Mozilla Corp. has managed to rankle many people using its Firefox browser after slipping in a plug-in promoting the TV series, Mr. Robot.

The plug-in, called “Looking Glass,” was not turned on by default. Nonetheless, people concerned about their privacy didn’t take kindly to something appearing in their browser that they had not installed.

To make matters worse, when users checked out the plug-in they were greeted with the ominous message, “My reality is just different than yours,” leading some people to believe they had been the victim of some kind of spyware.

A thread on Reddit soon appeared with people stating that the experience had freaked them out, saying Mozilla had abused its power and should offer an apology. “The text felt super fishy and I was definitely irritated,” said one user, whose sentiments echoed many others. “Seemingly it’s just some inside joke but please Mozilla, that’s rather unprofessional if you ask me. As a result I’m opting out of any further studies.”

For its part, Mozilla described the plug-in as harmless fun, a puzzle that mimics the mysteriousness of the show and its concerns with privacy and security. “Firefox and Mr. Robot have collaborated on a shared experience to further your immersion into the Mr. Robot universe, also known as an Alternate Reality Game (ARG),” Mozilla wrote on its website.

It seems that once the plug-in has been enabled, some changes are made to websites, which is all part of the puzzle for players of Mr. Robot ARG.

Mozilla may have thought it a novel idea, but users unanimously called the move moronic. “Most users are not programmers; most people don’t watch Mr. Robot; and most people are not going to waste a bunch of time tracking down stupid crap like this,” another Reddit poster said.

Although Firefox users were peeved, others pointed out the lack of ethics in such move. In a statement, Mozilla said it had taken into consideration the widespread criticism. “We heard from some of our users that the experience we created caused confusion,” Mozilla said. The Looking Glass Add-on has now been moved to Mozilla’s Add-On store.”

Image: Alexandre Dulaunoy via Flickr