To hide your true online identity, you should use the Tor Browser, a web browser that encrypts all your traffic through the Tor network.
The Tor Browser could be the answer if your Internet service provider (ISP) or the government has no business knowing what websites you visit because it’s creepy.
Note that the following disclaimers apply: Tor is a slower way to browse the web than the normal way, and some significant websites won’t even let you in if you try. Tor Browser is banned in countries where the press, speech, and flow of information are not free. Researchers are always trying to make Tor more anonymous, and journalists and political dissidents worldwide use it as a foundation of online democracy.
Where you can download the Tor Browser
The Tor Browser is a web browser that works on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. You can download desktop versions from the website of the Tor Project. You can get OrBot and OrFox from the Google Play Store or F-Droid if you have an Android phone. If you have an iOS device, you can contact OnionBrowser free from the App Store.
An intro on Tor for mobile phones
The number of people using the web on their phones is growing, and in some developing countries, people use their phones as their only way to get online. So, the Tor Project has spent the last few years making the Tor Browser better for mobile phone users.
Orfox, made by the Guardian Project, was the recommended Tor browser for Android until September 2019, when the Tor Project announced the official release of the Tor Browser for Android. Unfortunately, it means that Orfox is no longer the recommended Tor browser for Android. (The Guardian Project’s Orbot, which is also a Tor proxy for Android and lets users tunnel all their app traffic over Tor instead of just web traffic, is still very much in use.)
Due to technical issues with Apple’s iOS platform, the Tor Project still needs to make an official Tor Browser for iPhone and iPad users. However, they recommend OnionBrowser for iOS users who want to browse the web anonymously. Shortly, OnionBrowser will get a lot of security improvements, such as setting security settings per site and fixing some information leakage problems. The developers promise CSO that the newest and best version of OnionBrowser will be released in early November 2019.
How to use the Tor browser?
You can download and use the Tor Browser in a way that is similar to how you would use Chrome or Firefox.
If you’ve never used Tor before, you’ll first notice that it’s slow, or at least slower than the regular internet. But Tor has gotten better enough that you can even stream YouTube videos if you have a fast enough connection.
When you use Tor Browser, you can access hidden services and content only available through the Tor network. See what I mean by going to https://www.nytimes3xbfgragh.onion/ and https://www.facebookcorewwwi.onion/ in your favorite web browser. Go on. We’ll be right here waiting for you when you get back. You do realize that didn’t work, don’t you? These resources are only available on Tor. It lets you read the news without anyone knowing who you are or when or how long you were on a specific news site. It is constructive in countries where people worry that the government is keeping track of what news they read.
The biggest problem with using the Tor Browser is that many popular websites won’t let you access them if you use Tor. If a site you usually visit suddenly gives you a 404 error when you go to it through Tor, it’s likely because the service is blocking Tor traffic and not being clear about it. On sites that don’t block Tor, you might have to solve a lot of captchas. Even though it’s not a big deal, it’s annoying.
Explanation of the Tor Browser’s Operation
Tor Browser hides what you do online by sending it over the anonymous Tor network. You can think of Tor’s three layers of proxy as the skin, middle, and outside of an onion. It is where the onion logo comes from. If you use Tor, your browser will connect to a random entry node, send traffic to a random middle relay, and then send traffic out through an exit node.
Don’t be surprised if Google or another service speaks to you in a language you don’t know. For example, if you use the anonymizing service Tor, these services will think you are in a different country and speak a foreign language.
You can also set up Tor Browser to use bridges if you need to access a website or service that doesn’t allow Tor traffic. Because bridge IP addresses are not listed publicly like Tor’s entry and exit nodes are, it is harder for web services or governments to put them on a blacklist.
Even though all TCP traffic goes through the Tor network, web traffic is given more attention. Unfortunately, Tor doesn’t support UDP, so you shouldn’t try to use it to download free software ISOs through torrents.
How far can someone use Tor Browser before they break the law?
Most people who use Tor Browser won’t break any laws by doing so. But Tor is against the law in some places or is blocked by the government. China has made it illegal for Tor traffic to go by the Great Firewall.Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia are just a few of the countries that try to stop their users from using the Tor network, which helps people hide their identities. Venezuela has just started blocking all traffic on Tor.
It makes sense that a totalitarian state would see Tor as a threat to its power and try to stop people from using it. With the help of the service, it is easier for journalists to report on corruption, and political dissidents can work together to fight against political repression.
Freedom of speech online depends on being able to talk, write, and read without worrying about getting in trouble. This makes anonymity a necessary part of modern democracies. Using Tor and giving money to it is a way to show support for people worldwide who fight for free speech. Users with a lot of experience are asked to help the Tor network by running a relay and giving their bandwidth.
How do I get into the dark web?
Let’s stop all this talk about the “dark web.” Some bad guys do their dirty work on the Tor network, but they do the same on the regular internet. For example, bank robbers often use roads and highways to escape the crime scene. We don’t say bad things about freeways or the Internet because we’re stupid. Because of this, many people now think Tor is an integral part of our modern democratic society.
Know that there is more going on here than people were whispering, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are using computers in weird ways,” when you talk about the “dark web” or the “deep web” or something similar. Harmful or annoying people aren’t the only ones who can stay anonymous online.
Criminals willing to break the law can get more anonymity than Tor offers, so Tor is really only for ordinary people. The Tor Frequently Asked Questions page says:
Isn’t it true that criminals can do more damage when they use Tor?
As it stands, criminals have the power to hurt people. Because they are willing to break the law, they have access to many other services that give them more privacy than Tor. For example, they can steal mobile phones and throw them in the trash after using them. They can hack into computers in Brazil or South Korea and use them to do bad things. They can also use viruses, spyware, and other methods to take control of millions of Windows devices worldwide.
Tor’s goal is to protect people who follow the law from harm. But unfortunately, only criminals have any kind of privacy right now, which needs to change.
How much can a person’s identity be hidden when they use the Tor Browser?
Tor Browser is the best way to stay anonymous, but it needs to be more foolproof. Researchers are working to improve Tor or make a new generation of anonymity tools, while governments worldwide are trying to figure out how to break Tor’s encryption.
Hacking Tor Browser users is the best way to find out who they are. The FBI has used this method successfully in many criminal cases. Thanks to Rule 41, which was put in place by US Chief Justice Roberts of the Supreme Court in 2016, the FBI can now hack into many computers anywhere in the world with a single warrant.
Everyone should be worried about these hacking methods because even Tor users who don’t know they’re being attacked could be caught in the middle.