Hello,
I uploaded version 1.1 of my self-distributed add-on “Extractor WhatsApp” on April 8, 2025. It has no errors or warnings, but it has been in “Awaiting Review” for 7 days as of April 15, 2025. I replied in the Review History section of the Developer Hub and tried emailing amo-admins@mozilla.com, but I haven’t received a response. Can someone help me understand the delay or expedite the review so I can download the signed .xpi file?
Thank you!
Hey @Marcos. Apologies for the delay. As you may have gathered from other posts here, reviews are currently experiencing significant delays on the order of multiple weeks. I’m afraid that we cannot expedite this review.
Hi @dotproto,
Thank you for your response, but I can’t help expressing my deep frustration with Mozilla and its add-on review process. I’m a developer working within an investigative unit of a law enforcement agency, and I’ve been developing the “WhatsApp Group Monitor” extension for internal use by my unit in investigations related to serious crimes. However, after months of effort in developing and testing this tool, all I’ve encountered are contradictions, wasted time, and a complete lack of transparency from Mozilla.
Mozilla has guidelines that require submitting the original source code and a detailed README with instructions to replicate the obfuscation (Source code submission | Firefox Extension Workshop), which I followed to the letter with versions 1.1 and 1.3 of my extension. However, despite complying with these guidelines, both versions were rejected because they contained obfuscated code, as Mozilla explicitly prohibits this type of code (Add-on Policies | Firefox Extension Workshop). Why does Mozilla ask for the original source code and outline a process for handling obfuscated code if they simply reject any extension with such code, no exceptions? This is an absolute contradiction, a waste of time, and, most worryingly, it unnecessarily exposes sensitive code that, in my case, is vital for the security of our investigations.
After the rejections, I appealed, providing more context about the importance of my extension, but Mozilla didn’t even allow further discussion. I submitted a new version, and now you’re telling me the review will take weeks, only to likely be rejected again for the same reason. This is unacceptable. Mozilla has caused a complete loss of trust in me as a developer. Their guidelines create false expectations, and their lack of flexibility ignores the needs of sensitive projects like mine.
I’ve deleted versions 1.1 and 1.3, and I won’t attempt to submit any more extensions to Mozilla. I’m done with this process. I’m now using Firefox Developer Edition to distribute my extension internally, but I can’t help but point out how poorly Mozilla has handled this. I hope they reconsider their policies and are more transparent with developers in the future, because this experience has been an utter disappointment.
Best regards,
Marcos