curly brackets, which he describes as "too gay" for his taste.
Firefox Family, which is still in beta testing, was developed for the "traditional values" market in the United States as well as for use in emerging markets such as Saudi Arabia and Uganda, which have strict laws against homosexuality.
In addition to blocking all gay pornography, the new browser blacklists the websites of gay rights organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and displays an error message explaining such sites are blocked as “homosexual propaganda” when accessed.
The blacklist, which also contains the social media accounts of several prominent gay rights activists, is hard-coded into the browser and cannot be modified by the end user.
“Firefox Family is simply intended to provide choice in the marketplace," explained Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich in a Skype call with reporters today. "Some people buy into the gay agenda, and some people don’t. Here at the Mozilla Foundation we believe in serving both types of customers. That's what real equality looks like.
“Why should everybody have to be exposed to this lifestyle when they surf the internet? Some parents want to protect their children from being recruited into homosexuality. They deserve to have the tools to do so. Most people are sick and tired of international fakkitry, and personally I don't blame them.”
Fire The Fox
The release of the controversial new software comes as the Mozilla Foundation is already under fire for its stance on gay rights. Although the organization itself has long had gay-friendly policies, its new CEO Brendan Eich opposes gay marriage and in 2008 donated $1,000 to a campaign against marriage equality in California.
A number of Mozilla employees have called on Eich to step down, a request he has so far refused. Several members of the organization's board of directors have resigned in protest over his selection. And dating site OKCupid is asking Firefox users on its site to switch to competing browsers.
However, Eich reiterated today that he isn't going anywhere and claimed that he's the only one facing discrimination.
"The most persecuted people in the United States are white males who believe in traditional marriage," he pleaded. "If I actively advocate for discrimination against a class of people, then suddenly my job is at risk. Can you believe that? What kind of a fascist, politically correct country is this?
"All that should matter in a leadership role is job performance. What if the CEO of Coca-Cola didn't believe white women should marry black men. And he went around the country giving part of the salary he earned at the company to organizations that tried to ban interracial marriage.
"Would we seriously ask him to step down from his post just because of this personal belief? That would be ridiculous! The company is doing great."
In addition to Firefox Family, Eich is also reportedly working on a version of the JavaScript language which eliminates the use of curly brackets, which he describes as "too gay" for his taste.