Mozilla just released ‘Firefox Send’, an encrypted file-transfer service which first debuted as a test pilot experiment back in August 2017. Firefox Send uses end-to-end encryption to keep shared files secure and inaccessible by third parties other than the sender and receiver.
After little under two years of trial and error, Mozilla has ironed out all the kinks to ensure the service is available for global audiences. When Mozilla began initial testing, the web-based sending tool was only capable of sharing files limited to 1GB.
Today, Firefox Send can share files up to 2.5GB in size with end-to-end encryption and a link that automatically expires to keep the shared files private. Firefox Send is an intuitive web-based service that’s free to use; all users have to do is sign-up for a free Firefox account.
Files of Mozilla users are encrypted in the Firefox browser before being stored on the cloud. While the company will have to pay for storage space and bandwidth, the files transferred in are ephemeral; meaning they will automatically get deleted as soon as the intended recipient downloads the file. Thus, ensuring Mozilla won’t have to hold large files indefinitely like Google Drive or Dropbox.
How is this different from other file-sharing services?
Most file sharing services tend to keep users’ uploaded files unencrypted or partially encrypted. This enables them to mine data for information the service could leverage to target the user with personalised ads. Mozilla’s Firefox Send is one of the few tools that can truly keep user-data private.
How does Mozilla's end-to-end encryption work?
Even services tend that encrypt user data, often do it after the file arrives on their servers, which allows the company or anyone with access to company servers to see what’s on the file. However, Firefox Send encrypts data on the user’s machine itself, allowing only the intended recipient to decrypt the file. Furthermore, automatically deleting the file after the download is finished not only helps Mozilla save space but ensures that the company use the access data from the file after it is decrypted.
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