Fenix: [Bug] ESNI disabled after upgrade to 81.1.4 on android

Created on 13 Oct 2020 · 6Comments · Source: mozilla-mobile/fenix

Steps to reproduce

goto to ensi checker on cloudflare:
https://www.cloudflare.com/ssl/encrypted-sni/
Check ESNI is working properly.
Upgrade firefox on android to 81.1.4
Check ESNI on cloudflare again.
ESNI disabled after upgrade.
Goto about:config to check - about:config not working

Expected behavior

ESNI settings to remain unchanged after upgrade/
about:config working to correct ESNI settings.

Actual behavior

ESNI disabled after upgrade.
Goto about:config to check - about:config not working

Device information

Android device: ? Official Verizon Samsung Galaxy A01
Fenix version: ? Firefox 81.1.4

🐞 bug

Source

temporalsphere

👍2

All 6 comments

about:config disabled???
Why in God's name would you ever do that?
Really??? Really???

temporalsphere on 13 Oct 2020

👎2

Yes, about:config is banned in 81.1.4. Maybe the function can be access in this way:

Root the device
Access the data folder in root folder, then find out org.mozilla.firefox👉files👉mozilla👉XXXXXXXX.default
Find out prefs.js
Modify the value of network.security.esni.enabled

KrasnayaPloshchad on 13 Oct 2020

Unfortunately in some parts of the United States you cannot root your mobile device because doing so will violate support agreements with mobile service provider. Using official versions of the mobile device from the mobile carrier allows them to troubleshoot problems when they occur and the end-user doesn't get blamed when something goes wrong.

There are millions of users who use the Firefox web browser. ESNI is a critical part of the internet and it's future. Disabling ESNI shows you have a lack of respect for the open source community and the people who work hard to ensure they privacy and safety of Human Rights Activist, etc... The blood of these people will be on your head because most don't know that ESNI gets disabled when they upgrade. Their lives depend on technology operating as advertised.

If you are going to use the Mozilla Firefox branding then you should at least adhere to the open source standards of quality that is expected from the trusted brand. Departing from the open source community standards and doing things "your way" will only cause damage to the branding and reputation of the mozilla organization.

I suggest you rename your browser to something other than Firefox to ensure no one mistakenly downloads this software thinking they are receiving the same level of quality.

I will be reporting this issue to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) who monitor for these kinds of actions. https://www.eff.org

temporalsphere on 14 Oct 2020

👎1

😵🔨

KrasnayaPloshchad on 14 Oct 2020

Fortunately, I can aceess this feature on Nightly releases, it’s possible to enable in about:config.

KrasnayaPloshchad on 14 Oct 2020

Dupe of https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1500289