This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

why do I get twitter widget messages?

  • 5 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Matt

more options

Every time I launch thunderbird, I get sent to a twitter page that does nothing!

Why is that happening? I do NOT use twitter in my email account(s). Why cannot I not stop it?

How do I stop it?

Every time I launch thunderbird, I get sent to a twitter page that does nothing! Why is that happening? I do NOT use twitter in my email account(s). Why cannot I not stop it? How do I stop it?

All Replies (5)

more options

Please post a screenshot of your main Thunderbird window when this happens. https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-do-i-create-screenshot-my-problem

more options

Here is a screenshot of the firefox page that is brought up when I start thunderbird.

Again, I do not want, nor do I need twitter in my email.

How do I kill this "launch" of twitter?

more options

When asked to post a screenshot of your main Thunderbird window, why are you posting a screenshot of Firefox?

more options

Because when I launch thunderbird, this is what happens!

Again, I do not want, nor do I care to have twitter in my email, so why is thunderbird launching that firefox screen dealing with twitter??

more options

This is a very old bug https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=524281

Do you have any RSS feeds? or mail from folk that include a twitter icon in their signature. Generally it is not an issue in mail as remote images are turned off. but turning them on is an invitation to this bug.

Basically a remote image is not an image in this instance, it is a script part of twitters global spying on everyone, even those that do not have an account. Facebook does something similar.

Both get to log your visit or every web page displaying their little image and them place that information with your profile if you actually have an account. Or match it to other data sources so they can identify the individual. That s the true cost of twitter and facebook.

Basically attempts to fetch the image fire a script that loads the transparent single pixel tracking image in your browser because Thunderbird is not your default browser for it to be injected into.