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I agree with this. "Tor Browser Mode" should become the default "Private browsing mode" on Firefox. It seems to me that a lot of uneducated users seem to have t

I agree with this. "Tor Browser Mode" should become the default "Private browsing mode" on Firefox. It seems to me that a lot of uneducated users seem to have the idea that Incognito/Private mode does, somehow, give them more anonymity in a way other than locally. The extra streaming traffic would probably cripple Tor exit nodes in the short run if Mozilla didn't run worldwide fast exits on their own, but it'd be a start in a good direction, IMO. I'm sure someone will come along and tell me that "this isn't what Tor is useful for," but as far as I am concerned Tor has a PR problem. If everyone uses Tor as part of Firefox Private Browsing, a lot, lot more normal people become Tor users, not "extremists" or "dissidents" or "criminals", the headless horsemen of the anonymity apocalypse.

majewsky 10y ago
> It seems to me that a lot of uneducated users seem to have the idea that Incognito/Private mode does, somehow, give them more anonymity in a way other than locally. Well, there is this "tracking protection" thing that they added in FF42 but I don't know how it works (and frankly I don't care because I'm using a tracking blocker anyway).
jrochkind1 10y ago
> if Mozilla didn't run worldwide fast exits on their own If a huge portion of tor traffic is going through exit nodes owned by one organization and presumably deployed on a uniform consistent infrastructure, this becomes a prime target for hackers, state-sponsored or otherwise.
- micaksica 10y ago
  Tor itself is already a prime target for hackers. There are plenty of malicious exit nodes as is; as for nation-states, the cost of entry into polluting the Tor network with your own circuits to probabilistically deanonymize users is low enough as is that you'd be stupid not to do it. By the same logic, torservers.net shouldn't exist, or ipredator's massive exit. Tor has a fair amount of relay bandwidth; Mozilla running exit nodes adds strength to where the bigger bottleneck is. There isn't a lot of personal risk in running middles or guards to the common techie; an exit node with abusive traffic can get your house raided in the United States [1] and Germany makes you responsible for traffic on your IP [2]. They have the legal and personnel resources to be able to deal with abuse complaints from bad actors, and should, for the sake of the network they support. [1] http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/seattle-police-raid-home-privacy-activists-who-maintain-tor-anonymity-network-node-1552524 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/seattle-police-raid-home-privacy-ac... [2] http://www.young-germany.de/topic/live/your-digital-rights-in-germany http://www.young-germany.de/topic/live/your-digital-rights-i...

majewsky 10y ago

> It seems to me that a lot of uneducated users seem to have the idea that Incognito/Private mode does, somehow, give them more anonymity in a way other than locally. Well, there is this "tracking protection" thing that they added in FF42 but I don't know how it works (and frankly I don't care because I'm using a tracking blocker anyway).

jrochkind1 10y ago

> if Mozilla didn't run worldwide fast exits on their own If a huge portion of tor traffic is going through exit nodes owned by one organization and presumably deployed on a uniform consistent infrastructure, this becomes a prime target for hackers, state-sponsored or otherwise.

micaksica 10y ago
Tor itself is already a prime target for hackers. There are plenty of malicious exit nodes as is; as for nation-states, the cost of entry into polluting the Tor network with your own circuits to probabilistically deanonymize users is low enough as is that you'd be stupid not to do it. By the same logic, torservers.net shouldn't exist, or ipredator's massive exit. Tor has a fair amount of relay bandwidth; Mozilla running exit nodes adds strength to where the bigger bottleneck is. There isn't a lot of personal risk in running middles or guards to the common techie; an exit node with abusive traffic can get your house raided in the United States [1] and Germany makes you responsible for traffic on your IP [2]. They have the legal and personnel resources to be able to deal with abuse complaints from bad actors, and should, for the sake of the network they support. [1] http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/seattle-police-raid-home-privacy-activists-who-maintain-tor-anonymity-network-node-1552524 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/seattle-police-raid-home-privacy-ac... [2] http://www.young-germany.de/topic/live/your-digital-rights-in-germany http://www.young-germany.de/topic/live/your-digital-rights-i...