Allow Tails to customize about:tor
💡 Proposal
We plan to switch the homepage of Tor Browser in Tails from the current one to about:tor. Our goal is to do that in the mid-October release, in time for the YEC 2025 start, so that Tails users are exposed to the that fundraising campaign like every other Tor Browser user. For context and details, see https://gitlab.tails.boum.org/tails/tails/-/issues/21222.
For this to be a smooth transition, we need to customize about:tor a little when Tor Browser runs inside Tails, so that it keeps solving some of the problems that our current setup takes care of. For example:
- Add "sign up for Tails news", in addition to "sign up for Tor news"
- Adjust the "Your connection is not managed by Tor Browser" message
- Link to Tails release notes, like Signal's "what's new in this update"
- Make space for more "dynamic" contents (still baked into the browser build, potentially time-gated), e.g. a Tails specific survey, or special instructions to upgrade in case we break the automated process.
We're tracking the about:tor customization work on https://gitlab.tails.boum.org/tails/tails/-/issues/21224.
Implementation wise, my idea so far is that we would set a boolean pref in Tails (e.g. torbrowser.running_in_tails), which would toggle a CSS class, that @sajolida can use to adjust the contents in aboutTor.html, aboutTor.css, and tor-browser.ftl, with no or minimal changes to aboutTor.js. I have a working PoC locally, MR will follow.
Presumably we'll need a second pref for the link to the Tails release notes, and we'll update that link in every Tails release.
User Story
On startup, Tails users are exposed both to the same generic Tor info that's displayed to every Tor Browser other, and to Tails specific info crafted by the UX Team and Tails Team.
Security and Privacy Implications
This should not have any such impact.
Security
No implications that I can think of.
Privacy
Assuming the value of a pref is not a fingerprinting vector, we should be good.
Accessibility Implications
Same as the default about:tor.