We updated the explanations in our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy on September 6–7, 2026, to make Floorp's operations more transparent as we prepare to incorporate.
Clear information about who runs Floorp, the terms under which we provide it, and how information is handled is also part of our work to keep developing a browser you can continue to use.
This article explains what we clarified in the published documents and how we are thinking about running Floorp as we prepare to incorporate. It also covers the role of advertising revenue and our planned release-note settings. One of these options would have Floorp restrict the behavior of certain ad-blocking extensions, so we explain its effects and your choices as well.
What we clarified in the terms and privacy policy
The updates organize our explanations of how Floorp is run and the conditions for using it. They clarify the following points:
- Who runs Floorp and the conditions of use: The current operator, who runs the project as a sole proprietor, and the scope covering the desktop and iOS versions, official website, and blog. The documents also explain your rights under open-source licenses and the separate terms of external services.
- How information is handled: Local browser data, optional synchronization, communications needed for features, and advertising on the website and blog are explained separately, including the relevant providers and available settings.
- Notice of changes and your choices: Important changes will be announced in advance. Where separate consent is required, agreement to the terms or continued use alone does not replace it.
Please read the published Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for the full details.
These wording updates do not change your advertising consent or browser settings. They do not enable telemetry or introduce new uses of personal information. Each document also explains its updates in a section near the end of the page.
Making your choices clear will remain important when we introduce new features. We are preparing the advertising-related settings described below with that principle in mind.
Using revenue to sustain development
Advertising revenue, donations, and other contributions support Floorp's development and operation. Alongside clearer explanations as we prepare to incorporate, we need a reliable source of revenue that allows us to keep running the project as a business.
Adding features can require more than technical implementation. In some cases, it also requires negotiations and contracts with external providers, and an organization that meets the conditions for entering those discussions.
Widevine is one example. As Floorp's developers, we have confirmed that we must incorporate before entering negotiations about Widevine. Incorporation costs money, and we also need the means to keep operating afterward. We want advertising revenue to help us establish that foundation as well.
However, incorporation does not guarantee a contract, a license, or Widevine support. We also cannot promise that any particular video-streaming service will become available.
With more revenue, we aim to sustain development and pursue work that technical implementation alone cannot make possible. We will announce specific features when the necessary conditions are in place.
Advertising revenue and your choices
Release notes that open automatically after an update explain what has changed. They help you learn about new features and fixes and make use of them in everyday browsing. Advertising revenue from those pages also supports Floorp's development and operation. That financial role is one reason we want to continue opening release notes automatically.
At the same time, we recognize that an automatically opened page can be frustrating when you want to get back to what you were doing. Deciding when to open a page and which protection features to use matters to you.
We are therefore working on settings for the desktop version of Floorp that let you choose whether release notes open automatically and how ad blockers are treated on the blog.
The settings below describe our planned design. We will announce the release version and availability when they are ready.
Choosing how release notes and ads are handled
We plan to offer the following three options. The names of these settings and options may change before release.
| Option | Release notes after an update | Additional restrictions Floorp applies to the listed blockers |
|---|---|---|
| Do not open automatically | Do not open automatically | Not applied |
| Open with your blocker settings | Open automatically | Not applied |
| Open and allow ads to support Floorp (recommended) | Open automatically | Applied on the blog |
“Open with your blocker settings” lets you read release notes while continuing to use your installed blockers with your own settings. Choosing it does not install or enable an ad blocker.
If you already use Floorp
For existing users, we plan to show a one-time prompt inside the browser with these three choices, while preserving their existing blocker settings.
We will apply the restrictions only if you explicitly choose “Open and allow ads to support Floorp (recommended).” If you dismiss the prompt, release notes will continue to open automatically as before, and your blocker settings will be preserved.
We will avoid changing existing users' protection settings without an explanation and an opportunity to choose.
If you are new to Floorp
For new users, we plan to present “Open and allow ads to support Floorp (recommended)” as the preselected option during initial setup. We want to explain from the start that advertising revenue supports development and offer this setting as our standard recommendation.
The same screen will explain the effects on features such as tracking protection in the listed extensions, along with the other two options. The restrictions will apply only after you confirm the setup. You can select a different option before confirming.
What changes when you choose to allow ads?
Under this option, Floorp is designed to restrict the following extensions on the blog:
- uBlock Origin
- AdGuard
- Adblock Plus
- AdBlock
- Ghostery
The restrictions target specific extension IDs. They do not automatically apply to every extension or fork that shares one of these names.
The scope is every HTTPS page on blog.floorp.app, including pages you open manually. It includes regular articles and the blog's home page, as well as release notes opened after an update. The restrictions apply whenever you visit the blog while this option remains selected.
The blog's address is the designated scope of these restrictions. The official website at floorp.app and other website addresses are not included. Floorp also does not add these restrictions to extensions outside the list above.
Filtering beyond ads may also be affected
This mechanism does not identify and allow only advertisements. The browser restricts the listed extensions' access to pages and their ability to intervene in network requests. This may also affect their tracking protection and filters you have added yourself. Requests to external resources loaded by the blog, including ads, can be affected too.
Advertising-related requests that your blocker previously stopped may therefore take place. Our Privacy Policy explains Google AdSense, which is used on the blog, and how information associated with advertising is handled.
Other Floorp protection features, extensions outside the list, or network-level filters may still prevent ads from appearing. This option does not guarantee that every ad will be displayed.
You can change your choice later
Once the feature is available, you will be able to change your choice under “Release notes after updates” in Floorp's settings.
To remove the restrictions on the listed blockers, choose either of the following:
- “Do not open automatically” if you also want release notes to stop opening automatically.
- “Open with your blocker settings” if you want release notes to keep opening automatically.
Both options remove the restrictions Floorp adds and preserve your own blocker settings. Reload any open blog pages after changing the setting. Restrictions set by an administrator, such as at your workplace, are not removed by this choice.
The automatic-opening setting covers release notes shown after updates. Separate guidance for users migrating from Floorp 11 remains, so this setting does not turn off every informational page.
Advertising consent and choices on the website
Agreeing to the terms, choosing the browser setting that allows ads, and consenting to advertising cookies on the website are separate choices. Selecting “Open and allow ads to support Floorp (recommended)” does not provide any separate consent the website may require.
You can manage the website's advertising choices through the consent screen shown according to factors such as your region and previously saved choices. If a consent screen for European regulations is shown, you can reopen it through “Privacy and cookie settings” at the bottom of pages where ads are displayed. See the advertising section of our Privacy Policy for details on changing these choices.
The future of Floorp's operations
We see these updates to the terms and privacy policy as a step toward greater transparency as we prepare to incorporate. We will continue to explain our terms, information handling, and changes that affect how you use Floorp or how your protection settings work, so you can understand them and make your own choices.
Advertising revenue helps us keep developing Floorp and establish the organization needed to continue that work. Please review the planned settings and their effects, then choose whether to allow ads on the blog according to your own preferences.
You can also stop release notes from opening automatically or preserve your blocker settings. Choose the option that fits how you use Floorp and your approach to privacy.
Donations, bug reports, code contributions, translations, and other efforts also support Floorp. If you are interested in other ways to contribute, please see Contribute to Floorp.
Thank you to everyone who uses Floorp and shares feedback that helps us improve it.
