I’ve tried manually adding uBlock to firefox via the firefox add-on store but it just downloads a file rather than adding to the browser, I was hoping to use it for reduced loading time since no adverts will be downloaded and its privacy friendly (to best of my knowledge?¿)
Thanks.
Hi @Screen
It’s not advised to include additional add-ons to Tor Browser. You can read more about the rationale for this recommendation here:
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Hi Mr ukmr.
I’m aware that adding additional add-ons isn’t recommended but at the same time TAILS ships with uBlock added by default so I assumed it wasn’t anything major, I accept if I’m wrong on that.
For clarity, Firstly Tails OS includes the uBlock Origin extension with the Tor Browser because it’s “been seriously audited” [1] for use with the Tails OS.
Secondly,
"To make it difficult to distinguish Tails users from other users of Tor Browser, Tor Browser in Tails tries to provide the same information as Tor Browser on other operating systems. [2]
A difference is that Tails includes the uBlock Origin extension, which removes advertisements. If an attacker can determine that you are not downloading the advertisements that are included in a webpage, that could reveal that you are a Tails user."
Thirdly,
- The Tor software is made by The Tor Project.
- The Tor network is run by a worldwide community of volunteers.
- Tails is a separate project made by a different group of people. [3]
Fourthly,
"Can I install other add-ons in Tor Browser?
Installing add-ons in Tor Browser might break the security built in Tails.
Add-ons can do many things within the browser, and even if all the networking goes through Tor, some add-ons might interact badly with the rest of the configuration or leak private information.
They can track and reveal information about your browsing behaviour, browsing history, or system information, either on purpose or by mistake.
They can have bugs and security vulnerabilities that can be remotely exploited by an attacker.
They can have bugs breaking the security offered by other add-ons and break your anonymity.
They can break your anonymity by making your browsing behaviour distinguishable amongst other Tails users.
Unless proven otherwise, no add-on, apart from the ones already included in Tails, have been seriously audited and should be considered safe to use in this context." [4]
This is the rationale provided in the Tails OS documentation 
[1] Tails - Frequently asked questions
[2] Tails - Browsing the web with Tor Browser
[3] Tails - Why does Tails use Tor?
[4] Tails - Frequently asked questions
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But by equal measure wouldn’t downloading the ads give away to an attacker that you aren’t using TAILS? Meaning any exploit that would be blocked in TAILS is a potentially viable? Tor Browser Android also gives a completely different user agent than any desktop variant so it already kinda has a built in reason to stand out anyway. If mobile user agent was spoofed to match Windows/Linux/OSX/TAILS then it would hide true device info and provide false leads which attackers may try to exploit rather than automatically knowing this person is definitely on Android.
There are some things you cannot hide/spoof: OS is one of them. Tails already has a unique signature regardless of detecting content blocking (uBO).
There are plans to add uBO to Tor Browser on desktop - it currently ships with Mullvad Browser, and we’re looking at hardening it’s usage against fingerprinting, linkability. For android it also makes sense but we haven’t had that specific discussion
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