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The TOR browser is based on Firefox, so this also affects them, right? A chrome-based TOR browser would be the biggest joke in the history of online rights. I h

by 3gg 6y ago

The TOR browser is based on Firefox, so this also affects them, right? A chrome-based TOR browser would be the biggest joke in the history of online rights. I have the impression that Mozilla, and all of us, are at a crossroads here. I really hope they find a way to continue the development of Firefox and their other products without having to resort to prostituting people's identities.

modzu 6y ago
tor "browser" is but not tor itself. for example brave (based on chromium) has a tor window built in. and its extremely handy for many use cases (not all but then for that other 10% you really should be running tails etc...)
- 3gg 6y ago
  I think the TOR browser does a lot more than just run a browser through TOR. It uses Firefox's built-in fingerprint counter-measures; it spoofs the user agent; it starts using specific window dimensions to counter resolution fingerprinting; and many more things that I am probably not aware of. Running a random browser through the TOR network does not really anonymize you from the myriad number of ways a website can fingerprint you, and the TOR browser / Firefox go to some lengths to protect you from those things too. I think Google, being an advertising company, would have a conflict of interest in providing that same level of anonymity.
dvlat 6y ago
Out of curiosity, what problems do you see with potential Chromium (not Chrome)-based TOR browser?
- ffpip 6y ago
  It doesn't support the anti-fingerprinting measures of TOR. I don't thing you can block fingerprinting in Chromium. We can only fake it. There is no flag to outright block the fingerprinting. And things like first party isolation and other about:config tweaks.
- 3gg 6y ago
  Exactly what ffpip said. The TOR browser does much more than just run your traffic through TOR to counter website fingerpriting, and Google being an advertising company, I see a conflict of interest to provide you with the anonymity that the Firefox-based TOR browser currently provides.

by 3gg 6y ago

modzu 6y ago

tor "browser" is but not tor itself. for example brave (based on chromium) has a tor window built in. and its extremely handy for many use cases (not all but then for that other 10% you really should be running tails etc...)

3gg 6y ago
I think the TOR browser does a lot more than just run a browser through TOR. It uses Firefox's built-in fingerprint counter-measures; it spoofs the user agent; it starts using specific window dimensions to counter resolution fingerprinting; and many more things that I am probably not aware of. Running a random browser through the TOR network does not really anonymize you from the myriad number of ways a website can fingerprint you, and the TOR browser / Firefox go to some lengths to protect you from those things too. I think Google, being an advertising company, would have a conflict of interest in providing that same level of anonymity.

dvlat 6y ago

Out of curiosity, what problems do you see with potential Chromium (not Chrome)-based TOR browser?

ffpip 6y ago
It doesn't support the anti-fingerprinting measures of TOR. I don't thing you can block fingerprinting in Chromium. We can only fake it. There is no flag to outright block the fingerprinting. And things like first party isolation and other about:config tweaks.
3gg 6y ago
Exactly what ffpip said. The TOR browser does much more than just run your traffic through TOR to counter website fingerpriting, and Google being an advertising company, I see a conflict of interest to provide you with the anonymity that the Firefox-based TOR browser currently provides.