How do I disable telemetry in Thunderbird?

Question

I'm running Thunderbird 91. I noticed in the JS console that the app is collecting some kind of telemetry about me and sending it somewhere! Noooo... !

How do I disable it?

Answer 1

This is what I did, based partly on this thread:

1. Go to Edit | Preferences (or Tools | Options, or Tools | Preferences) on the main menu, or Preferences on the Hamburger menu.
2. Locate the Config Editor button and press it.
3. Set the following preferences to false:

   dom.security.unexpected_system_load_telemetry_enabled
   network.trr.confirmation_telemetry_enabled
   privacy.trackingprotection.origin_telemetry.enabled
   telemetry.origin_telemetry_test_mode.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.archive.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.bhrPing.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.ecosystemtelemetry.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.firstShutdownPing.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.newProfilePing.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabledFirstSession
   toolkit.telemetry.updatePing.enabled
   toolkit.telemetry.unified
   datareporting.healthreport.uploadEnabled
   datareporting.policy.dataSubmissionEnabled
   

4. You can try, but probably fail, to set the following preference to false:

   toolkit.telemetry.enabled
   

5. Set:

   toolkit.telemetry.rejected = true
   toolkit.telemetry.prompted = 2
   

6. To be on the safe side, set

   toolkit.telemetry.server = http://stop-spying-on-me.kthxbye/
   

I don't know if that covers everything; hopefully it does.

Answer 2

Much simpler is go to preferences and type "data" into the search field. Your settings are shown thusly

Answer 3

Re: Much simpler is go to preferences and type "data" into the search field. but still it crashed no end.

I had to run:

GDK_BACKEND=x11 thunderbird -safe-mode --setpref=toolkit.telemetry.unified=false

only then disable all these as per answer above and restart.

Otherwise I was getting suddenly, after +1 year of using it with that Telemetry cruft:

    GDK_BACKEND=x11 thunderbird %u
    [ImapModuleLoader] Using nsImapService.cpp
    [NntpModuleLoader] Using NntpService.jsm
    [Pop3ModuleLoader] Using Pop3Service.jsm
    [GFX1-]: No GPUs detected via PCI
    [GFX1-]: glxtest: process failed (received signal 11)
    [calBackendLoader] Using Thunderbird's ical.js backend
    WARNING: A blocker encountered an error while we were waiting.
              Blocker:  Waiting for ping task
              Phase: TelemetryController: Waiting for pending ping activity
              State: (none)
    WARNING: Error: Phase "profile-before-change" is finished, it is too late to register completion condition "OS.File: flush I/O queued before profileBeforeChange"
    WARNING: addBlocker@resource://gre/modules/AsyncShutdown.jsm:718:15
    addBlocker@resource://gre/modules/AsyncShutdown.jsm:526:26
    addBlocker@resource://gre/modules/AsyncShutdown.jsm:465:15
    setupShutdown@resource://gre/modules/osfile/osfile_async_front.jsm:1564:28
    @resource://gre/modules/osfile/osfile_async_front.jsm:1584:16
    @resource://gre/modules/osfile.jsm:11:30
    @resource://gre/modules/TelemetryStorage.jsm:18:28
    promiseArchivePing@resource://gre/modules/TelemetryArchive.jsm:99:5
    promiseArchivePing@resource://gre/modules/TelemetryArchive.jsm:59:33
    _submitPingLogic@resource://gre/modules/TelemetryControllerParent.jsm:536:43
    send@resource://gre/modules/TelemetryControllerParent.jsm:624:24
    submitExternalPing@resource://gre/modules/TelemetryControllerParent.jsm:179:17
    saveShutdownPings@resource://gre/modules/TelemetrySession.jsm:976:29
    shutdownChromeProcess/cleanup/<@resource://gre/modules/TelemetrySession.jsm:1226:20
    cleanup@resource://gre/modules/TelemetrySession.jsm:1233:9
    shutdownChromeProcess@resource://gre/modules/TelemetrySession.jsm:1250:14
    shutdown@resource://gre/modules/TelemetrySession.jsm:250:17
    _cleanupOnShutdown@resource://gre/modules/TelemetryControllerParent.jsm:969:30
    observe@resource://gre/modules/AsyncShutdown.jsm:575:16

brrr.

Answer 4

Harden your user.js. Here is an example based on arkenfox.js: Thunderbird-user.js (I am not affiliated with this at all. Arkenfox.js is the most well-known user.js for privacy associated with Firefox, and the Thunderbird is just an adaptation of the same thing).

See the link for a full list of hardening. In your config settings (bottom of settings > general), change the following that can be related to telemetry:

• mail.shell.checkDefaultClient : false (always checks/asks if default browser/mail client)

• mailnews.start_page.enabled : false (disables start page)

• mailnews.start_page.enabled : false (sets new browser tab as blank page)

• geo.provider.network.url : https://location.services.mozilla.com/v1/geolocate?key=%MOZILLA_API_KEY% (changes from Google to Mozilla geolocation service)

• geo.provider.ms-windows-location : false (for Windows)

• geo.provider.use_corelocation : false (for Mac)

• geo.provider.use_gpsd : false (for Linux)

• browser.region.update.enabled : false ( https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/toolkit/modules/toolkit_modules/Region.html)

• browser.region.network.url : (remove and leave blank)

• extensions.getAddons.cache.enabled : false (check if no problems)

• extensions.getAddons.recommended.url : (save as blank)

• extensions.htmlaboutaddons.recommendations.enabled : false (uses Google analytics)

• datareporting.policy.dataSubmissionEnabled : false

• datareporting.healthreport.uploadEnabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.unified : false

• toolkit.telemetry.enabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.server : (save as blank)

• toolkit.telemetry.bhrPing.enabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.archive.enabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.firstShutdownPing.enabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.newProfilePing.enabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.shutdownPingSender.enabled : false

• toolkit.telemetry.updatePing.enabled : false

• network.trr.confirmation_telemetry_enabled : false

• breakpad.reportURL : (save as blank)

• captivedetect.canonicalURL : (save as blank) (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/08/how-captive-portals-interfere-wireless-security-and-privacy )

• browser.search.suggest.enabled : false

• network.cookie.cookieBehavior : 2 (0 = accept cookies, 1 = block 3rd party cookies, 2 = block all cookies, 3 = blcok cookies from univisted websites, 4 = block corss-site tracking cookies, 5 = isolate all cross-site cookies)

• network.cookie.thirdparty.sessionOnly : true (if cookie enabled, 3rd party only for session) - network.cookie.thirdparty.nonsecureSessionOnly : true

• dom.security.unexpected_system_load_telemetry_enabled : false

Additionally, ein support above wrote:

• toolkit.telemetry.rejected = true
• toolkit.telemetry.prompted = 2

These aren't in the config, so you can comment below his answer and ask if you create the string or if they are no longer functional in the newest version of Thunderbird. The ones not listed that are listed in that answer are false by default.