[tor-bugs] #7721 [Flashproxy]: flashproxy browser add-on

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#7721: flashproxy browser add-on
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 Reporter:  proper      |          Owner:  dcf
     Type:  task        |         Status:  new
 Priority:  minor       |      Milestone:     
Component:  Flashproxy  |        Version:     
 Keywords:              |         Parent:     
   Points:              |   Actualpoints:     
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Changes (by dcf):

  * priority:  normal => minor
  * parent:  #7166 =>


Comment:

 I guess I can see the appeal of this idea, but: if you abandon the idea of
 "visit a web page to become a proxy," and go for "install this software to
 become a proxy," why not just run a standalone proxy program? Why tie it
 to the browser?

 Some advantages of a browser plugin:
  * Perhaps easier to install and keep updated than other types of
 programs.
  * Porting is easier because we can stay with JavaScript and WebSocket
 easily.
 Disadvantages:
  * I suppose a browser plugin only runs when the browser is open? So
 wouldn't an always-on system daemon be better?
  * In most cases (i.e., not-#6284) we are still limited to using
 WebSocket, which has fingerprinting disadvantages.
  * Browsers are complicated and full of security bugs.

 I think I understand the desire behind this ticket. People want to
 contribute to proxy capacity, but can't run their own bridge because of
 NAT or other concerns. Are there compelling advantages to making this a
 part of the browser that overwhelm the limitations? Remember that parts of
 the flash proxy architecture like the facilitator are not there because we
 like them, they are there because we couldn't think of a better way to do
 things given browser limitations.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/7721#comment:2>
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