Mozilla’s encrypted file-sharing service, Firefox Send, is now out of beta

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Mozilla is all about your privacy and now its newest privacy tool, Firefox Send, is out of beta. The tool lets you send encrypted files to whoever you want, via the download link it generates. You can set the download link to automatically stop working after a set time, or after a set number of people have downloaded it.  You can also password-protect the link, further ensuring that your precious files will get to the right hands only.

While there’s no end of ways to share files over the internet nowadays, they all come with tradeoffs. Most cloud drive providers only have permissions settings for who can download, not for how many times the file can be downloaded, or the length of time the link will be active for. This ephemeral transfer might have been popularized by Snapchat, but it’s just good operational security (opsec).

Controlling download limits via time or number of downloads limits the exposure of the download. It doesn’t stop the person who downloaded it making copies though, then again there aren’t many things that can limit a digital file being copied.

Image: Mozilla

Adding to your security is the fact that you can send files up to 1GB in size without having to log in to any services. You can also sign up for a free Firefox account, which will then let you send files up to 2.5GB in size once you log in. Firefox Send is usable from the web portal currently, with Mozilla launching a beta app for Android later this week.

Corporations have long used one-time download links to send us private information, isn’t it about time we could do the same? Imagine the next time you have to send financial documents to an apartment complex’s leasing office, or to a bank manager for a loan or mortgage. Being able to put a self-destruct on the files instead of them living forever in somebody’s email inbox is fantastic.

What do you think? Plan on using the service? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.