[tor-bugs] #2176 [Tor bundles/installation]: Branding of TBB

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#2176: Branding of TBB
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 Reporter:  ioerror                   |          Owner:  erinn
     Type:  enhancement               |         Status:  new  
 Priority:  normal                    |      Milestone:       
Component:  Tor bundles/installation  |        Version:       
 Keywords:  Bounty                    |         Parent:       
   Points:                            |   Actualpoints:       
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Comment(by zephalis):

 Replying to [ticket:2176 ioerror]:
 > I think we should have a consistent branding of TBB across all platforms
 and releases.
 >
 > There are two major issues relating to having consistent branding:
 >
 >  1. Firefox has nice icons/branding and some users understand them to be
 The Internet.
 >  1. We may visually identify ourselves as the Tor Browser Bundle and
 thus a user may be detected as using Tor.
 >
 > Generally speaking, I think that the first issue causes us problems on a
 number of levels. The most obvious is that a user may have multiple icons
 that look like Firefox - which one provides anonymity? In some cases, we
 simply don't brand as Firefox (Linux); it's not clear how a user will be
 trained in a cross platform way from a branding standpoint. The UX issues
 here seem to largely come from users not knowing what Tor does and does
 not do for them.
 >
 > I'm a bit concerned that the second issue is a losing issue all around.
 We ship Vidalia with an icon that is obviously Tor related.
 >
 > Another issue is related to trademarks; someday, someone from somewhere
 is gonna be pissed. I think we should be ready in advance, even if it's
 with crappy icons or slightly crappy branding.


 I'm new to Tor in general and I myself was wondering about the branding of
 the browser and had the concern about the difference from a normal FF
 build chain. I wanted to make the suggestion that the browser should show
 the user at all times what the outward branding is and possibly the
 ability to actively change it on a per page basis. As for the user-side
 branding, it is vital that it exist but can be turned off. Also info on
 what IP/country/browser you appear to be from somewhere would be a help
 [imagine you accidentally appear to be in the same country you're trying
 to avoid]. This would improve the feel of the browser and make it it's own
 entity.

 Something as simple as a logo that reflects Tor and the browser itself,
 while resisting ties to the Mozilla (in case other browsers become an
 option in the bundle like Opera or Chrome. If the pages are protected (as
 in a case of a future option to change individual tabs), then a modified
 icon that would clearly notify the user that the tab is protected would be
 nice.

 I hope I'm not out of line putting this here but the Mozilla Project had
 the same issues, reflected in
 [http://www.actsofvolition.com/files/mozillabranding/ Steven Garrity's
 suggestions to the Mozilla Foundation] back before FF2.

 Branding is important for recognition but should also be maskable given
 the nature of potential uses of Tor and the TBB.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/2176#comment:34>
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The Tor Project: anonymity online