Tor activists announced the start of the FUSION project (translated as “merge”, but at the same time represents the abbreviation of Firefox USIng Onions). This is a project to integrate Tor Browser features directly into Firefox.

As you know, Tor Browser is built on the basis of Firefox ESR with a bunch of patches specific to Tor. It is not very convenient for anonymous web browser developers to spend time relocating these patches from one repository to another. Therefore, a few years ago, together with Mozilla, the Uplift project was organized, which included the automatic inclusion of Tor Browser patches into the Firefox code base. Over the past year and a half, new information security features have been simultaneously introduced into the Tor Browser and Firefox. itisolation of elements (First-Party Isolation, setting privacy.firstparty.isolatein Firefox 52+, it’s also part of the Cross-Origin Identifier Unlinkable key system that provides anonymity in the Tor Browser), anti-fingerprinting countering system , including fontprinting with installed fonts , counter -HTML5 canvas fingerprinting , the new setting privacy.resistFingerprintingin Firefox 59+, etc.

Now it’s time for the next stage: tighter integration and eventually a complete merge of Firefox and Tor Browser.

Fusion Project Goals

• Further opposition to fingerprinting . Protection against fingerprinting on fonts works successfully, but is disabled by default in Firefox because it breaks some sites. The developers set the task to make the protection more user-friendly, improve the compatibility with the sites and continue to track new fingerprinting methods. They will be blocked in Tor Browser and Firefox at the same time.
• Implementing a framework to bypass the proxy .
• Explore the best way to integrate Tor proxies into Firefox . The Tor client can be implemented as a separate process or library (this issue is currently under discussion).
• A truly private surfing mode in Firefox, which will include features for isolating elements, countering fingerprinting and Tor proxies. Currently, Tor Browser has numerous features that are not available in Firefox private mode:
  
  • security slider;
  • display of packet routing (circuit display);
  • HTTPS Everywhere, NoScript;
  • Tor Launcher;
  • connectable transport protocols;
  • various other improvements.
  
  Now Mozilla decides: perhaps after the merger of functions, it makes sense to do two modes of private surfing (one of them with Tor).

Direct integration with the Onion routing network is one of the features of the Tor Browser, which is not enough in Firefox private mode.

As long as developers do not have a clear plan, what specific Tor Browser features will be implemented in Firefox. Of course, ideally, I would like to implement everything except the latest versions of protocols (v3 onion services, etc.).

Representatives of the Tor project understand that in case of full integration of onion routing into Firefox, scalability problems will arise. Simply put, the load on the Onion network will increase dramatically. It is not entirely clear how to solve this problem. Perhaps the rich corporation Mozilla Corp. will provide financial assistance and support for Tor Riley. It's potentially hundreds of millionsnew users on the Tor daily.

One of the implications of the merger of Tor and Firefox will be the standardization of the Tor client protocol specifications and the release of public documentation. This is useful for everyone: the more people learn the specifications, the more potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses will be fixed. Mozilla is about to prepare tests for protocol compliance with specifications.

So far, the Fusion project has the status of an experiment. Before merging the code, it is extremely important to make sure that everything works well and does not harm usability - and also to convince everyone of the security of sending Tor code to Firefox. Project Manager "Merge" Ethan Tseng (Ethan Tseng) assuresthat now the Fusion project is supported at the level of the director and technical director of the Mozilla Corporation. They believe that in this way they can get functionality in the browser that competitors do not have.

The ultimate goal of this project is to make the Tor Browser obsolete, and then the community can focus on research, rather than on supporting Firefox fork.



The merger of Tor and Mozilla is quite logical, because the projects have the same key values. The fourth principle of the Mozilla Manifesto :

"The security and privacy of Internet users is fundamental and cannot be considered optional."

The main mission of the Tor project:

“Promote human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free and open technologies of anonymity and confidentiality.”

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