1212064 - Find out if storing the about:tabcrashed email value in preferences is okay

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: Settings UI, defect)

Description

[Mike Conley (:mconley) (:⚙️)]

With bug 1110511 landed, if the user chooses to send their email address along with the tab crash report, we save the email address in Prefs so that they don't need to fill it in the next time a tab crashes. This is similar behaviour with the native crash reporter UI.

We also clear that preference if the user indicates that they don't want to send their email address.

I wanted to just make sure we were on the same page with folks from the User Privacy group on this... I figure this is strictly better than making the user enter their email address every time, and also better than what we do for the native crash reporter UI (which persists the email address in a less accessible place[1]).

Is it alright that we're storing the email address in Prefs? ally, did you have an opinion?

[1]: For example, on Windows, it's stashed in the Registry, which means that it survives a profile reset / deletion.

Comment 1

[Allison Naaktgeboren :ally]

I don't think there's enough of a risk reduction to merit making you store it someplace else. 

Just to double check, we aren't sending the email address somewhere in addition to the crash reporter. right?

Vlad, what do you think?

Comment 2

[Mike Conley (:mconley) (:⚙️)]

Thanks ally.

I should also point out that in a separate bug (bug 1212065), we're considering having about:tabcrashed support Form History.

(In reply to Allison Naaktgeboren please NEEDINFO? :ally from comment #1)
> I don't think there's enough of a risk reduction to merit making you store
> it someplace else. 
> 
> Just to double check, we aren't sending the email address somewhere in
> addition to the crash reporter. right?

That's correct. We send it in the crash report, stash it in prefs, and that's it.

Comment 3

[Allison Naaktgeboren :ally]

(In reply to Mike Conley (:mconley) - Needinfo me! from comment #2)
> Thanks ally.
> 
> I should also point out that in a separate bug (bug 1212065), we're
> considering having about:tabcrashed support Form History.
> 
> (In reply to Allison Naaktgeboren please NEEDINFO? :ally from comment #1)
> > I don't think there's enough of a risk reduction to merit making you store
> > it someplace else. 
> > 
> > Just to double check, we aren't sending the email address somewhere in
> > addition to the crash reporter. right?
> 
> That's correct. We send it in the crash report, stash it in prefs, and
> that's it.

good, good.

Comment 4

[Vladan Djeric (:vladan)]

(In reply to Allison Naaktgeboren please NEEDINFO? :ally from comment #1)
> Vlad, what do you think?

I think it's fine to save the user's email address in prefs, and we already do that for Sync in loop.fxa_oauth.profile, services.ync.username, and services.sync.account.

> I should also point out that in a separate bug (bug 1212065), 
> we're considering having about:tabcrashed support Form History.

That sounds fine but you might still want to need-info someone from the Privacy team (maybe Marco Mucci or Steve Workman). Ally and I are just Data Collection peers :)

Comment 5

[:Gijs (he/him)]

Sounds like this is WFM/FIXED per feedback that this is OK?

Comment 6

[Mike Conley (:mconley) (:⚙️)]

Yeah, seeing as how we already store this for sync, I'm less worried about this. I think this is WFM.