Patrick,
Thanks for your ema=
il.
Unfortunately the changes you would like t=
o make do not comply with our
distribution policy, including the fo=
llowing:
You may not add to, remov=
e, or change any part of the software, including the Mozilla trademarks the=
mselves. For example, you may not add any extensions to Firefox, change def=
ault settings, or alter search codes.
If you would like to dis=
tribute Firefox unmodified, you can use our .deb.
You can, of course=
, make any modifications you wish to Firefox=E2=80=99s open source software=
if you distribute a browser without Mozilla and Firefox trademarks. Based =
on your requirements, the Tor Browser might also be an option you could con=
sider.
Mike Kaply
Technical Partner Lead
Mozilla Corporation
I am the lead developer of the Kicksec=
ure project, a Linux distribution
focused on security and based on Debian. Kicksecure is developed by the
same team as Whonix, which is somewhat more well-known.
Our hardened defaults extend to the default user applications on the
system, including a daily drivable web browser.
We are currently in the process of reviewing and considering potential
candidates to be the default web browser on Kicksecure.
With good intentions, various Kicksecure contributors have suggested
shipping Mozilla Firefox as the default browser. However, some
contributors, including myself, are concerned about the modifications to
Firefox's default settings we intend to make, versus Mozilla's Trad=
emark
Policy. We have no intention of rebranding or changing the compilation
options of Firefox binaries. In fact, we prefer to keep the Mozilla
trademarked names for the products to provide our users with a sense of
familiarity.
We would acquire unaltered binaries from one of the following sources:
- Debian's official packages.debian.org repository
- Mozilla's official packages.mozilla.org repository
- Mozilla's official Firefox Flathub repository
Ideally, we would use Mozilla sources.
Here is a trademark-respecting list of things we are aware of and want
to avoid for understandable reasons:
* Not using Mozilla trademarks in the name of our business, product,
service, app, domain name, publication, or other offering.
* Not using marks, logos, company names, slogans, domain names, or
designs that are confusingly similar to Mozilla trademarks.
* Not using Mozilla trademarks in a way that incorrectly implies
affiliation with, or sponsorship, endorsement, or approval by Mozilla of
our products or services.
* Not displaying Mozilla trademarks more prominently than our product,
service, or company name.
* Not using Mozilla trademarks on merchandise for sale (e.g., selling
t-shirts, mugs, etc.)
* Not using Mozilla trademarks for any other form of commercial use
(e.g., offering technical support services), unless such use is limited
to a truthful and descriptive reference (e.g., =E2=80=9CIndependent technic=
al
support for Mozilla=E2=80=99s Firefox browser=E2=80=9D).
* Not modifying Mozilla=E2=80=99s trademarks, abbreviating them, or combini=
ng
them with any other symbols, words, or images, or incorporating them
into a tagline or slogan.
And here is a list of things that we would like to do. Our primary
intention is to have a default policy (or employ other means if more
appropriate) to do the following:
* Use unaltered binaries.
* Disable all Telemetry, Studies, Reports, and non-essential implicit
outgoing connections.
* Force install the addon "uBlock Origin" by Raymond Hill.
* Set and lock hardened SSL/TLS-related settings, including, but not
limited to, setting HTTPS-only mode as the default, blocking mixed
content, not trusting unsafe negotiations, disabling unencrypted
background requests, etc.
* Disable sponsored components, like bookmarks and suggestions.
* Set and lock strict mode for ETP.
* Change the default homepage.
* Disable the default display of the "Know Your Rights" informati=
on page.
As an illustrative point of how specifically we plan to apply these changes=
:
- Our intended changes would be made by providing a separate package
(for example, named "hardened-browser-config").
- This package would install config file(s) in folder(s) such as
/etc/firefox or /etc/firefox-esr.
- The package would be installed by default.
We are willing to elaborate on the details and consider making
modifications upon request by Mozilla.
We are not asking for any special permission that does not extend to
derivatives. As stated on the Debian issue tracker:
=C2=A0> In case of derivatives of Debian, Firefox branding can be used a=
s long
=C2=A0> as the patches applied are in the same category as described abo=
ve.
This is related to the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) (item 8):
=C2=A0> License must not be specific to Debian
=C2=A0>
=C2=A0> The rights attached to the program must not depend on the progra=
m's
being part of a Debian system. If the program is extracted from Debian
and used or distributed without Debian but otherwise within the terms of
the program's license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed=
should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction
with the Debian system.
We would like to be able to state similarly:
=C2=A0> In case of derivatives of Kicksecure, Firefox branding can be us=
ed as
long as the patches applied are in the same category as described above.
We are asking for your opinion on whether this would be in conflict with
Mozilla's Trademark Policy.
We intend to publish our correspondence for the sake of transparency.
Our communications and your responses will be publicized in full,
verbatim, without modifications.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &=
quot;trademark permissions" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an e=
mail to trademark-permissions+unsubscribe@mozilla.com.
--000000000000109e5d0612dcc396--
=== Firefox Potential Legal Risk - Workaround ===
Opinion by a non-lawyer:
If there was an opt-in package that users can choose to install, this might not violate Mozilla's trademark. This is because this solution would be similar to a user visiting the [[Dev/Default_Browser#arkenfox|arkenfox]] project website and manually installing a settings file in
/etc/firefox or
/etc/firefox-esr folder. This solution might be good enough for Kicksecure.
== LibreWolf ==
=== LibreWolf - Lack of Radio Silence as a Development Goal ===
LibreWolf inherits many of the same phone home features from Firefox. At the time of writing, LibreWolf feature request [https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues/1779 Radio Silence by Default for Browser Startup and Background Connections aka "Disable Phone Home" #1779] has not been acknowledged by LibreWolf developers as a development goal.
=== LibreWolf - IJWY (I Just Want You To Shut Up) Feature Removal ===
LibreFox, from which LibreWolf was forked, also had a IJWY (I Just Want You To Shut Up) feature.
{{quotation
|quote=This is a set of settings that aim to remove all the server links embedded in Firefox and other calling home functions in the purpose of blocking un-needed connections. The objective is zero unauthorized connection (ping/telemetry/Mozilla/Google...).
|context=LibreFox, [https://github.com/intika/Librefox/tree/master?tab=readme-ov-file#ijwy-i-just-want-you-to-shut-up IJWY (I Just Want You To Shut Up)] feature
}}
Last mention of IJWY in LibreWolf's settings file has been removed in this git diff.
git diff -C eac7585b211bf11bf60ee6548213be5c43cdff3b^ eac7585b211bf11bf60ee6548213be5c43cdff3b
In this way to huge change which would be very time-intensive to audit:
[https://codeberg.org/librewolf/settings/commit/eac7585b211bf11bf60ee6548213be5c43cdff3b#diff-a99c222015516778b4c513319f0596469737a885 eac7585b21 (diff-a99c222015516778b4c513319f0596469737a885)]
commit eac7585b211bf11bf60ee6548213be5c43cdff3b
Author: fabrizio ft.compiled@simplelogin.co
Date: Mon May 10 08:55:27 2021 +0000
Settings revamp
=== LibreWolf - Updates ===
LibreWolf lags behind Firefox a few days up to 1 week.
{{quotation
|quote=Regarding Librewolf’s slow updates, I think this issue has been very greatly exaggerated, having used it as one of my browsers for almost over 30 months, I personally do not recall it ever really being more than one week behind Firefox, usually it is only a couple working days at worst.
|context=https://github.com/Kicksecure/security-misc/issues/192#issuecomment-1910407278
}}
=== LibreWolf - Bugs ===
Bugs reported to only be reproducible in LibreWolf but not in Firefox:
* https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues/1769
Bugs maybe specific to LibreWolf only but not Firefox:
* https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues/1774
== LibreFox ==
https://github.com/intika/Librefox is dead as per https://github.com/intika/Librefox/issues/141
[[#LibreWolf|LibreWolf]] (https://librewolf-community.gitlab.io/) is active.
LibreFox had a potential legal issue with Mozilla:
* https://github.com/intika/Librefox/commit/45a4d3ce647b8c896e81ce3e5ac5ddc95ff045e0 mentions legal issues.
* Question about it: https://github.com/intika/Librefox/issues/125#issuecomment-1913347606
[https://github.com/intika intika], the developer of Librefox disappeared. The website [https://linuxhacks.org/ linuxhacks.org] is still online so one could assume that someone is still paying the bills. Still active on [https://stackexchange.com/users/3950473/intika?tab=activity StackExchange].
== Mullvad Browser ==
'''Upstream Documentation:'''
* https://mullvad.net/en/browser
* https://mullvad.net/en/browser/hard-facts
'''{{project_name_short}} user documentation:'''
*
Opt-in Installation: Users can easily opt-in to install [[Mullvad Browser]] (MB).
'''Advantages:'''
*
Anti-browser fingerprinting: Provides enhanced privacy by preventing tracking through browser fingerprint techniques.
*
Company stability: Unlikely to be deprecated, as Mullvad has been established for a significant duration.
*
VPN support: Compatible with VPNs, though does not require one by default.
*
Security features: Includes a security slider for customizable security settings.
*
Software compatibility: Supported by tb-updater and tb-starter, as noted in {{project_name_short}} user documentation.
'''Disadvantages:'''
*
Vendor branding: Features specific Mullvad branding, therefore not vendor-neutral.
**
Home page and extensions: Includes a default homepage and browser extension specific to Mullvad.
***
MULLVAD BROWSER
***
Developed in collaboration between the Tor Project and Mullvad VPN
***
Disable Mullvad DoH (encrypted DNS)
*
Purpose of browser:
**
Opinion: This is interpretation, opinion-based.
*** A)
Mullvad users: MB's primary purpose is to increase the usefulness of Mullvad's VPN service.
*** B)
Advertisement: MB serves as a distinguishing advantage over Mullvad's competitors and an advertisement for Mullvad.
*** C)
Non-Mullvad users: Enhanced privacy and security.
*
VPN confusion: Users might mistakenly believe that the VPN is active by default. This is addressed in the [[Mullvad_Browser#Mullvad_VPN|Mullvad VPN]] section of the user documentation.
*
Browser basis: Based on Firefox ESR (extended support release), not the latest stable version of Firefox.
*
DNS configuration:
**
Mullvad Browser default DNS configuration: DNS over HTTPS enabled by default, utilizing Mullvad's services.
**
Privacy implications: Not the DNS server a user or corporate might have configured (such as on the router level) will be used but Mullvad's DNS server. Therefore, Mullvad will also learn all DNS queries by the user.
**
Violation of separation of power: For example, the developers of Tor do not host Tor relays. One party is maintaining the software and other parties are maintaining the infrastructure. Similarly, it could be argued browser developers should only maintain the browser but stay neutral regarding network infrastructure.
**
DNS settings inconsistency: This leads to inconsistency with system-wide DNS settings. There would be one set of DNS settings for the system and a different set of settings for Mullvad Browser.
**
Usability: This is a violation of the principle of least astonishment (POLA).
**
Increased DNS Configuration Changes Complexity: Changes to system DNS settings by the user or Kicksecure should apply consistently across the entire system, including the browser. Using separate DNS settings in MB could complicate development of a more secure default system DNS configuration and cause the browser to use different DNS settings than the system default.
**
See also: [[DNS Security]] and the forum discussion [https://forums.whonix.org/t/use-dnscrypt-by-default-in-kicksecure-not-whonix/8117 Use DNSCrypt by default in Kicksecure? (not Whonix)].
*
Usability:
**
No stored logins: Does not save logins because Mullvad Browser does not save cookies after a browser restart. Therefore, users would have to log in repeatedly.
**
No password manager: Does not come with a password manager by default. Users would need to re-enter their passwords for pages where they intend to use logins repeatedly.
[
* Quote Mullvad: [https://mullvad.net/en/browser/hard-facts The Mullvad Browser hard facts: list of settings and modifications.]: ]No password manager (it's better to keep the password manager as a separate tool)
* Mullvad Browser issue: [https://github.com/mullvad/mullvad-browser/issues/137 MISSING: Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Logins and passwords -> Ask to save logins and passwords for websites]
'''Other:'''
*
uBlock Origin: Pre-installed but not enabled by default.
'''Packaging Mullvad Browser (MB):'''
*
Future packaging plans: Efforts to release deb/rpm packages are confirmed for this year.
**
Getting deb/rpm package for Mullvad Browser is firmly in the plans for this year.
* MB feature request: [https://github.com/mullvad/mullvad-browser/issues/201 Add rpm/deb package repositories?]
'''Related:'''
* https://forums.kicksecure.com/t/tor-project-is-resurrecting-secbrowser-as-mullvad-browser/101
'''Mullvad Browser as {{project_name_short}} Default Browser'''
*
Summary: No. This is a [[Declined|declined feature request]]. Details? See below.
*
Comparison with others: No other Linux distribution is installing Mullvad Browser by default. This implies that such a decision needs to be considered with extra care.
**
Qubes: At time of writing, there is [https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+mullvad+in%3Atitle no Mullvad Browser related feature request at the Qubes issue tracker].
*
Opinion: By {{project_name_short}} founder and developer:
**
Trademark: No trademark policy issues.
**
Not vendor neutral: Unfortunately, Mullvad Browser is not a vendor-neutral browser project as [[#Base_Browser|Base Browser]] might be.
**
Community project vs corporate project: MB is developed by a VPN company and not a community project solely focusing on maintaining an independent web browser.
**
Omnipresent VPN company advertisements: Many or even most podcasts, popular YouTube channels, and so forth contain advertisements for VPN companies. While Mullvad at the time of writing does not seem to sponsor any content creators, it is in the same category as VPN companies, which matters for reputational reasons.
**
VPN review websites: Most VPN review websites and reviews seem to be sponsored by VPN companies. This seems to be a [https://www.reddit.com/r/Windscribe/comments/18oi48c/im_starting_to_think_all_these_vpnreview_sites/ popular opinion].
**
Low Quality and Questionable Morality of VPNs generally: VPNs often come across as low-quality due to their pervasive and morally dubious advertising practices. {{whonix_wiki
|wikipage=Whonix_versus_VPNs
|text=VPNs don't make you anonymous
}} but are often advertised or perceived as anonymity tools by many users. For examples of that, please follow {{whonix_wiki
|wikipage=Whonix_versus_VPNs#Rationale
|text=this link
}} and press expand on the right side. This criticism is general and not directed at Mullvad, which does not seem to engage in such practices.
**
Implied Relationship of VPN Company Sponsoring: If any Linux distribution (such as {{project_name_short}}) would install a browser by default that contains the branding of a VPN company (such as Mullvad Browser), this might lead to users strongly suspecting that the VPN company is paying the Linux distribution for this and as a result might have inappropriate influence over the Linux distributions. This would happen irrespective of whether there actually has been an advertisement deal or not. Disclaimers would only partially help as these might often either not be noticed or regarded as incredible.
**
Reputational impact: Any reputation risk or damage is best avoided. Reputational integrity is deemed to be more foundational for the project's success than any technical advantages that any browser might provide.
**
Actual impact: While the facts (non-existence of a sponsorship deal, no influence by the VPN company on the Linux distribution) are all positive, avoidance of easily confused and negative impressions is best pursued for pragmatic reasons to avoid jeopardizing the overall success of the project.
**
Conclusion: To avoid any confusion, suspicion of having sold out, I have decided not to install any software by default that comes with branding or advertisements from any VPN companies.
== Tor Browser ==
Not an option by default in Kicksecure because it is torified, hence slow. For that use case, it would be better to use [[Whonix]]. See also [[Privacy|Privacy Goals and Non-Goals of Kicksecure]].
However, easily installable, opt-in for users of Kicksecure, see [[Tor Browser]].
== Tor Browser without Tor ==
As long as Tor Browser still says "Tor Browser" in the title bar, it will be too confusing. Same issue that {{whonix_wiki
|wikipage=SecBrowser
|text=SecBrowser
}} had. Related: [[Dev/Default_Browser#In-House_Browser_Development|In-House Browser Development]]
== Base Browser ==
Both Mullvad Browser (MB) and Tor Browser (TB) are based on Base Browser (BB). However, Base Browser only exists as a source code repository. There are no binary builds available. Base Browser presumably has neither the Mullvad Browser nor Tor Browser branding, which is good. It is not separately maintained as a standalone project by any upstream. Not suitable for the same reasons as documented in chapter [[Dev/Default_Browser#Unbranded_or_Rebranded_Browser|Unbranded or Rebranded Browser]].
Feature Request [https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/team/-/issues/28 Maintain a Standalone "Base Browser"] has been rejected.
== Unbranded or Rebranded Browser ==
Unbranded or Rebranded Browser is not a third-party project. It means that the {{project_name_short}} project would take an existing browser such as Mullvad Browser to unbrand or rebrand it.
This is not an option at this time because it is difficult and time-consuming to unbrand, for example, Mullvad Browser, and compile it. The maintenance effort is high and not justified given the current available project resources.
Mozilla Firefox feature request: [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1897432 Add an Unbranding Option in Firefox Settings]
Related:
* https://wiki.mozilla.org/Add-ons/Extension_Signing#Unbranded_Builds
* [[Dev/Default_Browser#In-House_Browser_Development|In-House Browser Development]]
https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/source/browser/branding/unofficial
== In-House Browser Development ==
Not possible with the current available project resources. See also [[Dev/About_Computer_(In)Security#Too_Much_Source_Code|Too Much Source Code]], [[Dev/About_Computer_(In)Security#Too_Much_Complexity|Too Much Complexity]] and [[Dev/Default_Browser#Difficulty_to_Create_a_Browser|Difficulty to Create a Browser]].
For example, see https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues to see the flood of complex issues that are constantly coming up.
PureOS previously maintained PureBrowser, but it got deprecated due to the too high maintenance effort.
{{quotation
|quote=
There seem to be lots projects out there to “unMozilla” Firefox (removing things like DRM, telemetry, Pocket integration, etc) but it’s getting harder to do that with every Firefox release. That’s what we were up against with PureBrowser and it unfortunately became too daunting of a task (even with tracking ESR like we were). We also wanted to release close to upstream so we had the latest security patches ASAP but again, became unfeasible for our small team.
|context=https://forums.puri.sm/t/purebrowser-removed-after-update/8635/11
}}
A Librewolf developer also confirmed that hard forking Firefox is infeasible.
{{quotation
|quote=[...]
No, we are absolutely not prepared to do that. We are a (very) small team with a rather limited amount of time (and energy) to work on LibreWolf even with it just the way it currently is. We would not even remotely be able to fork and maintain a browser fully, let alone to continually develop and improve it. Nor would we have the expertise to do so. Which would mean that if we tried to do that, we would most certainly release an insecure product, getting worse over time, which I would not ever want to be responsible for.
Sorry to disappoint on that front – but: it is what it is.
|context=Librewolf feature request: [https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues/2252 Prepared to fork Firefox?], reply by [https://codeberg.org/ohfp ohfp], Librewolf developer
}}
== Waterfox ==
https://www.waterfox.net/
Developed by BrowserWorks Ltd. https://browser.works/ A soft-fork of Firefox. First released in March 2011
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfox] and continuously maintained since then as of March 2025. Claims to not send any telemetry by default.
Several concerns listed at https://github.com/Kicksecure/security-misc/issues/192#issuecomment-2269688442 Some additional concerns and comments:
* Very little information about Waterfox is visible on the front page, aside from general claims about security and privacy. Much more info is visible in the Waterfox blog at https://www.waterfox.net/blog/
* BrowserWorks' website is very minimal. It links to Waterfox Desktop, Waterfox Android, Waterfox Search (broken), and "Oblivious Proxy" (link appears to do nothing). The primary email address given for contacting BrowserWorks is someone's personal fastmail.com email address. This raises some maintainability concerns, though Waterfox has been continuously maintained for a long time.
* Waterfox is not "part of the hyper-privacy community" according to the lead developer. They recommend the use of Tor for users with high privacy requirements. https://www.waterfox.net/blog/waterfox-has-joined-system1/#ethics-and-privacy It is focused on speed and customization, it does not appear to have security hardening as a primary goal.
* No pre-built deb package, binaries are only available as a tarball.
* Only supports x86_64, no ARM64 binaries.
* Does NOT pass the radio silence test - Wireshark shows a flurry of activity as soon as Waterfox is launched for the first time, much of which appears to be connecting to Google's CDN.
== Pale Moon ==
https://www.palemoon.org/
Several concerns listed at https://github.com/Kicksecure/security-misc/issues/192#issuecomment-2276225662. Very small development team, potentially high risk of security vulnerabilities due to low developer resources. Extreme amounts of controversy and drama within the project have led to questionable decisions with regard to browser development (https://www.palemoon.org/history.shtml, section "2021, or: how Open Source ends"), and they report on this same history page that their infrastructure has been compromised at least once (section "A (failed) reboot into the Goanna Runtime Environment").
== GNUzilla / IceCat ==
* https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/
* https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Gnuzilla
Developed by the Free Software Foundation. A Firefox ESR soft-fork. Appears to be actively maintained by a team of three developers
[From https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/: "The GNUzilla project is currently maintained by Ruben Rodriguez, Amin Bandali, and Mark H. Weaver. Please use the mailing lists for contact."] as of March 2025. Additional features include:
* Non-free JavaScript blocking
* Blocks all third-party content linked to by web pages by default, thus automatically blocking ads
* Some forms of anti-fingerprinting (such as JShelter and avoiding leaking IP addresses when using WebRTC)
* Supposedly disabled telemetry
[https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/icecat]
Cons:
* No official binaries available for any platform, must be built from source or installed via the Guix package manager
* Does not appear to have security hardening as a primary objective, though disabling non-free JS is a good step in that direction
== Trivalent ==
{{anchor|hardened-chromium}}
* https://github.com/secureblue/Trivalent
* Developed by the the secureblue project. A soft-fork of Chromium, basically applies two patch stacks on top of Fedora's packaged version of Chromium.
* Primary goal is security hardening.
* Uses patches from GrapheneOS's Vanadium project, a security-hardened Chromium soft-fork for Android. Explicitly designed to be used with hardened_malloc.
* Makes secondary browser features opt-in rather than opt-out (such as search suggestions).
* If it was available from packages.debian.org, Trivalent would be considered for being Kicksecure default browser.
* Only offers binaries for secureblue itself, unclear whether these binaries would work on even Fedora.
* Fedora-centric build process, may be difficult or very difficult to build for Debian.
== Ladybird ==
* https://ladybird.org/
* Fully independent web browser, not based on Firefox or Chromium.
* Still in early development, not generally usable and very likely has security issues in its current state of development.
* May be usable in the future, once mature and packaged for Debian. Will likely require multiple years more development before it is secure and usable.
== Customized Settings Projects ==
There are a number of projects that provide customized settings for Firefox. It is unlikely that most of these projects will be useful to Kicksecure, since they may enable settings that are potentially dangerous or disable settings that users need enabled, thus adding extra risk and support burden to the project. They are listed together here since they are not really web browsers, simply different ways of configuring existing browsers.
=== ffprofile.com ===
* https://ffprofile.com/
* https://github.com/allo-/ffprofile
Creates custom configuration profiles for Firefox, allowing one to customize a large number of settings that Firefox does not directly expose to the user. Can also provide features beyond ones included in Firefox by default via browser extensions.
* Provides a wizard-like user interface to the end user for selecting settings.
* Takes all of the input from the user, and builds it into two files,
profile.zip and
enterprise_policy.zip. The user is supposed to then unzip these files into appropriate directories to apply their selected settings to the web browser.
* Pros:
** Allows customizing a large number of privacy-related features, including disabling telemetry and features that could be used to more easily track a user.
** Relatively intuitive, wizard-like user interface, with each page similar to an application's settings dialog. Much easier to use than having to fiddle with
about:config and enterprise policy JSON manually.
** Avoids some of the problems with opinionated configuration projects such as arkenfox, Betterfox, and the like - the user gets to choose their own settings rather than living with whatever settings a random stranger decided was good for them.
* Cons:
** The profile config files are built ''on the server side'', not on the client side in the web browser itself, meaning if the project's web server is compromised, it may serve compromised zip files.
** Can bundle Firefox extensions into the zip files, further increasing the damage a web server compromise could do.
** Running locally requires setting up a local web app, which is non-trivial. You can't just download it and run it.
** The extensions appear to be stored directly on the host server, not downloaded dynamically from Mozilla. This further increases the risk of a compromised project.
** Requires the user to manually unzip the built files into the correct directories. This is arguably the best that a web app can do, however this is likely to be a very challenging step for non-technical users, and may even be slightly tricky for technical users.
** To avoid trusting the project to be fully trustworthy, the end user would have to read through the entire generated configuration, ensuring no harmful features were enabled, and no important features were disabled. Browser addons would also have to be removed from the configuration, and then manually installed by the end user directly from Mozilla.
** The applicable versions of Firefox are not spelled out on the website, thus it is unclear if all of the configuration options are actually available in Firefox ESR or if attempting to enable them would break Firefox ESR.
* Potential ideas:
** Re-implement an audited version of ffprofile as a desktop app and include in Kicksecure? The app would be able to download addons from Mozilla directly (if it offered addons as a feature), install configuration automatically, and would come from a source users of Kicksecure already trust. Configuration builds would also be done client-side, removing most of the risks inherent if a compromised server provided the configuration.
** Would require a simple "use recommended settings, please proceed" button for most users.
=== arkenfox ===
https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js
A settings file improving Firefox security and privacy.
'''Todo'''
'''Advantages:'''
* Disabled telemetry by default.
'''Issues:'''
* Phone home. Does not do anything about Firefox phone home. [https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/1807 Feature Request: Radio Silence by Default for Browser Startup and Background Connections aka "Disable Phone Home"] got instantly closed, rejected and locked for further discussion.
** https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/917 was deleted but is still available on https://web.archive.org/web/20210602135212/https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/917#issuecomment-609087428
*** Also deleted:
**** https://web.archive.org/web/20210602135212/https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/892
**** https://web.archive.org/web/20210602135212/https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/893
** Has a different viewpoint on telemetry. Quote https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/blob/4f37c32a0e219cc7deefff33b5683f546e3d8ac9/user.js
/*** [SECTION 8500]: TELEMETRY
Arkenfox does not consider Firefox telemetry to be a privacy or security concern - comments below. But
since most arkenfox users prefer it disabled for peace of mind, we'll do that rather than cause overrides.
Opt-out
- Telemetry is essential: a browser engine is a _very_ large complex beast costing billions to maintain
- Opt-in telemetry _does not_ work and results in data that is unrepresentative and may be misleading
Choice
- Every new profile on first use provides data collection/use policy and the abillty to opt-out
- It can be disabled at any time (Settings>Privacy & Security>Data Collection and Use)
Data
- no PII (Personally Identifiable Information)
- all data can be viewed in about:telemetry
- uses Prio [1][2][3], Glean [4], Oblivious HTTP [5][6]
Firefox code is open source. Mozilla is responsible with opt-out. They are transparent, and they have gone
above and beyond in terms of privacy preserving technologies. At this point, if you don't trust Firefox,
then why are you using their browser?
- not to be confused with holding them to a higher standard and checking browser changes/implementations
[1] https://crypto.stanford.edu/prio/
[2] https://hacks.mozilla.org/2018/10/testing-privacy-preserving-telemetry-with-prio/
[3] https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2019/06/06/next-steps-in-privacy-preserving-telemetry-with-prio/
[4] https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/toolkit/components/glean/index.html
[5] https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/toolkit/components/glean/user/ohttp.html
[6] https://blog.mozilla.org/en/tag/oblivious-http/
***/
'''Non-issues:'''
* https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/1795
* Telemetry. Ticket https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/issues/1660 is confusing but it's not about enabling telemetry. Only about moving it to its own section in the config file. Which is more like a textual, stylistic change.
* Using
pref( instead of
user_pref( is not an issue as per: https://github.com/Kicksecure/security-misc/pull/183#issuecomment-1895948795
That could easily be handled during the package build process with something like this:
search='pref("'
replace='user_pref("'
file_name='user.js'
str_replace "$search" "$replace" "$file_name"
The
diff would be reasonably simple.
=== deskapps-harden ===
https://github.com/monsieuremre/deskapps-harden
A settings file improving Firefox security and privacy.
'''todo:'''
* Discuss if settings locking is really necessary: https://github.com/Kicksecure/security-misc/issues/192#issuecomment-1905981518
'''Advantages:'''
* Responsive upstream.
* Founded by a Kicksecure contributor.
* Clean, small, policy, single 1 file.
'''Disadvantages:'''
* New project.
* Few users, bug reports, and feature requests yet, hence difficult to judge the merits of the project.
* No known third-party reviews yet.
* Project name might be too limiting to gain lots of non-Kicksecure users using the same, which would be an advantage to get more users (fingerprint shared by more users and hopefully more review, suggestions).
* Seems to no longer be actively maintained.
=== pyllyukko user.js ===
https://github.com/pyllyukko/user.js
no phone home feature request: https://github.com/pyllyukko/user.js/issues/509#issuecomment-1947855378
=== More ===
* https://codeberg.org/rusty-snake/firefox-config
* https://github.com/crssi/Firefox
* https://github.com/yokoffing/Betterfox
TODO: ?
= Criteria =
Primary importance for Kicksecure must be security. Anti-fingerprinting is nice but secondary. Disabled telemetry can be considered a security feature since it lowers attack surface and a privacy feature. Radio Silence (as defined in LibreWolf feature request [https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues/1779 Radio Silence by Default for Browser Startup and Background Connections aka "Disable Phone Home" #1779]) would be nice to have.
See also [[Privacy|Privacy Goals and Non-Goals of Kicksecure]].
* Settings projects: With thousands of relevant settings required to tame mainstream browser Chromium or Firefox and reports that these settings are flipped, reversed or ignored, this will probably remain mission impossible.
* Soft forks: Soft forking huge mainstream browser will most likely result in incomplete solutions. These browsers are not fork-friendly. Continuous re-base is not possible. For reasons, see [[Dev/About_Computer_(In)Security#Too_Much_Source_Code|Too Much Source Code]], [[Dev/About_Computer_(In)Security#Too_Much_Complexity|Too Much Complexity]] and [[Dev/Default_Browser#Difficulty_to_Create_a_Browser|Difficulty to Create a Browser]].
* Hard forks: Hard forking or an independent source code base is a much better option. It may however be economically infeasible for a third-party project to clean up and maintain a gigantic source code base of millions of lines of code.
* Independent browsers not based on Chromium or Firefox: This is likely the best option.
If forks: Source code of anti-features needs to be completely removed. Not just disabled. As long as the source code is still there, it's still potentially dangerous.
IP addresses and domain names: The source code of a browser shouldn't contain any IP addresses and/or domain names.
Any browser used by Kicksecure must be well-maintained, ideally by a project or entity large enough to continue reliably maintaining the browser for the foreseeable future. An abandoned default browser may be very difficult for users to reliably migrate away from, and very dangerous to continue using.
= Conclusion =
A lot of presumably more secure by default (and better privacy by default) browsers have been considered.
No suitable, well-maintained with timely security upgrades, vendor-neutral, acceptable usability browser project could be found.
= Discussions =
* [https://forums.whonix.org/t/chromium-browser-for-kicksecure-discussions-not-whonix/10388 Chromium Browser for Kicksecure Discussions (not Whonix)]
* [https://github.com/Kicksecure/security-misc/issues/192 Kicksecure Default Browser Discussion]
* https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/is-there-a-reason-firefox-needs-to-have-vulnerable-insecure-settings-in-the-templates/23566
* https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/is-firefox-really-an-appropriate-default-browser-for-qubes/26042
= Resources =
* https://www.unixsheikh.com/articles/choose-your-browser-carefully.html
** https://archive.is/lTOFc
* https://digdeeper.club/articles/browsers.xhtml
= Difficulty to Create a Browser =
{{quotation
|quote=
This is an application which can require more than 6 hours per build on a fast computer. We allocated a new build server with high specifications (Ryzen 9 3900, 128GB RAM, NMVe) and reduced the time it took to build Chromium to a little more than an hour.
|context=[https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=3978 Linux Mint]
}}
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Eq0xlVs3g
* https://blog.samuelmaddock.com/posts/google-widevine-blocked-my-browser/
* https://www.theregister.com/2019/04/03/googles_widevine_drm/
= Hard Fork versus Soft Fork =
https://codeberg.org/librewolf/issues/issues/2252
= Browser Deals =
* https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/12/mint_203_mozilla/
= Related =
* [[Chrome]]
* [[Chromium]]
* [[Dev/Chromium]]
* [[Dev/Default Browser]]
* [[Google Chrome Repository Insecurity|Google Chrome Repository Insecurity]]
* https://forums.whonix.org/t/chromium-browser-for-kicksecure-discussions-not-whonix/10388
= Footnotes =
[[Category:Design]]
{{Footer}}