latest
How to install the Tor Browser on a Chromebook
Go open source with your Chromebook and keep things secure
Suppose you are a seasoned connoisseur of exemplary open source apps. In that case, you've likely heard of the Tor project, a free browser that champions complete freedom and anonymity in its user's online exploits. The Tor browser can be downloaded onto PC and macOS devices, and Android's best budget phones enjoy premier access to this service via one of the best apps around. However, things get a little complicated when the latest Chromebooks get involved, as the Tor project doesn't currently have a direct download link for them.
Tor Browser for Android now based on updated Firefox app
The new version has been in development since April
Tor Browser is a web browser that routes all your network requests through the encrypted Tor network, intended to provide complete anonymity. Browsing the web with Tor used to require the Orbot and Orfox apps, until they were combined into the single Tor Browser last year. Tor Browser has now received a significant update, switching to the codebase used by the new Firefox for Android.
Connecting to the anonymous Tor network on Android used to require two apps: Orbot, for the actual Tor connection, and Orfox, to browse Tor-specific sites. The developers launched a new browser last year that contained both components, and with that browser now completed, Orfox is being discontinued.
Last year, the Tor Project began working on a new browser for Android. Of course, it was possible to connect to Tor on Android with Orbot/Orfox, but the Tor Browser is a fully integrated package. Now, you can try the first stable release (v8.5) of the Tor Browser on Android.
Firefox faced a major cybersecurity-related outage this weekend that caused all browser add-ons, themes, search engines, and language packs to be disabled, which left many Tor users potentially exposed to tracking. However, Mozilla was quick to react and published an update to version 66.0.4 on Android and Desktop OSs that reinstated said features yesterday.
For years, you've been able to connect to the Tor Network on Android using Orbot and browse using Orfox. Now, you can get the privacy and security benefits of Tor in a new package. The first alpha of the Tor Browser is now live in the Play Store, and it will (eventually) simplify the process of connecting to Tor.
Briar, the peer-to-peer, end-to-end encrypted messaging app that sends and receives messages using the Tor network, entered public beta last July. The app is now out of beta and has released version 1.0. Briar says it's a service for "activists, journalists, and anyone else who needs a safe, easy and robust way to communicate." You can grab it now on the Play Store.
For years, governments around the world have tried to block various web services. This has often proved tricky in recent times, as the recent Telegram bans in Iran and Russia revealed. For example, Russia broke countless other sites while attempting to block Telegram, because they shared the same infrastructure (AWS, Google Cloud Messaging, etc).
The desktop Tor Browser is designed to make accessing sites as safe and anonymous as possible, sometimes at the cost of usability (JavaScript is disabled by default) and speed. It remains a popular tool for privacy-conscious users, but the mobile browser always lacked a major feature - Tor's security slider. This allows the user to change how intrusive they want Tor Browser to be, from simply acting as a proxy to locking down features like JavaScript and web fonts.
There are plenty of messenger applications with support for end-to-end-encryption, so only you and the person you're talking to can read the conversation. But Briar is a bit different - it uses the Tor network to send and receive messages. The app has now entered beta, and you can download it from the Play Store.
Experienced internet explorers will know about The Onion Router Project, and some of you may have even used it at one point (guilty). Regardless of your thoughts on it, Tor has always tried to stand for internet freedom. The organization frowns upon censorship and throttling, which is why it has released ooniprobe to help raise awareness for the issue.
Say what you will about Facebook's commitment to privacy, the company does offer a Tor address for secure, anonymous connections. That's cool, but you need to use a Tor-enabled browser. That will change in the coming days as Facebook rolls out support for Tor in the Android app.
The Guardian Project, the group behind previous efforts to bring Tor and other privacy-preserving software to Android, is working on a Tor-friendly browser built on the desktop equivalent's codebase. This app, named Orfox, will replace its WebView-based predecessor Orweb.