Hi,

Jonathan Marquardt (2020-01-27):

Hey! Thanks a lot for that doc. Really interesting.

:)

Given that you use uBlock Origin in Tails, am I correct that Tails users are easily identifiable as such as their browsers block ads while normal TBB installations don't?

It's true that some adversaries can distinguish Tails users from other Tor Browser users this way. For some kinds of adversaries, this may even qualify as "easy".

If so, that would be one more reason to consider to ship TBB with uBlock Origin by default,

In this case, the Tails project has consciously and explicitly decided to make our users look different, and thus distinguishable to some adversaries, both to improve web browsing experience and as a political stance. Additionally, AFAIK the Tails project did not actively try to collaboratively find a common ground with the Tor Browser developers, aiming at sharing the same configuration in this respect.

Therefore:

- I think it's fair to say that the responsibility for the possibly diminished safety of Tails users lies solely on the shoulders of the Tails project.

- IMO this decision should have very little weight in the Tor project's own decisions in this area.

The Tails and Tor projects are in a different place strategically speaking wrt. the future of web browsing. The Tor project has decided that another trade-off, expressed by Tor Browser's default settings, is best for their users. I understand the reasons behind this decision.