Send: Firefox experimental file sharing

[Elpibe]

Mozilla has launched a beta for a free end-to-end encrypted, timed-deletion, self-destructing file sharing platform
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Announced as part of a raft of new Test Pilot beta-test programmes - including Voice Fill and Notes, which add speech-to-text voice recognition and note-taking capabilities into the Firefox browser - Send is designed to simplify sending friends, family, or colleagues files up to 1GB in size. 'Sending files over the internet is something many of us do everyday. Mozilla makes it easy to keep your files safe,' claims Mozilla's Nick Nguyen in the launch announcement. 'With Send, your files self-destruct after download, so they can’t be accessed by anyone else. Your files are encrypted during transmission. Plus, Send encrypts files on the client side, so that not even Mozilla can read them.'

The service is designed to be as simple as possible to use: Users visit send.firefox.com from any web browser, select or drag-and-drop a file of up to 1GB in size - larger files are technically supported, but may not upload correctly - and the software automatically encrypts the file then uploads it to a Mozilla server. When the upload is completed, a private link is generated which allows the recipient to download and decrypt the file - after which it is automatically deleted from Mozilla's server. Files are also deleted if they haven't been downloaded within 24 hours of being uploaded - a clever way for Mozilla to minimise the storage space required to run the service.

While the files are encrypted and decrypted on the client side - meaning, in theory, that Mozilla has no access to their data - there is no additional security: The link will allow the first person to click it to download and decrypt the file without the need to prove identity or enter a password. With files being deleted after a single download, though, it's easy to see if someone has beaten you to the punch.
The service is live now at send.firefox.com, while Mozilla has also shared an explanatory video demonstrating its use.

 

[AlanOstaszewski]

If you could set a password for downloading a file this could be more better. I like the design

 

[Net Centric]

All I get from this thing is error messages. I guess it is not meant for the public yet.

 

[AlanOstaszewski]

All I get from this thing is error messages. I guess it is not meant for the public yet.

What errors do you have? What browser you're using?

 

[ForgottenSeer 58943]

Boy, the surveillance state is going to hate this service!

 

[Net Centric]

What errors do you have? What browser you're using?

I tried Chrome and Firefox and tried sending files to a friend and to my own various email addresses. No matter what, all I get is a web page that says, "Not Found"

I was excited about this since I am a database developer and often need to share large DB files with others and this would have been the easiest way.

 

[AlanOstaszewski]

I tried Chrome and Firefox and tried sending files to a friend and to my own various email addresses. No matter what, all I get is a web page that says, "Not Found"

I was excited about this since I am a database developer and often need to share large DB files with others and this would have been the easiest way.

Do you copy the right link?

 

[brambedkar59]

The link will allow the first person to click it to download and decrypt the file without the need to prove identity or enter a password. With files being deleted after a single download, though, it's easy to see if someone has beaten you to the punch.

So if anyone gets the link before you, not only he can download the file but he doesn't have to decrypt it too. Safer alternative would be to encrypt the files before sharing them to Dropbox/Google drive or use p2p software, and sharing password through another medium like a phone call/sms.
Still it's good to see someone working & standing for your privacy.

 

[Elpibe]

I test it with documents files and it worked (couldnt upload big files cause my upload is only 3Mb or 300kbps) The link works until someone click in download, and it is private. The download link its a bunch of random letters and numbers, so how can a 3rd person download the file if you only send the link to 1 person?