The Mozilla Foundation has announced that US versions of its popular Firefox browser will no longer point to Google as the default search provider but will, instead, ship with Yahoo! in the default configuration.
The end of Mozilla’s pact with Google comes after years of controversy and dialog regarding the non-profit browser’s relationship with the for-profit search giant. Mozilla reportedly earned over $300 million in revenue in 2012 for sending search traffic to Google, and Google was not happy with the efforts of Firefox developers to make the “Do Not Track” feature the default setting for Firefox users. (Google makes most of its money by delivering ads based on information obtained by tracking users.)
Yahoo! also has a checkered history with Do Not Track and has simply ignored it in the past; however, sources indicate the terms of the new agreement with Mozilla will force Yahoo! to honor the Do Not Track setting for Firefox users. The move also marks the resurgence of Yahoo!, an early leader in search that lost its place during the rise of Google and the appearance of Microsoft’s Bing. A 2009 agreement between Yahoo! and Microsoft means that Yahoo! search is now powered by Bing on the backend.   
 
According to a post by Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer on Tumblr, “This partnership helps to expand our reach in search and gives us an opportunity to work even more closely with Mozilla to find ways to innovate in search, communications, and digital content. I’m also excited about the long-term framework we developed with Mozilla for future product integrations and expansion into international markets.”