Author: arma Date: 2013-08-11 22:25:09 +0000 (Sun, 11 Aug 2013) New Revision: 26299

Modified: website/trunk/docs/en/faq.wml Log: try a new answer to the javascript question

Modified: website/trunk/docs/en/faq.wml =================================================================== --- website/trunk/docs/en/faq.wml 2013-08-11 22:04:21 UTC (rev 26298) +++ website/trunk/docs/en/faq.wml 2013-08-11 22:25:09 UTC (rev 26299) @@ -66,8 +66,6 @@ <li><a href="#TBBJavaScriptEnabled">Why is NoScript configured to allow JavaScript by default in the Tor Browser Bundle? Isn't that unsafe?</a></li> - <li><a href="#TBBCanIBlockJS">I'm an expert! (No, really!) Can I -configure NoScript to block JavaScript by default?</a></li> <li><a href="#TBBOtherBrowser">I want to use Chrome/IE/Opera/etc with Tor.</a></li> <li><a href="#TBBCloseBrowser">I want to leave Tor Browser Bundle @@ -1038,6 +1036,7 @@ <hr>

<a id="TBBJavaScriptEnabled"></a> +<a id="TBBCanIBlockJS"></a> <h3><a class="anchor" href="#TBBJavaScriptEnabled">Why is NoScript configured to allow JavaScript by default in the Tor Browser Bundle? Isn't that unsafe?</a></h3> @@ -1051,26 +1050,35 @@ JavaScript might make a website work). </p>

-<hr> +<p> +There's a tradeoff here. On the one hand, we should leave +JavaScript enabled by default so websites work the way +users expect. On the other hand, we should disable JavaScript +by default to better protect against browser vulnerabilities (<a +href="https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tor-security-advisory-old-tor-browser-bundl... +just a theoretical concern!</a>). But there's a third issue: websites +can easily determine whether you have allowed JavaScript for them, +and if you disable JavaScript by default but then allow a few websites +to run scripts (the way most people use NoScript), then your choice of +whitelisted websites acts as a sort of cookie that makes you recognizable +(and distinguishable), thus harming your anonymity. +</p>

-<a id="TBBCanIBlockJS"></a> -<h3><a class="anchor" href="#CanIBlockJS">I'm an expert! (No, really!) -Can I configure NoScript to block JavaScript by default?</a></h3> - <p> -You can configure your copies of Tor Browser Bundle however you want -to. However, we recommend that even users who know how to use -NoScript leave JavaScript enabled if possible, because a website or -exit node can easily distinguish users who disable JavaScript from -users who use Tor Browser bundle with its default settings (thus -users who disable JavaScript are less anonymous). +Ultimately, we want the default Tor bundles to use +a combination of firewalls (like the iptables rules +in <a href="https://tails.boum.org/">Tails</a>) and <a +href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/7680%22%3Esandboxes</a> +to make JavaScript not so scary. In +the shorter term, TBB 3.0 will hopefully <a +href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/9387%22%3Eallow users +to choose their JavaScript settings more easily</a> &mdash; but the +partitioning concern will remain. </p>

<p> -Disabling JavaScript by default, then allowing a few websites to run -scripts, is especially bad for your anonymity: the set of websites -which you allow to run scripts is very likely to <em>uniquely</em> -identify your browser. +Until we get there, feel free to leave JavaScript on or off depending +on your security, anonymity, and usability priorities. </p>

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