Mozilla has publicly launched Firefox Send , the file-sharing service that has been in trial for some time. It allows you to send files in a simple file through the sharing of a link and only through the web browser, setting certain access conditions such as the time period in which the file will remain available, or the number of downloads completed before the file is deleted from the servers.
There are also other limits: users will be able to share files up to 2.5 GB in size . This is an extension compared to when, in August 2017, the service was launched in the Test Pilot phase, when the limit was only 1 GB. The restriction is imposed even if access to the service is requested with your Firefox account. The user who shares the file has full freedom on restrictions: for example, he can choose how many times the file can be downloaded from a list between 1, 2, 3, 4, 20, 50, 100 times , or he can set a time limit before deletion from servers ( 7 days, 1 day, 1 hour, 5 minutes ).
There are several services to send files, however Firefox Send wants to offer an extremely vertical solution that allows you to perform that functionality only and exclusively. The service wants to counteract the sending of files via e-mail, given that the servers often apply exaggerated limits as regards the size of the files, or want to act as an alternative (for the sole function of sending files) to cloud storage services , like Google Drive and Dropbox, which offer many different features and features that are not strictly necessary when you have the only need to send something to a friend, family member, or even a work colleague.
Mozilla has announced the service through a note which enhances the privacy and security features implemented. Not many details have been revealed regarding the fact that the exchange takes place with end-to-end cryptographic protection and that a password can be set. During the testing phase Dan Goodin also wrote that "the service uses the AES-GCM-128 algorithm for encrypting and authenticating data on the computer of the sender, before uploading it to the Mozilla servers. It also uses the Web Cryptography API programming interface " , which is supported by the W3C.
It must be said that Goodin himself pointed out that Firefox Send was not designed to share extremely sensitive files, even though the files are deleted by the server once the time set by the user has expired or the number of downloads has expired. Anyone wishing to try Firefox Send can do so simply by visiting the send.firefox.com site : the service works on any modern and updated web browser, not only on Firefox, and an app for Android should be launched by the end of the week.