Firefox Add-ons blocks access to some proxy extensions from Russia

[wkrp]

In the past few days, the Firefox Add-ons store (addons.mozilla.org) started blocking access to at least four circumvention-oriented browser extensions from Russia: "That page is not available in your region". The extensions can still be downloaded in other regions.

• The censorship circumvention extension has disappeared from the Russian version of Mozilla Addons (Mozilla Discourse, post by a developer of Censor Tracker)
• Several proxy Firefox extensions are blocked in Russia by Mozilla (NTC)

The add-ons that have been reported to be blocked are:

• Censor Tracker (GitHub, issue)
• Runet Censorship Bypass (GitHub)
• Planet VPN
• FastProxy

I am not certain, but I think it is possible to sideload an extension from a signed XPI file even if it was not downloaded from addons.mozilla.org.

[wkrp]

The pages are blocked with HTTP status code 451. Status 451 is meant to be an indication of censorship.

I found a post on fediverse saying that Firefox Add-ons has done similar geoblocking (with status 451) of uBlock Origin in China.

https://nya.one/notes/9uch0vxtiawx1c1e

The page looks a lot like if you access uBlockOrigin’s page from China. (Because of a Chinese court ruling, Mozilla is required to block uBO and other adblockers from being downloaded by Chinese internet users)

Also the HTTP status code returned is HTTP 451 (unavailable due to legal reasons). A reference to Fahrenheit 451. 🤦

[Lanius-collaris]

https://www.ghacks.net/2023/12/18/firefox-nightly-for-android-lets-you-install-add-ons-from-files/
This is a blog about installing add-ons from files, Fennec F-Droid also has the "Install add-on from file" option.

https://nya.one/notes/9uch0vxtiawx1c1e

Another thread about geoblocking of ad blocker ( created in 2022 ) :
https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/chinese-users-cant-use-ad-blocker-extensions/94823

[wkrp]

@ValdikSS posted that Mozilla made a statement to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6762195 (archive)

Разработчики Firefox назвали временной блокировку ряда VPN в России

Организация Mozilla, отвечающая за разработку браузера Firefox, прокомментировала «Ъ» решение заблокировать скачивания ряда расширений для обхода ограничений интернета в России. По словам представителя организации, решение последовало за «настойчивыми запросами» от Роскомнадзора. При этом разработчики заявили, что лишь временно ограничили доступ и думают, как поступать дальше.

«После недавних регуляторных изменений в России мы стали получать настойчивые запросы от Роскомнадзора с требованием убрать пять расширений из магазина расширений Mozilla. После тщательного рассмотрения мы временно ограничили их доступность в России. Осознавая последствия этих действий, мы внимательно рассматриваем дальнейшие шаги, беря в расчет наше местное сообщество»,— сообщили «Ъ» в Mozilla.

В числе расширений, чьи пользователи и разработчики ранее сообщили о блокировке, — Censor Tracker, «Обход блокировок Рунета», PlanetVPN и FastProxy. При попытке зайти на их страницы в каталоге расширений для Firefox из РФ отображается сообщение о недоступности страницы «в вашем регионе». Блокировка скачиваний расширения, как говорят опрошенные «Ъ» эксперты, делает невозможным их автообновление при подключении из России. В каталогах от Google и Microsoft эти расширения пока доступны.

Firefox developers called the blocking of a number of VPNs in Russia temporary

The organization Mozilla, responsible for the development of the Firefox browser, commented to Kommersant on the decision to block downloads of a number of extensions to circumvent Internet restrictions in Russia. According to a representative of the organization, the decision followed "persistent requests" from Roskomnadzor. At the same time, the developers said they had only temporarily restricted access and were thinking about how to proceed.

"Following recent regulatory changes in Russia, we began receiving persistent requests from Roskomnadzor to remove five extensions from Mozilla's extension store. After careful consideration, we have temporarily restricted their availability in Russia. Realizing the consequences of these actions, we are carefully considering further steps, taking into account our local community," Mozilla told Kommersant.

Among the extensions whose users and developers reported the blocking earlier are Censor Tracker, "Bypass Runet Blocking," PlanetVPN and FastProxy. When trying to access their pages in the catalog of extensions for Firefox from the Russian Federation, a message about the inaccessibility of the page "in your region" is displayed. Blocking extension downloads, experts interviewed by Kommersant say, makes it impossible to auto-update them when connecting from Russia. These extensions are still available in catalogs from Google and Microsoft.

The article mentions five extensions, one more than the four whose identities are known.

A day earlier, Kommersant had reported on the geoblocking itself: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6762086 (archive).

[wkrp]

Representatives of Mozilla have made a couple of statements. They say they will remove the geoblocking for these add-ons.

https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/130914/26 (archive)

As noted in the article someone linked to in this thread previously, we temporarily restricted access following a request from Roskomnadzor. Notification to the developers of the impacted extensions was not completed in a timely manner and we are reviewing our processes to ensure this does not occur in the future.

https://old.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1de7bu1/were_the_firefox_leadership_team_at_mozilla_ama/l8gbjrq/?context=1 (archive)

In alignment with our commitment to an open and accessible internet, Mozilla will reinstate previously restricted listings in Russia. Our initial decision to temporarily restrict these listings was made while we considered the regulatory environment in Russia and the potential risk to our community and staff.

As outlined in our Manifesto, Mozilla's core principles emphasize the importance of an internet that is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. Users should be free to customize and enhance their online experience through add-ons without undue restrictions.

By reinstating these add-ons, we reaffirm our dedication to:

• Openness: Promoting a free and open internet where users can shape their online experience.
• Accessibility: Ensuring that the internet remains a public resource accessible to everyone, regardless of geographical location.

We remain committed to supporting our users in Russia and worldwide and will continue to advocate for an open and accessible internet for all.

The latter statement is also in the original thread at https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/130914/38.

[wkrp]

So the extensions that were restricted in Russia were made available again. Presumably the 451 blocking continues for other regions, like the ad blockers in China. It might be an interesting research project to crawl Firefox Add-ons with HTTP HEAD requests from different countries, looking for status code 451 to see which ones are blocked, similar to what Apple Censorship does with the App Store.

[mmmray]

Now it's Apple. https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/08/apple-removes-vpn-apps-at-request-of-russian-authorities-say-app-makers/

About Mozilla: I tried to add the relevant addon pages to OONI but they're still in the review queue.