/r/TOR

Photograph via snooOG

News and discussion about the Tor anonymity software. New to Tor? Please read the Tor FAQ!

Tor

Protect your privacy. Defend yourself against network surveillance and traffic analysis. Get Tor.

This subreddit is for news, questions, opinions and tips about Tor.

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions before posting.

Community guidelines:

  • No posts about specific .onion sites, or requesting or sharing links to onion sites – these belong in /r/onions.
  • Do not ask for or give advice about activity that may be illegal in most places.
  • Do not ask for or give advice about using Tor for abusive purposes.
  • Do not ask for or offer assistance in private (PM)
  • Do not use URL shortening services: always submit the real link.
  • Articles that do not mention Tor are usually off-topic; /r/Tor is not for general news about privacy or security.
  • No memes or low effort content.
  • System-level questions about operating systems are off-topic. Questions about installing Tails, for example, belong in /r/Tails.
  • Do not ask for or offer invites.
  • Do not share bridges or refer to unofficial bridge distribution channels.
  • Posts must be in English
  • Be excellent to each other.

Tor + VPN?

This is a very frequently asked question we see in this subreddit. You generally do not need to use a VPN in conjunction with Tor, and you may even hurt your anonymity by doing so. However, a VPN may help if Tor is censored by your network. Please see the Tor Wiki for more details.

Tor on iOS (iPhone)?

The Tor Project recommends Onion Browser. See onionbrowser.com.

Tor or TOR?

The proper capitalization is "Tor". The subreddit's name is incorrectly capitalized as "TOR" and cannot be changed due to Reddit's technical limitations. Please read the Tor Project FAQ for more information.

How to get started

  1. Download Tor Browser
  2. Install
  3. Start it. You're done. It's that easy!

Links

Related subreddits

  • /r/onions – all about Tor's hidden services
  • /r/tails – the Tails operating system helps preserve anonymity
  • /r/netsec – security news and discussion
  • /r/privacy – privacy and freedom in the information age
  • /r/PrivacyGuides – Helping you protect your data
  • /r/FreeSpeech – freedom of speech
  • /r/i2p – The Invisible Internet Project, anonymity system with similarities to Tor
  • /r/Namecoin – Namecoin, decentralized DNS

/r/tor is not managed or endorsed by The Tor Project.

/r/TOR

271,422 Subscribers

1

Notifications in Tor

Hello I just started using Tor browser and I have a question about notifications. So far I didn't get any prompt from a website to turn on notifications. I have Onion Services active.

Any advice? Thanks.

0 Comments
2024/03/12
21:49 UTC

0

Is there any web archive service on the dark web?

Is there any dark web version of Wayback Machine? I really want it.

2 Comments
2024/03/12
20:02 UTC

2

Web Tunnel issue with orbot

It's pretty straightforward, I am having issues with orbot and web tunneling.

Connection those not start nor fail.

Bridges are fine.

2 Comments
2024/03/12
18:26 UTC

5

Orbot identified as threat

Hi everyone, I've used Orbot for years but as of today it is consistently being identified as a Trojan. Anyone else having this problem?

1 Comment
2024/03/12
15:57 UTC

4

How bad is javascript for anonymity?

It's a pretty big theme that "javascript bad". However I'm not sure as to the exact extent of it. Is it bad because a malicious actor could use a vulnerability in your browser to de-anonymize you or is it bad because any site can de-anonymize you by just running js? In other words, does the site need a vulnerability in your browser or by just running js they can find you?

I've seen a ton of forums/sites talking specifically about vulnerabilities being used with js to de-anonymize users so I'm wondering if its specifically bad when running it on sketchy sites or every site as a whole?

Essentially, can you trust established sites and only worry about sketchy ones? Or anything and anyone can get you by just having js enabled?

5 Comments
2024/03/12
15:37 UTC

1

Can a hidden service link together TCP sockets from the same client?

I'm looking into a piece of software which heavily relies on using unlinkable identities for different message types. If the 4 identities belonging to the same user can be grouped together, its anonymity is severely broken.

The software in question uses Tor to connect to the central server, which is a hidden service. It opens 4 separate TCP sockets through localhost:9050 SOCKS5 proxy. However beside that it does not implement any kind of stream isolation. None of the proxy connections supply a username or a password (which would cause Tor to route them through separate sockets). The Tor control port is not used either.

My question: is the server able to recognize that the different TCP connections come from the same circuit? I know that by default, the hidden service's server will see them all coming from different ephemeral TCP port on localhost. However assuming that the Tor client on their (hidden service's) side can be modified to expose any internal information available, would it be possible?

0 Comments
2024/03/12
06:38 UTC

2

My Tor Browser is failing to update?

I just tried to see if there is an update to Tor on Windows. I'm currently on version 13.0.11 and when I try to update it says Tor failed to update. Is 13.0.11 the latest version, and do you know why it's saying it failed to update?

1 Comment
2024/03/12
06:36 UTC

3

Weird TOR "Window"?

https://preview.redd.it/qa718aisbrnc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=0fd47b09244547aba59b496e58500a4e434d4df1

Not sure what the hell is happening, but those black edges on the sides and bottom are on my screen and arent due to the photo. Im not sure if this is a common issue or not since its the first time downloading TOR. Its not a train smash but it is slightly annoying.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Peeps!

8 Comments
2024/03/11
19:38 UTC

7

How to anonymously host a tor hidden service on a third party server?

Also is it better for anonymity to host a hidden service on my own server or a third party?

8 Comments
2024/03/11
19:17 UTC

4

what is a good alternative to TorGhost?

So I was thinking of downloading TorGhost but people on here say its a bad idea. Is there an alternative that works better to route all applications through Tor?

Would Anonsurf on ParrotOS work better? What about the official Tor system?

What is a good system for this purpose?

4 Comments
2024/03/11
18:59 UTC

4

Why does TOR Browser not load almost any .onion sites on my macbook?

I just installed TOR a few days ago, and I cannot understand why it won't open .onion links.. some people online say to disinstall and reinstall, so i did that but no results, and other say things like "you have some sort of antivirus product on your machine blocking some of the traffic". Okay but if I do how do I remove it? If that turns out not to be the issue, what other possible issues could it be?

4 Comments
2024/03/11
11:18 UTC

0

Discord not detecting Spotify

Hello,

When i use discord on the Tor Browser, it doesnt detect that Spotify App is playing. Is there any way to fix it?

4 Comments
2024/03/11
10:08 UTC

3

Does anyone know how to run a snowflake proxy through Orbot on mobile?

I don't know if the question is appropriate since I'm on the TOR (and not Orbot) subreddit. But, do I just have to enable "Run Snowflake Proxy" from the settings and then let Orbot run in the background, or do I have to actively use a browser for it to work? Can it be used even when I'm not on my phone?

0 Comments
2024/03/11
05:55 UTC

24

The TOR conspiracy continues

so i have my tor browser in whonix setup to alert me when there is an update and i have to manually approve it before it is installed. i had been using the current build for two weeks now and i got no update message but when i did my usual browser fingerprint check on the eff site it said javascript was enabled????

Can someone please explain to me why 1) this happened and 2) why does tor enable js during some releases? surely they must know that with js enabled it defeats the purpose of using the tor browser. they do this all the time. i've emailed them many times about this but never get a response.

Very strange behavior for a security based app to do.

23 Comments
2024/03/11
05:27 UTC

2

Help I need to know if I'm compromised

So I accessed tor during a time frame while using my device and suddenly I see a new email appear on my clipboard that I have no idea where it came from and it looks suspicious because it has the domain name @ sney.ca. can someone tell me what is happening.

27 Comments
2024/03/11
05:00 UTC

10

Any proper search engines?

I'm not sure if i'm doing something wrong, but I seem to only get a handful of results (usually all from the same sites). Only 1 page when there should be millions of results?

I tend to use torch and onionland.

Are there any proper search engines for Tor?

11 Comments
2024/03/10
10:30 UTC

0

Legitimate question

Not trying to piss people off I am genuinely curious...as someone that doesn't know shit about Tor other than watching bs "spooky deep web" videos on youtube what is the purpose of wanting such anonymity (and then tails which I don't fully grasp but essentially an extra layer of anonymity) if you're not doing anything nefarious? The answer I got from google was "For people that live under oppressive governments" So what about people that do not live under such government's? What is the genuine reason and concern for such a level of anonymity if you're not doing anything nefarious?

12 Comments
2024/03/10
02:16 UTC

1

Webrtc leak test failed

So I am not from tech background and have been trying to find a good anonymous browsing experience. Learning so much about the tor privacy and network relay systems i gave it a try on iphone. Now while testing mobile tor browsing anonymity, i tested for various tests including WebRTC leak test. And to my amazement it was not only showing my public ip, but also the vpn and the apple icloud relay address in the public ip address section. I used browserleaks.com

When i tested other browsers such as safari with vpn and relay or brave with vpn, they did not fail the webRTC leak test. I know that tor does not support webRTC, but if this website was able to run js and figure out my ip, cant others too?

Can anyone give a insight in layman terms? Are the tor browser on phone not really as anonymous compared to mac or pc? Is there a way to prevent webRTC LEAK on tor on iphone?

1 Comment
2024/03/10
00:40 UTC

4

Tor pages dont load, or load halfway

Duck is working well. Only when Im trying to connect to any website it can't be loaded, sometimes even captcha has error 504.

1 Comment
2024/03/09
14:56 UTC

0

Tor not showing Onion circuits

I had not updated Tails for awhile and was prompted to update in some convoluted way but I didn't have a flash drive big enough so instead I just used a new flash drive that had the capacity and followed the instructions for windows and installed tails on the new flash drive.

Of course that came with the latest Tor.

The problem is that when Tor connections window comes up, I always check the onion circuits first to make sure everything seems operational and then open Tor.

The Onion Circuits window doesn't show any circuits and it has the message:

You are not connected to Tor yet.

So I open Tor and the first tab is the trad Welcome to Tails website.
I click the 'Check Tor' button and get the congratulations page, your browser is set up to use Tor, but the message and status of the onion circuits card is unchanged.
I did close it and reopen it and it still says I'm not connected to Tor and shows no circuits.

I tested the IP against a different machine without using Tor and it's def a different IP, so it appears to be working, but there are no circuits showing and I'm used to seeing 20 or so circuits or combinations of 10 circuits or however that works.

So it appears my options are to use the old flash drive with the outdated Tails and updated Tor so I can see the circuits or use the flash drive with both updated and remain unable to see the circuits, which makes me nervous in case some local is trying some kind of hinky jinky.

Aside from wiping this flash drive by re-installing Tails in hopes that it works, is there anything I'm missing that I can fix this problem. Requesting a new ID doesn't fix the issue.

Thanks.

3 Comments
2024/03/09
05:22 UTC

3

Hey all, I'm trying to launch Tor from Kali Linux and keep getting this error

Everytime I clean download with sudo apt install -y tor torbrowser-launcher and then launch it with torbrowser-launcher I run into this error message "/usr/bin/env: 'bash\r': No such file or directory" "/usr/bin/env: use -[v]S to pass options in shebang lines

Any help would be greatly appreciated

5 Comments
2024/03/09
01:31 UTC

11

What’s the deal with Tor on iOS?

I’ve heard a lot of conflicting info with Tor on that platform. First of all I understand regardless of anything it isn’t secure because Apple has some sort of access that all browsers go through them or something so don’t use it if you want to be anonymous.

My question is does Apple just have access to the data going through to Tor or are they actively watching it for illegal activity? I’ve heard both but if it was the latter then wouldn’t we be hearing about people getting arrested while using iOS.

Everything Apple tries to advertise is its commitment to privacy. Granted that seems to be geared more toward third parties access, but it seems like they wouldn’t be actively watching your info unless they had a good reason.

No I’m not going to use Tor with iOS. I’m just curious as to what the consensus is on what they are doing.

2 Comments
2024/03/08
22:33 UTC

3

New iOS tor browser

Now that the DMA is in effect, is it possible that we (ios users) will get an actual Tor browser instead of one with workarounds like the Onion browser?

2 Comments
2024/03/08
16:48 UTC

11

self hosting matrix, vs xmpp vs irc over tor?

USE CASE

i want to chat with one or more people i know in real life over a private, secure, and anonymous instant messenger, it needs to have these features

1: private: no adversary including but not limited to the united states federal government can find out who is sending the message or who is receiving the message

2: secure: no adversary including but not limited to the united states federal government can read the message

3: anonymous: no adversary including but not limited to the united states federal government can find out where the message is sent from, or being sent to.

4: entirely self hosted, NOT relying on the services of a third party like the signal app

5: no federation: i want true and absolute decentralization, no registration with a central authority, i want to create a server that is completely separate from any and all networks, i want it to be part no network except the network that is the internet itself.

6: server is password secure, no one can join the server except those who i have given the password to.

7: i need to be able to run it over the tor network

8: it cannot store any data, once the server is shut down all text records are gone and can never be recovered.

9: the server can stay on for a discretionary amount of time, if i need the server to be on for 5 minutes? fine, if i need the server to be on for the rest of my natural life? fine.

with this specific use case in mind, i have been told that either matrix, xmpp, or irc is what i need to use, given this specific use case scenario, what would you say?

thank you

32 Comments
2024/03/08
15:29 UTC

1

Having issues using tor on my Chromebook

I followed the instructions from various websites by using Linux developer and going typing in the terminal. It did not work but gave me an error.. see picture. But I can’t seem to open the desktop. I found on one post that you can use total commander to open the file and it worked for a minute or 2.. then tor wouldn’t open the next time I used it and total commander was not opening tor again.. I tried reinstalling total commander but it won’t open the tor browser again. It would seem that I need another way to open it besides total commander I guess.

Anyways any help would be greatly appreciated , thanks.

2 Comments
2024/03/07
22:49 UTC

9

Android and Tor

I've been told that using Tor on smart phones is playing with fire, but I've never heard why. Could someone enlighten me?

43 Comments
2024/03/07
10:00 UTC

5

tor@default isn't starting up?

user@user:~$ sudo systemctl restart tor@default

Job for tor@default.service failed because the control process exited with error code.

See "systemctl status tor@default.service" and "journalctl -xeu tor@default.service" for details.

---

user@user:~$ sudo systemctl status tor@default

tor@default.service - Anonymizing overlay network for TCP (instance: default)

Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/tor@.service; disabled; preset: disabled)

Drop-In: /usr/lib/systemd/system/service.d

└─10-timeout-abort.conf

Active: inactive (dead)

...

When I do journalctl -xeu tor@default, it shows no entries. What am I doing wrong for this not to start up? The only thing I've done is download tor through the terminal and tried to set that up.

7 Comments
2024/03/07
02:29 UTC

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