[tbb-bugs] #18382 [Tor Browser]: Private browsing retains state

Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki blackhole at torproject.org
Sat Feb 27 20:26:42 UTC 2016


#18382: Private browsing retains state
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 Reporter:  cypherpunks  |          Owner:  tbb-team
     Type:  defect       |         Status:  reopened
 Priority:  Medium       |      Milestone:
Component:  Tor Browser  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal       |     Resolution:
 Keywords:               |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:               |         Points:
  Sponsor:               |
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Comment (by cypherpunks):

 I find no value in your feature request. There are many more
 linkability/fingerprinting vectors than history, cookies and cache. If you
 think google/nsa/etc won't be able to link you if you clear just these,
 you are wrong.

 I recommend you read Tor browser design document. It's outdated in some
 areas but should illustrate the point nicely.
 https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser/design/

 > "New identity" is a browser restart and loses all open tabs/windows.

 New Identity is not a restart. The window is closed and re-opened, but the
 browser does not restart.

 Unless you're fond of security theater I believe you should just improve
 your browsing habits and simply use New Identity (or perhaps more than one
 Tor Browser). Yeah it's a pain to lose currently open tabs, but really
 that just shows that you're not properly compartmentalizing your browsing
 into segregated identities.

 Yours is a convenience issue, not a security one, and has been raised long
 ago and eventually dismissed: #10400.
 Here's another somewhat related ticket: #17594.

 I would close this as invalid or wontfix.

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/18382#comment:6>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online


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