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Firefox Send Lets You Share 1GB Files With No Strings Attached (cnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the interesting-services dept.

In 2017, Mozilla experimented with a service that let you transfer 1GB files by sharing a web address with the recipient. Firefox Send is now out of testing and boasts a magnified 2.5GB file-size limit if you log into your Firefox account. From a report: Firefox Send is handy for those moments when you need to share video, audio or photo files that can be too big to squeeze into an email attachment. [...] Firefox Send, which will also be available as an Android app, illustrates one of Mozilla's efforts to diversify beyond the Firefox browser. Mozilla touts Firefox Send as focusing on privacy and uses encryption to protect files. Firefox Send files are available for up to seven days and can be password-protected. You can also limit the number of times they're downloaded.

50 comments

  1. I see a string by DarkRookie2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Requires and account to use. That is a string.

    --
    http://progressquest.com/spoltog.php?name=Son+Of+Son+Of+DarkRookie
    1. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Below 1GB it does not. So the title would be correct, no?

    2. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you can share an unlimited amount of data if you do not register an account but only 2.5Gb if you do? That sounds strange.

    3. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FF Send is pretty good, except it sucks.
      It times out on anything over a few hundred megs and the resume fails more often than not. I look forward to not using this.

    4. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds good but does it allow for -
          Binary files?
          Executable files?
          Pre-encrypted files?
          -----
          And since we live in a totalitarian state ...
          How does it prevent sharing porn and material under copyright?
         

    5. Re:I see a string by EvilSS · · Score: 2

      So you can share an unlimited amount of data if you do not register an account but only 2.5Gb if you do? That sounds strange.

      It's a single file limit, not an account limit.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    6. Re:I see a string by infolation · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's also a single download and single day limit.

      The send.firefox.com site defaults to one download for one day. Attempting to change to more than one download, or more than one day, triggers an account login page. Also you have to be careful not to visit the link in any way, as this wipes the download and your recipient will receive a 'link expired' page.

      So, long story short, wetransfer is more useful at moment.

    7. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds good but does it allow for - Binary files? Executable files? Pre-encrypted files?

      Chances are it's going to support those file types, since that's likely one of the main drivers behind this entire feature. (1GB files are not usually MS Word docs.)

      And since we live in a totalitarian state ... How does it prevent sharing porn and material under copyright?

      Silly question. How does their browser product prevent this? Simple answer, it doesn't.

      Once you start laying the burden of controlling content on companies like Mozilla or ISPs, the end result is censorship. Fuck that shit.

    8. Re:I see a string by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Either these are typos, or it's just too damn insightful the masses to understand.

    9. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it certainly isnt an intiger!

    10. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck, they fucked up by changing to only allowing 1 download without registering. I've been using it a lot, but now i have to start looking elsewhere.

    11. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having to use FaggotFucks itself is a string too. Totally gay.

    12. Re:I see a string by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Open source does not fail. I can share unlimited amounts of gigabytes. You see, open source provides me with a web server that I run myself. So anyone I share with, just get an URL pointing to my IP address.

      Who needs a bloody third party to share stuff? What is this sickness that makes people think they need "a service" to share files? Just share them! Running your own webserver isn't hard, if all you 'serve' is a handful of files being shared. No fancy dynamic stuff, no db, no scripting, no high-availability failover remedies.

    13. Re:I see a string by supremebob · · Score: 1

      I'm amazed that it doesn't require a login to share anything at all.

      You know that people are going to abuse this service to share illegal porn and copyrighted materials until they plug this hole.

      Hell... they'll probably still do it even after it requires a login, but at least Mozilla can say that they tried to collect names and e-mail addresses along with IP address info to help the authorities track down the lawbreakers.

  2. Give us your metadata by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Uncle sam wants to know, and Moz wants to know for marketing.

    Fuck. Right. Off.

  3. Fuckin millenials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SFTP does this too

    1. Re:Fuckin millenials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for the link. NOT

    2. Re:Fuckin millenials by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      We have been transferring files from computer to computer over the Internet for over a generations, However there always seems to a problem of people not having the tools to do this.
      I will first blame Microsoft. For not implementing and embedding the SSH protocol (including SFTP) This created a lot of people unfamiliar to the Unix world to recreate their own Secure File Transfer system.

      Secondly Firewalls and TCP/IP protocol means there needs to be a Client Server relationship. We really need a client to client file transfer method,

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:Fuckin millenials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      So you wanted a link to the SFTP protocol? Kind of strange on this site, but oh, well. Here you go.

    4. Re:Fuckin millenials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SSH is for running stuff remotely, right?
      Microsoft never wanted to let you use a PC remotely, or made sure to cripple the feature (remote desktop/remote assistance feature in Windows XP) when they had a multiuser OS as mainstream for everyone. This was a threat to one Windows installation per seat. By the time you could have a Pentium D or Core 2 Quad Q6600 and 8G RAM, imagine if Windows XP for x86-64 was unrestricted multiuser like Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Services. This should be powerful enough for 5 to 10 users running crappy old PCs (on win9x/2K/XP or linux etc. or old Macs) as thin clients.

      Even if it just gave a cmd.exe command line this would be a loop hole and people might have hacked on it.
      I still found an ssh server for Windows and use that a bit for SFTP! I think it was brittle in some way. Other way around was some recreation of SSHFS.

      Secondly Firewalls and TCP/IP protocol means there needs to be a Client Server relationship. We really need a client to client file transfer method,

      In those days you could use IRC or MSN Messenger :)
      You still can do about the same I think but so many IM is done on mobile or "social media" i.e. f***book instead... I'm not sure that people even know that IM on desktop clients exists anymore. Easier to visit a friend with a USB drive than talk them up about doing some IRC or XMPP or god knows what IM.

    5. Re:Fuckin millenials by tepples · · Score: 1

      How well does SFTP work if both the machine sending the file and the machine receiving the file are behind NAT?

    6. Re:Fuckin millenials by pnutjam · · Score: 1

      client to client?
      netcat called

      --
      Cheap storage VM.
    7. Re:Fuckin millenials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perfectly fine ...

  4. Thunderbird integration? by macraig · · Score: 2

    Does it integrate with Thunderbird to rejuvenate its now useless Link feature? Remember that other development project of yours, Mozilla? You know, the one you very nearly dumped in the garbage but then merely stuffed in the back of the closet instead?

  5. Privacy privacy privacy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Share your data with us.

    Captcha: cities

    1. Re:Privacy privacy privacy by CommanderRyalis · · Score: 1

      Yeah, why does everyone suddenly need my phone number to sign up for things? Fuck those guys

  6. ObXKCD: by cjellibebi · · Score: 5, Funny

    https://xkcd.com/949/

  7. Firefox integrates Pastebin by Virtucon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nothing to see here, I still love Firefox but this is more of an add-on than a feature. I also can't see most enterprises being happy with it either.

    --
    Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
  8. Where is the file actually stored? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This web address, does it by any chance have NSA.gov in it?

  9. self-host by SumDog · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is the whole thing open source and can you self host it?

    1. Re:self-host by slack_justyb · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yes, this is the server end code. You can find the clients here.

    2. Re:self-host by tepples · · Score: 1

      How can a third party verify that the server is in fact running that code?

    3. Re:self-host by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Blockchain! And AI!

    4. Re:self-host by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Is the whole thing open source and can you self host it?

      The problem with self hosting something like this has never been the availability of source code. There's many open source projects that let you do simple things right up to becoming your full one man cloud provider.

      Now do you have a static IP / dns system in place along with a fast always on, always connected server to make that useful? If so, why not go all out and run something like Owncloud or Seafile?

  10. Why would it not??? by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Binary files?

    Pretty sure, since it is running on a computer, it will handle binary files since even text files are binary files...

    Unless you were wondering about your custom Trinary files that used 0, 1, and the Prince symbol to represent data.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Why would it not??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Definition of "Binary Files"

      Now return to studying for your next "cert".

    2. Re:Why would it not??? by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

      Now return to studying for your next "cert".

      And how would one write a text file to a disc that only stores ones and zeros?

      HMMMMMM

      Pretty telling you weren't even smart enough to link to a single source, all you could manage was a Duck Duck Go search. But then you AC's were always a few monkeys short of a barrel.

      I'll let you have the last word so you can gibber on about how files composed of ones and zeros are not binary.

      P.S. I don't have any "certs" because I actually know how to do things, instead of needing a paper that claims I can.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  11. reinvented megaupload? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    this new thing couldn't possibly be used for file sharing, could it? you know, a fake account creating links to be shared on a 4chan-like bulletin board web site? how can mozilla control this new thing being used for gray or black forum file sharing?

    1. Re:reinvented megaupload? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this new thing being used for gray or black forum file sharing

      It's called warez. There's nothing gray or black about it. It's been there since the beginning of the Internet.

      Why join the navy if you can be a pirate? -- Steve Jobs.

  12. Hooray! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yet another thing I'll need to disable in about:config. Man, this pile is getting big.

    I wonder if it'll work over Tor Browser... it might be worth keeping around for that, but otherwise, no freakin' way.

    1. Re:Hooray! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not a browser feature it seems. It consists in visiting send.firefox.com

      https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-use-firefox-send-for-secure-file-sharing/

      Remember firefox Hello? This one had its own button in the browser but pretty much just generated a web link you'd then share with someone. You both visit that same link and this sets up a WebRTC camera/microphone chat. It didn't support keyboard chat at first so not very useful for luddite users on ATX towers without camera or microphone. They added keyboard and perhaps some feature later but then decided to remove "Hello" from the browser.
      I bet it was not used much and was a liability of sorts (potential security issue or might be used by scammers) but also the tiny website used was a third party one!

      So, Firefox Send is a similar but simpler idea (send one file) and doesn't even seem to be a browser feature at all.

  13. Put into your web server's public space. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Problem solved.

    Hey, FF! Stop infantilizing your users. Otherwise you'll lose all of 'em to Apple & Fakebook.

  14. As a cat I hate this! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Meow!

  15. Or just use PHP Cool File Transfer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A little project that lets you transfer files of any size between two devices: https://github.com/cubiclesoft/php-cool-file-transfer/

    Works great on our Intranet. We have obnoxious spam filters so that tool gets around them and allows for direct file transfers between two employees instead of sneakernetting cluttered USB thumbdrives around the office or wasting storage space on network shares. Plus it can handle the occasional file transfer where the data is larger than most thumbdrives (multi-TB transfers are not a problem).

  16. All your files are belong to us by steamraven · · Score: 1

    According to their Terms of Service:

    By uploading content, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use your content in connection with the provision of the Services

    1. Re:All your files are belong to us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In other words, you give them permission to serve the file to the person you're sending it to. No-brainer, really.

    2. Re:All your files are belong to us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dumbass alert.

      "with the provision of the Services"
      Note they don't say they are free to sell your shit. They say they need a license to serve the files you gave them which they do. By uploading the file you grant them the permission to send it to anyone with the link.
      Moron.

  17. Lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have "high speed internet" from AT&T. It takes about 3 hours to send 1GB at my 768k upstream rate.

  18. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You mean I can only attach numbers?