{{Header}}
{{Title|
title=sdwdate: Secure Distributed Web Date
}}
{{#seo:
|description=sdwdate - Secure Distributed Web Date - in {{project_name_long}}
|image=Sunset-1331088640.jpg
}}
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[[File:sdwdate2.png|[[sdwdate-gui]] Control Panel|thumb]]
{{intro|
sdwdate - Secure Distributed Web Date - in {{project_name_short}}
}}
__TOC__
= sdwdate Documentation =
{{Upstream_wiki}}

= {{project_name_short}} specific =

{{project_name_short}} sets the configuration option <code>RANDOMIZE_TIME=true</code> through the package [https://github.com/Whonix/anon-apps-config anon-apps-config] in the file [https://github.com/Whonix/anon-apps-config/blob/master/etc/sdwdate.d/40_anon-apps-config.conf <code>/etc/sdwdate.d/40_anon-apps-config.conf</code>] with the line <code>RANDOMIZE_TIME=true</code>.

Prerequisite knowledge: [[Timezone]]

= Do sdwdate issues impact anonymity? =

sdwdate failing doesn't mean deanonymization.

Even if sdwdate does not work, there is still [[Boot Clock Randomization]].

To put it into perspective, Tor Browser Bundle on the host operating system (unrelated to {{project_name_short}}) has neither sdwdate nor Boot Clock Randomization.

This is similar to asking, "How secure is {{project_name_short}}?" See: [[Dev/Technical_Introduction#Security_Overview|Security Overview]] and [[Whonix_against_Real_Attacks|{{project_name_short}} Protection against Real World Attacks]].

[[sdwdate-gui]] makes Tor issues more visible due to its graphical indication and easily accessible logs. It would be an [[Warning#Unsubstantiated_Conclusions|unsubstantiated conclusion]] to deduce that sdwdate is the cause of Tor issues.

The timing of sdwdate issues matters. If sdwdate fails:

* '''A)''' during its first run after boot, then that's worse than  
* '''B)''' sdwdate failing during any subsequent runs.

In case of A), the user would only be protected by {{kicksecure_wiki
|wikipage=Boot_Clock_Randomization
|text=Boot Clock Randomization
}}.

In case of B), it is less of an issue because it is only for timekeeping in long-running VMs. For example, if sdwdate succeeded after boot but then only succeeded once per day in long-running VMs, that might still be good enough.

Planned sdwdate-gui enhancements include:

* Only showing sdwdate failure if sdwdate failed after boot and multiple times in long-running VMs.
* Making Tor log output ([[Tor#anon-log|<code>anon-log</code>]]) more accessible. This might help redirect the often misplaced attention from sdwdate to Tor.

= See Also =
* [[sdwdate-gui]]
* [[Timezone]]
* [[Network Time Synchronization]]

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[[Category:Documentation]]