- Mozilla has reinstated previously banned Firefox add-ons in Russia that were designed to circumvent state censorship, such as a VPN and a tool to access Tor websites.
- The ban was initially imposed at the request of Russia’s internet censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, but Mozilla lifted it to support an open and accessible internet.
- Mozilla’s decision reflects its commitment to users in Russia and globally, despite the potential risks associated with the regulatory environment in Russia.
I’m more worried that this will give malicious non-state actors and, worse still, the Russian government easier access to Russian citizens seeking the ability to look behind the veil. The result of this repression will be inexperienced folks downloading an exe and quietly being logged as a dissident or innocent people finding their information compromised or hardware hijacked. Sourcing clean, difficult to track downloads of these addons and Firefox will become important in the near future.
This is what Tor exists for
Absolutely true! But tor can be more than a bit intimidating for new users. Many people hold preconceptions that may prevent them from using it, much less browsing a .onion. “Install Firefox and 4 addons” seems like a layperson’s simplest start and simplifying access to information is indescribably useful. As I said, I do not disagree.
Sadly blocked in russia
How can they block tor?!
Probably the protocol itself. Bridges exist though.