You can choose from a variety of tools to improve your online privacy, such as VPNs and encrypted messaging apps. The Onion Router (Tor) browser, created by the nonprofit organization Tor Project, is one of them and a powerful one to add to your arsenal.

The privacy tool, based on the Mozilla Firefox browser, provides open source technology designed to shield your online activities from the prying eyes of your internet service provider (ISP) and most websites. This would allow you, for instance, to look for the best Android projectors while avoiding ads that try to steer you one way or another based on your regular browsing habits.

While the Tor Browser allows you to access regular websites like Chrome, its main appeal for most people lies in its capabilities to access dark websites, which are not indexed on Google, Bing, and other mainstream search engines. But what is the Tor Browser, and how does it work? We break it down for you.

What is Tor?

Image of a white smartphone with a Firefox logo on the screen, placed on a vibrant purple background with abstract colorful lines.

The Tor Browser is a modified version of the Mozilla Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) web browser integrating various privacy-focussed components, including the TorButton, TorLauncher, NoScript, and the Tor proxy.

The Mozilla version, upon which the Tor Browser is based, offers extra cybersecurity and privacy features. For instance, certain browser capabilities that are generally used by websites to track users are disabled, and various features are turned on or off to minimize the amount of data shared with websites.

The Tor Browser also integrates three browser plugins by default:

  • The TorButton provides a simple interface for controlling various Tor-related settings, including turning Tor capabilities on and off, clearing cookies, and more.
  • The TorLauncher extension starts and stops the Tor proxy (more on this later).
  • NoScript is a third-party browser extension that enables or disables scripts on a per-site basis.

These features can prevent cross-site scripting and clickjacking attacks, among others.

How does Tor work?

The Tor Browser works according to the principle of Onion Routing and tunneling. This technique involves encapsulating data in layers of encryption, akin to layers of an onion, and routing it through a series of servers or relays. Each relay, starting from the entry node, is responsible for removing one layer of encryption and tunneling the data to the next relay in the network Tor uses until it reaches the final one, which decrypts the message and forwards it to its destination. The data going through the relays is mixed with that of other users, making it difficult for sites and ISPs to trace the origin of the communication.

The Tor Browser also ensures the privacy of your internet activity by not storing any web browsing history on your device. When you close the browser, there's no record of the websites visited during that session.

However, it's important to recognize that while Onion Routing makes it challenging for hackers to trace the source of communication, Tor is not immune to vulnerabilities. Hackers could potentially perform traffic analysis of the size and timing of unencrypted data packets, revealing the original source of internet activity. Moreover, attackers could compromise a Tor exit node, gaining access to decrypted data and tracing it back to its origin.

While Tor does not provide end-to-end encryption, when accessing websites through the Tor Browser, you can still benefit from end-to-end encryption if the websites support HTTPS.

What are the differences between Tor and VPNs?

A cartoonish figure wearing a hood symbolizing security cannot access the user's internet traffic because it is encrypted by a VPN. The image shows a VPN icon placed between the user's device and the internet.
Source: Pixabay

Both the Tor Browser and VPNs hide your IP address from ISPs and websites. However, these tools work in inherently different ways. VPNs encrypt a user's traffic between their device and the VPN server, typically once (though some have a "multi-hop" feature that allows traffic to be routed through an extra later). On the other hand, Tor uses a network of volunteer-run servers to encrypt traffic multiple times (a minimum of three times), making it more difficult to trace. The Tor Browser also separates the knowledge of the user's IP address and the website they're visiting. VPNs typically require the user to trust the VPN provider with their information. More information about how to use VPNs is available here.

Additionally, because it reroutes traffic through several Tor relays or servers, browsing speed is typically slower using Tor than what you may experience using most VPN services.

How can I use Tor?

Using Tor is pretty straightforward. The browser is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android operating systems. To install the Tor Browser, follow this link and download the version compatible with your device.

After installing the browser, you can surf the web without any particular tweaking. However, you must connect to the Tor network to take advantage of Tor's privacy capabilities. This is pretty straightforward and can be done by clicking (or tapping, if on Android) the onion icon within the browser.

Once connected, you can browse the internet anonymously and securely. Additionally, you can browse dark websites, commonly known as .onion sites. There are various resources to look for these websites, including the well-known Hidden Wiki.

Be careful while browsing .onion sites. While many are useful resources to bypass censorship, the darknet is a mostly unregulated place with many threat actors waiting for unsuspecting victims to test their malware tools on.

The terms "dark web" and "deep web" are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different things. The deep web refers to any part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. The dark web refers to a small portion of the deep web that can only be accessed using special software or configurations, such as Tor.

A close-up view of the corner of a smartphone screen with several pink pills scattered over it. The pills have different shapes and sizes, and some are partially cut off at the edge of the screen. The background is blurred, but appears to be a light color with some texture.

We just mentioned censorship. Much like VPNs, Tor is blocked in countries around the world, including Russia, where free access to information is limited for political or ideological reasons. This blocking restricts the use of Tor, potentially exposing users' identities and hindering their ability to access secure and private internet browsing.

However, Tor continues to be an important tool for individuals, including whistleblowers, who seek to protect their anonymity and share sensitive information, often under challenging circumstances.

In the West, using Tor is not illegal, though websites and ISPs try to make it harder for you to surf the web if they can't fingerprint your devices to their liking.

Using Tor to conduct illegal activities, including purchasing illegal goods or services from dark websites like Silk Road, can be a criminal offense. It is essential to exercise caution and verify the legality of any transactions before completing them on such marketplaces. Engaging in illegal activities on the dark web can lead to legal consequences, potentially involving law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.

When in doubt, onion it out

Tor is a great option to maintain your online privacy, and unlike most VPN services, it is completely free. The downside is that your internet connection will be slower, but in some cases, this is a trade-off worth making.

Need more online privacy tips? Here is an article on how to delete your Google search history.