The Ultimate 2023 Guide to The Tor Browser Explained – Pixel Privacy

At a Glance

If you are reading this, youve likely heard about how the Tor Browser can help protect your internet privacy and anonymity online.

You probably have questions about the Tor Browser, such as:

In this comprehensive guide, I will endeavor to answer those questions and many more. Ill go into how the Tor system works, explain the Onion Network, what a relay is, and how to make the Tor Browser work best to protect your online privacy and anonymity.

The Tor Browser (The Onion Router) is a product of the Tor Project, which was founded on the belief that internet users should have private access to an uncensored web.

The Tor Browser automatically routes its traffic through the anonymous Tor network. The browser isolates each website you visit, so it prevents trackers and ads from following you online. When the browser is closed, it deletes all privacy-sensitive website data such as browsing history and cookies.

The Tor browser provides access to .onion websites, which are Tor hidden services that you can only access through the Tor browser. You can access these websites without worrying about someone snooping on a Tor exit node, offering more private browsing of what is known as the deep web.

The Tor Browser is a popular online anonymity tool among political activists and journalists who fear totalitarian governments monitoring or arresting them. Other users appreciate the browser as it allows them to circumvent censorship. And yes, unfortunately, those seeking to perform criminal acts also use it.

The Tor Browser does have its flaws, which well go into a bit later. Suffice it to say that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can detect when youre using the Tor Browser, which can make you the target of increased surveillance by both the ISP and the government. However, there is an easy-to-use way around that, which well talk about later.

The Tor Browser is a modified version of the Mozilla Firefox browser and includes the TorButton, TorLauncher, NoScript, and HTTPS Everywhere Firefox extensions, along with the Tor proxy. You can run it from removable media (a USB stick, for example).

The browser is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows desktop and laptop computers. A Tor Browser from the Tor Project is available for Android, and The Onion Browser from developer and journalist Mike Tigas is available for iOS mobile devices, which the Tor Project links to.

The browser uses a unique security system, which the United States Navy originally developed to protect the governments intelligence communications.

All Tor Browser data is encrypted and relayed three times over the Onion Router network, which is composed of thousands of volunteer-run servers, which are known as Tor relays.

This encryption and relaying of your browsing data prevents anyone who is watching from detecting which websites you are visiting. All anyone can see is that youre using Tor. You can also hide your Tor activity (more about that later).

The Tor Browser is configured to make all users look the same, making it nearly impossible for users to be fingerprinted based on their browser and device information.

In an onion network, messages are encased in layers of encryption, much like the layers of an onion. The encrypted data is sent through a series of network-based nodes called onion routers.

There are four nodes between your computer and the website you want to connect to.

Each of these nodes removes or peels away a single layer, which uncovers the datas next node destination. When the final layer of the onion is reached and decrypted, the message arrives at its destination.

All of this keeps the sender anonymous thanks to how each intermediary node only knows the location of the previous and next node. This provides high-level anonymity and security.

If this all sounds a bit processor-intensive and a bit slow, you are correct.

Because of the relaying of data through the onion nodes, and the encrypting and decrypting taking place at each node, your internet connection will slow considerably. This means the Tor Browser is not recommended for streaming video, playing games, or downloading large files.

The Tor Browser is easy to install. Simply visit the Tor Project website, then click on the Download Tor Browser button found in the upper right-hand corner or the center of the web page.

On the Download page, download the correct version of Tor Browser for your device by clicking on or tapping on the button for your devices operating system. (Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. There is no official iOS version available. Youll learn more about that shortly.)

Once youve downloaded the version for your device do the following:

Go to the directory where you saved the downloaded Tor Browser installation file. Launch the installer by double-clicking the file. Choose your language and click OK. Follow the installation prompts. Click Finish when the installation is complete.

Open the Downloads folder on your Mac, and double-click the file you just downloaded. A window will pop up. Drag the Tor Browser icon onto the Applications folder icon. This will install the Tor Browser into your Applications folder.

Go to the directory where you downloaded the Tor Browser installation file. Right-click on the downloaded file and select Extract Here. Once the Tor Browser setup files have been extracted, double-click on Tor Browser Setup to install the browser.

Tap on the Download for Android button. Here, you can download an .apk to sideload the app to your device (sideloading is beyond the scope of this article, or simply tap Go to Google Play. (This is what well do here.) In the Google Play Store, tap Install. Once the app is installed, tap Open to launch, then tap Connect to start your Tor network connection.

While Tor doesnt offer a Tor Browser for iOS devices, it does recommend a browser for the platform. The Onion Browser is available in the App Store. In the App Store, click GET to download the browser. Once it is installed, tap the OPEN button to run the app. Tap Connect to Tor to connect.

Locate your Tor Browser folder or application. The default installation location is the Desktop.

Delete the Tor Browser folder/application.

Empty your Windows Recycle Bin.

Locate the Tor Browser application. (By default, the installation location is the Applications folder.

Drag and drop the Tor Browser application to the Trash.

Go to the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder. (Just FYI: the Library folder is hidden on newer versions of macOS. To navigate to this folder in Finder, select Go to Folder in the Go menu. Then type ~/Library/Application Support/ in the window and click Go.)

Locate the TorBrowser-Data folder and move it to the Trash.

Empty the Trash.

Locate the Tor Browser folder on your hard drive. The folder will be named tor-browser_en-US if you are running the English Tor Browser.

Delete the Tor Browser folder.

Empty the Trash.

Tap and hold on to the Tor Browser icon.

In the pop-up menu that appears, tap App Info.

On the App Info screen, tap UNINSTALL.

Tap and hold on the Onion Browser icon.

In the pop-up menu that appears, tap Remove App.

Tap Delete App to fully remove the app from your device.

While the Tor Browser and the Onion Network are an excellent way to protect your online privacy and anonymity, it is by no means a perfect solution, and it has a few weaknesses.

Since each node server in the Tor network is volunteer-operated, you never know who operates the relays that your data is traveling through. While this isnt an issue for most of the trip (since each relay only has access to the previous and next relays in the network), it is an issue with the exit node.

The exit node removes the final layer of encryption on your data. While this doesnt tell the exit node what your original IP address or your geographical location is, it could spy on your activity if the website youre visiting isnt a secured HTTPS website.

Also, since the Tor Browser is based on the Mozilla Firefox platform, its susceptible to the same attacks that other browsers are.

When you install the Tor Browser, it comes preconfigured with the most secure privacy settings. That means Javascript is disabled, extensions are disabled, and the browser is configured to warn you if an attempt is made to download a file and open it in another application.

This means you should never change the default settings in the Tor Browser. Stick with the original settings theyre the most secure.

While the Tor Browser does an excellent job of protecting your privacy and anonymity, you really shouldnt use it as your daily driver browser.

As I mentioned previously, using the Tor Browser will slow down your browsing. Since your traffic goes through a series of relays, getting encrypted or decrypted along the way, things slow way down. This means Tor is a lousy option for streaming video, online gaming, or downloading files (torrenting).

If you need to protect or enhance your streaming, gaming, or torrenting activities, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a much better option as a secure connection to the net.

Another reason you dont want to use the Tor Browser for your daily web browsing is that it draws attention to you. The Tor Browser prevents your ISP from seeing what websites youre visiting, but it does not prevent the ISP from seeing that youre using Tor. That could make them suspicious about what youre doing. That makes you a target for monitoring.

Your ISP may contact a government agency, like the FBI or NSA, who are always interested in suspicious online activity. Unless youre a fan of having big black SUVs parked outside your home and place of work, maybe only use Tor when you REALLY need to hide your online travels. (If you want to protect all of your daily internet activity, try a VPN.)

While the Tor Browser hides your online browsing, it only hides your online activity through the Tor Browser. All of your other online activities remain open to observation.

This is why I strongly suggest using a Virtual Private Network to protect and enhance all of your online activities. A VPN keeps all of your online activities including your web browsing, online gaming, streaming, and file-sharing undercover and safe from being tracked or recorded.

A secure VPN server slows down your browsing much less than the Tor Browser and also opens access to geo-blocked local content around the globe. This makes it a great option for watching videos from streaming services that are available only in other regions of the world.

That said, the Tor Browser and a VPN make an excellent team for protecting your online activities from prying eyes, and provide optimal online privacy protection.

There are two ways to use Tor and a VPN in tandem. They are known as Tor Over VPN and VPN Over Tor. Lets take a look at how both options work.

Tor Over VPN is when you first connect your computer or mobile device to your VPN service and then use the Tor Browser to travel the internet.

This encrypts your internet traffic using your VPNs servers, protecting against outside parties monitoring all of your devices internet activities.

This ensures that your real IP address is hidden from the first Tor relay (it sees the IP address that your VPN provider supplies). Then the Tor anonymity network relays further obfuscate your true location, as the browser relays your browser traffic through several relay locations.

Pros:

Cons:

VPN Over Tor is when you first connect to the Tor network and then connect to your VPN.

While Tor Over VPN merely requires you to connect to your VPN service provider in the usual manner and then fire up your Tor Browser, VPN over Tor requires you to manually set up a few things before you use it.

Plus, there are only a few VPN providers that offer this option (PrivateVPN is the only one that comes to mind).

Pros:

Cons:

Using a VPN in conjunction with the Tor Browser is an excellent way to keep your online travels secure and private. A VPNs ability to hide your Tor usage from your ISP and from government authorities makes for a valuable addition to your online privacy arsenal.

While there are numerous VPN services that work well with Tor, Ive found that NordVPN offers the best protection and compatibility, and keeps your personal information safe.

NordVPN offers top-notch encrypted protection, a kill switch that keeps your Tor usage from being inadvertently exposed, fast download speeds, comprehensive global server coverage, and excellent multi-platform app support.

In addition, NordVPN offers Onion over VPN (think Tor over VPN), which routes your internet traffic through one of its servers, passes it through the Onion network, and then sends it to the internet. This means you can use your favorite browser instead of the Tor Browser and still benefit from being routed through the Onion Network.

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Check out more information about the best VPN providers for Tor.

The dark web (often referred to as the darknet, black web or black net) is a small section of the deep web that is hidden and kept inaccessible to regular internet users on purpose.

The dark web is web content that exists on darknets, which are overlay networks on the internet that require specialized software (such as the Tor Browser), configurations, and authorization to access. Arguably, the best-known tool used to access the dark web is the Tor Browser.

The dark web is a refuge for information leakers and whistleblowers. Edward Snowden used the Tor global network on a regular basis. The dark web is the perfect avenue for communicating and publishing sensitive information with no fear of retribution, such as imprisonment.

The dark web is a popular privacy tool for activists and revolutionaries (such as Anonymous). It serves as a way for activists to organize gatherings and other activities in secret, with no worries about giving their plans or position away to the authorities.

The dark web is a very popular platform for journalists, political bloggers, and political news publishers, especially for those living in countries where strict censorship shields are the rule.

Unfortunately, the dark web is also where underground marketplaces flourish, selling drugs, weapons, stolen IDs and credit cards, and other ill-gotten goods. It is also used to facilitate human trafficking, money laundering, and worse.

This is why I strongly advise anyone visiting the dark web to exercise the greatest of caution during their dark online travels. Check out my article for more information about the dark web and how to access it while staying safe. One way to stay safe is to use a VPN while accessing the dark web, so be sure to check out my article on the best VPNs for the dark web.

One of the major advantages of using Tor in overly-restrictive countries is that it keeps your online travels private. Unfortunately, some oppressive regimes have figured out a way to block Tor traffic. Luckily, there is a way around these virtual roadblocks.

If you find that Tor is restricted in your current location, you can use a bridge. A bridge creates an obfuscated relay on the Tor network that is not listed in the main directory. That means that even if an ISP is monitoring all of the known Tor relays, they may not be able to block all of the obfuscated bridges. This presents an extra option for connecting.

To use a Tor bridge, click the Hamburger Menu (three stacked horizontal lines in the upper right-hand corner of the browser window), then click Settings. On the Settings page, click Connection in the left-hand column. Look for the Bridges section.

Your options are:

Weve learned a lot from this article. Weve found that Tor is an excellent way to keep your internet browser-based online activities undercover, although weve also seen how using the Tor Browser can bring unwanted attention. Luckily, a VPN can help prevent that.

Weve also looked at how Tor allows users to access the dark web, and were now aware of the resources and dangers that await us there.

Now you have enough information about what Tor is, how it works, and how best to use it, allowing you to make an informed choice on its proper use, and how to best protect yourself online when using it.

There are numerous search engines for .onion websites. DuckDuckGo offers an .onion version of its search engine, while Sci-Hub offers access to millions of scientific articles and papers. Library Genesis offers a search engine for collections of books on such topics as computers, business, technology, and more. These are only a few of the .onion search engines that are available.

Merely downloading, installing and using the Tor Browser is not illegal. There are many safe and legal uses for Tor. However, some Tor users do so to facilitate illegal online acts.

However, criminals soon found that just using the Tor Browser can bring unwanted attention to their online activities. The NSA and FBI have been known to specifically target Tor users. Internet Service Providers also become interested in your Tor-based online activities, and at least one ISP ::COUGH!:: Comcast! ::COUGH!:: has threatened to cut the service of Tor users.

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The Ultimate 2023 Guide to The Tor Browser Explained - Pixel Privacy