FEATURE REQUEST: Letterboxing in Brave Browser

Brave Feature Requests Desktop Requests
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1

We, the users, request the addition of Letterboxing to Brave Browser, similar to the implementation in LibreWolf. Letterboxing is a technique that adds margins to a browser window so that the window is as close as possible to the desired window size while keeping the actual size hidden.

Here are some reasons why this feature would be beneficial for MOST Brave users:

  1. Improved Privacy: Letterboxing helps prevent fingerprinting by making it more difficult for websites to determine the exact browser window size. By adding gray bars around the web view, letterboxing hides the precise dimensions of the browser, making the window size more common and placing users into a larger group of people with similar-sized browsers.

  2. Better Security: By implementing this feature, users can spoof important device info that could be used against them by malicious actors.

  3. Reduced Uniqueness: Users’ browser window sizes become more standardized, such as 1200px x 900px, instead of exposing unique dimensions like 1231px by 895px. This standardization makes it harder for websites to distinguish individual users based on their specific browser dimensions, thus reducing their uniqueness.

Adding Letterboxing to Brave Browser would be a valuable addition to the browser’s privacy and security features. Thank you for considering this request.

2

I think this goes against Brave’s approach to privacy.

Tor browser provides privacy by making all of its users similar (i.e. the users aren’t meaningfully unique from each other). Brave provides privacy by making ALL of its users unique.

That is, Tor browser makes every user’s fingerprint the same. Brave browser makes every user’s fingerprint different and unique in each session (i.e. unique fingerprint is made for each session). (I’m not an expert in browser security and fingerprinting. So correct me if I’m wrong.)

Letterboxing goes well with Tor browser’s approach in making all users similar. But it’d go against Brave browser’s approach in making all users different.

4

Screen size is a “solid” thing and it will stay the same unless you are not in full screen.

To identify users they usually have just an probabilistic indication if this is the “same” user as “X”.
More solid data you offer, more confident they are you are “X”.

Security and anonymity on the web are not simple switch, they are many factors working all together to limit th knowledge of the “attacker”. (important to note that only one mistake can run them all)

I would like to see this feature implemented into Brave.
I don’t think this is going against the way Brave works. It would be something on top of it.