Skip to content
T

team

Other resources

Process

Priorities

Strategic Goals

Priorities for 2025

Candidates:

  • KTLO including
    • Release Tails 7.0 based on Debian 13 (Trixie)
    • Upgrade Tor Browser to new ESR
    • Upgrade Thunderbird to new ESR
    • Prototype and collaborate on using Arti
  • Fix long-lasting usability issues, e.g.:
    • Wrap up leftovers of work on Persistent Storage robustness ASAP so we can focus on something else in 2025
    • Grant Tor Browser access to files as designated by the user
    • Integrated backup system for the Persistent Storage
  • Act on feedback received by email and in-app tool
  • Make the Tails development process more efficient
    • Improve test suite robustness
    • Automate more manual processes to save time and improve QA
  • Remediate vulnerabilities identified by security audit
  • Improve the security of the Tails installation process, e.g.:
    • Research alternatives to Etcher; then, if there's a good enough candidate, switch to it
    • Evaluate the effective safety of Tails images download; then, if needed, research cheap ways to improve it
  • Converge workflows and tooling towards Tor's
  • Kickstart project to collect the metrics we need in a privacy-preserving manner
  • Develop better interoperability with mobile messaging apps aka. Signal support

Past priorities

  • 2024
    • priorities were not set, beyond doing the work planned as part of S11
    • done in 2024

Roadmap

This is the big picture. For details about what's happening on the short term, see the board for the upcoming milestone.

Projects

Project 165

2024 Q4

Priorities (it's almost an ordered-list, but not really!):

  • KTLO
  • Wrap up work on Persistent Storage robustness so we can focus on something else in 2025
    • Improve handling of corrupted Persistent Storage filesystem (tails#15451 (closed))
    • Warn about the danger of unplugging the USB stick before shutting down: design, implement, release (tails#20524)
    • Report earlier errors about the partition table, partition header, and resizing: design, implement, release (tails#20531)
  • Research alternatives to Etcher and if there's a good enough candidate, switch to it (tails#20423)
  • Follow-ups on the merge: tooling, communication, website, etc.

Other ongoing OTF FOSS Sustainability Fund work:

  • Facilitate security audit (tails/summit#191)
  • Research, prototype, and collaborate with Tor on using Arti (tails#20508)
  • Remediate vulnerabilities identified by security audit
  • Make the Tails development process more efficient
  • Release management and smaller OS migrations
  • Fix long-lasting usability issues
  • Act on feedback received by email and in-app tool
  • Monthly and quarterly reports

Boards:

2025 Q1

  • Remediate vulnerabilities identified by security audit (P165)
  • Converge workflows and tooling towards Tor's
  • Recurring P165 (OTF FOSS Sustainability Fund) work
    • A.2 Prototype and collaborate on using Arti
    • B.1 Release management and smaller OS migrations
    • C.1 Fix long-lasting usability issues
    • C.2 Act on feedback received by email and in-app tool
    • D.1 Make the Tails development process more efficient (test suite)
  • Signal support? (ICANN?)

Boards:

2025 Q2

  • Upgrade to Debian 13 and release 7.0: do the bulk of the porting work (P165)
  • Help get grant proposals for 2026 ready: research, prototype, define deliverables, estimate costs, etc.
  • Converge workflows and tooling towards Tor's
  • Recurring P165 (OTF FOSS Sustainability Fund) work
    • A.2 Prototype and collaborate on using Arti
    • B.1 Release management and smaller OS migrations
    • C.1 Fix long-lasting usability issues
    • C.2 Act on feedback received by email and in-app tool
    • D.1 Make the Tails development process more efficient (test suite)
  • Signal support? (ICANN?)

2025 Q3

  • Upgrade to Debian 13 and release 7.0: get it ready (including beta/RC), update doc, process feedback, fix blockers for 7.0 stable
  • KTLO
    • Upgrade Tor Browser to new ESR (P165)
    • Upgrade Thunderbird to new ESR (P165)
  • Converge workflows and tooling towards Tor's
  • Recurring P165 (OTF FOSS Sustainability Fund) work
    • A.2 Prototype and collaborate on using Arti
    • B.1 Release management and smaller OS migrations
    • C.1 Fix long-lasting usability issues
    • C.2 Act on feedback received by email and in-app tool
    • D.1 Make the Tails development process more efficient (test suite)
  • Signal support? (ICANN?)
  • Integrated backup system for the Persistent Storage? (crowdfunding?)

2025 Q4

  • Upgrade to Debian 13 and release 7.0: release, post-release feedback & fixes (P165)
  • KTLO
    • Upgrade Tor Browser to new ESR (P165)
    • Upgrade Thunderbird to new ESR (P165)
  • Converge workflows and tooling towards Tor's
  • Recurring P165 (OTF FOSS Sustainability Fund) work
    • A.2 Prototype and collaborate on using Arti
    • B.1 Release management and smaller OS migrations
    • C.1 Fix long-lasting usability issues
    • C.2 Act on feedback received by email and in-app tool
    • D.1 Make the Tails development process more efficient (test suite)
  • Signal support? (ICANN?)
  • Integrated backup system for the Persistent Storage? (crowdfunding?)