would it be possible to incorporate a VPN within Firefox and not as an addon, would that improve privacey and speed?
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Solution choisie
Maybe, but I don't anticipate a VPN being built-in because it would make Firefox dependent on outside service providers which has not always had a happy ending for Mozilla.
Regarding privacy, consider what a VPN does.
Normally, your requests to websites are transmitted by your browser to your operating system, to your home router (e.g., cable modem), to your internet service provider, and then through various intermediary routers to the destination server, which returns the response through the same path.
- For HTTP addresses, the various devices handing off your request and the response can see everything. If there is tracking at the Windows level, or in your router, or by your ISP, you have no secrets from them.
- For HTTPs addresses, Firefox encrypts the request and the server encrypts the response, so the various devices handing off your request and the response can only understand the source IP address and destination server name, and not the specific URL or the content.
When you add a VPN, there are a couple of additional steps: your requests to websites are transmitted by your browser to the VPN software first, then to your operating system, your home router, your ISP, then to the VPN service provider, and then through various intermediary routers to the destination server, which returns the response through the same path.
- For HTTP addresses, your request and response are encrypted between the VPN software and the VPN service provider, so any tracking at the OS level, in your home router, or by your ISP has zero effectiveness because all your request and responses are with the VPN service provider instead of the actual site.
- For HTTPS addresses, the diversion hides the sites you visit because the various devices handing off your request and the response only know you are communicating with the VPN service provider. HTTPS also protects your privacy from the VPN service provider because it can't see the content of your communications with HTTPS pages.
You can appreciate that you are placing a lot of trust in the VPN service provider in this arrangement. They now are the ones who know the most about your browsing.
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Solution choisie
Maybe, but I don't anticipate a VPN being built-in because it would make Firefox dependent on outside service providers which has not always had a happy ending for Mozilla.
Regarding privacy, consider what a VPN does.
Normally, your requests to websites are transmitted by your browser to your operating system, to your home router (e.g., cable modem), to your internet service provider, and then through various intermediary routers to the destination server, which returns the response through the same path.
- For HTTP addresses, the various devices handing off your request and the response can see everything. If there is tracking at the Windows level, or in your router, or by your ISP, you have no secrets from them.
- For HTTPs addresses, Firefox encrypts the request and the server encrypts the response, so the various devices handing off your request and the response can only understand the source IP address and destination server name, and not the specific URL or the content.
When you add a VPN, there are a couple of additional steps: your requests to websites are transmitted by your browser to the VPN software first, then to your operating system, your home router, your ISP, then to the VPN service provider, and then through various intermediary routers to the destination server, which returns the response through the same path.
- For HTTP addresses, your request and response are encrypted between the VPN software and the VPN service provider, so any tracking at the OS level, in your home router, or by your ISP has zero effectiveness because all your request and responses are with the VPN service provider instead of the actual site.
- For HTTPS addresses, the diversion hides the sites you visit because the various devices handing off your request and the response only know you are communicating with the VPN service provider. HTTPS also protects your privacy from the VPN service provider because it can't see the content of your communications with HTTPS pages.
You can appreciate that you are placing a lot of trust in the VPN service provider in this arrangement. They now are the ones who know the most about your browsing.