Everything has two
sides, and we all know the great face of the Internet as we use it to navigate
everywhere within this digital world, but most of us have yet to see the ugly
face of digital harassment, racism, bullying, and even spying. One of the possible
solutions to withstand this face is to keep your identity confidential with the
help of the various tools available such as using a VPN service or relying on
the popular TOR browser to hide your identity. The latter is often the best
solution as TOR serves as a face mask for those who want to hide among the
walls of the dark web.
In fact, Edward Snowden,
when he appeared to the world after exposing the NSA's unethical surveillance
activities, previously stated that he was using the TOR browser to remain
anonymous while communicating with the outside world. True, Tor has powerful features
that protect you from stalking and harassment in the digital world, but this
alone does not guarantee your security and privacy; You need to understand best
practices and usage tips for maximum security. So let's go through below some
of the things not to do while using Tor Browser.
About the Tor Browser
TOR
Browser was originally a secret project that was initially developed under the
name "The Onion Router" because it consists of several layers of
protection that resist traffic analysis, eavesdropping, and other attacks by
outsiders. The US Navy developed this protocol with the goal of creating a
secure, hidden network that can protect and secure government communications on
the Internet.
But
the strange irony is that all criminal operations and all that is illegal are
always done through the Tor browser, and it is easy to say that Tor is a
gateway to the “dark web” which contains content that is not suitable for many
users. But because publishing this content requires strong traffic security and
effective encryption of user activities, TOR is considered an ideal haven for
criminals and hackers to conduct their activities in secrecy.
In short, this is how the Tor network works
The
Tor network works on anonymity on the Internet, and for the user to benefit
from the privacy and security features provided by the network, he must use the
“Tor” browser that encrypts your traffic; That is, all the connections you make
between sites and services on the Internet, and it connects to the Tor network,
which randomly determines how the browser connects to the site you want to
visit.
The
next step is the servers connected to the Tor network that discreetly
facilitate the connection between your device and the destination you want to
visit, directing your Internet traffic through lots of nodes - nodes that in
turn encrypt the network. Transfer the command to one server and then this
server transfers the connection to a different server, thus relying on a
variety of random servers located in different places.
Of
course, those servers that transmit your communications do not know who you are
and who you are trying to reach. The result is that anyone who monitors your
Internet connection cannot identify the sites you visit, and similarly the
sites you visit will not be able to know who you are or where you are. However,
remember that Tor is not a VPN but a "proxy" and therefore it can
encrypt your traffic and your Internet connection process, but it does not
encrypt the data, i.e. TOR encrypts the traffic within its network and before
it reaches the last destination it becomes unencrypted.
So,
is Tor Browser secure? Tor Browser is a powerful tool to protect your privacy
and prevent any attempt to spy on you and know what you are doing on the web,
but nothing is 100% complete or guaranteed, especially on the Internet, and no
matter how strong its strengths are, but the wrong use may prevent TOR from
performing its function as expected, which leads to revealing your identity and
follow you. So let's dive a little deeper and explore some of the things to do
and what to avoid to protect your privacy and prevent your identity from being
exposed while using the Tor Browser.
1/ Don't reveal your phone number because of the 2-step verification feature
One
of the ways many people fall into the trap! It mixes their personal information
with the activities they do in the Tor browser. Even if you are very careful,
you may unknowingly reveal personal information because you treat Tor like any
other web browser. For example, you may register on a site and during account
creation, you enter your phone number to activate the 2-step verification
feature, which is now supported on many sites as additional protection. Be very
careful when using the TOR browser to access your account in this way!
If
you provide your phone number to an untrusted website, many of which are
available through Tor Browser, it will simply corrupt Tor's job of hiding your
identity, so that it will be easy to track you down using that number. Even if
the SIM is registered in the name of someone else, the Internet provider can
still easily track you through the IMEI number associated with your phone and
registered with its database and can be used to track you, although it is a
remote possibility, it is a method that may be used in case you are a prominent
person trying to evade of monitoring systems. So try to reveal your number and
avoid using 2-step verification when using Tor.
2/ Do not reveal any information or personal details whatsoever!
Because
of the importance of the matter, we say it again: do not use your data against
you when using the Tor browser. You should remember this point every time you
open the Tor browser, or more simply, try to create yourself a fake character that
you will use only when using Tor so that any personal information such as your
real name, address, date of birth, and credit card number is strictly
confidential while using Tor This browser, if revealing one piece of
information, no matter how small, will reveal your identity, and there will be
no point in using TOR.
So,
if you are going to use Tor Browser regularly then you have to create a fake ID
and believe me it is very easy, it gives you full details of a fake character
that doesn't exist on the planet! It is therefore ideal for use with Tor so
that it does not reflect even a little bit of your true identity.
Keep
in mind that being careful to avoid revealing your personal information is only
a supportive step in maintaining the anonymous connection that Tor is trying to
build. An anonymous connection is when the web server you want to connect to
has no idea of both your real IP address and your identity.
In
the same vein, if you want to open your Facebook or Twitter accounts or check
email then only use these accounts outside the TOR browser because it will
easily reveal your online identity to the website. Almost every website now
records information such as when you log in, when you log out, your
geographical location, your IP address, and other details. So using your Tor
account even once will be enough to eventually reveal your identity, which of
course you don't want.
3/ Don't keep "cookies" and get rid of them regularly
As
you know, the nature of web browsers, in general, is that they store files and
information about each site you visit so that the site loads faster in
subsequent times. These files are called "cookies". However, some
sites are now using these files to keep a record of your browsing habits and
other data so that this site can recognize you on your next visit. Most of
these files are stored locally on your computer's storage, which reduces the
effectiveness of the protection offered by TOR Browser.
Therefore,
you should delete these cookies after each browsing session on Tor to prevent
malicious websites from collecting information about you and tracking your
location and IP address. Fortunately, newer versions of Tor Browser
automatically delete cookies, download history, and history once your browsing
session has ended, so make sure to enable them and update your browser version.
4/Do not approach Google and its services!
If
you want to protect your privacy and prevent any attempt to find out your true
identity on the Internet, I recommend you to stay as far as possible from
Google and its services that are like poison in honey! And here let me show you
a blind truth. Google (or Alphabet's main company) is the world's largest
company interested in user data to improve its overall products and increase
its multi-billion dollar ad network.
As
soon as you use the search giant, Google brings up your file which contains
everything the company knows about you like what you like and anything you
search for besides the cookies that are stored on your device. So don't, then
don't approach the Google search engine or anything related to Google while
using the Tor browser. Some alternatives work like Tor to protect your privacy
and not collect any data about you like DuckDuckGo or StartPage.
5/ Do not try to visit any website that uses the old protocol (HTTP)
As
we said before, Tor only acts as a traffic router, so it hides the source of
network traffic and encrypts everything inside the Tor network and any activity
outside that network is unencrypted. Here's the problem. If you visit an
unsecured site that works with HTTP instead of HTTPS, then your data sent to
that site's server is exposed and unencrypted, and through which you can be
exposed and know everything about yourself — depending on the nature of the
site and the service it provides.
.webp "5 Do not try to visit any website that uses the old protocol (HTTP)")
That
is why we recommend visiting sites that use the Secure Text Link Transfer
Protocol or HTTPS because it secures users' data through multiple layers of
protection and includes preventing any attempt to damage and modify your data,
and even some certificates of this protocol are supported by an end-to-end
encryption layer such as SSL and TLS. Therefore, all your data remains safe
even if it is outside the TOR network.
6/ If possible, do not use Tor on Windows
Did
you know that there are 1.4 billion people using Windows 10 or 11 in the world.
Of course, the Windows operating system is the most used for computers, similar
to the Android operating system in smartphones. Despite this, you should
probably not try to run the Tor browser on a Windows device.
The
reason lies in security issues and vulnerabilities that are discovered every
now and then in the Microsoft system that may sometimes allow your identity to
be revealed even if you are using TOR to access the Internet. Therefore, using
Tor on Windows has been a topic of concern for some time and may threaten your
security and compromise your privacy. So it is better to rely on other
alternative systems such as Tails and Whonix or you can rely on any Linux
distributions and they will do the trick.
7/ Stay away from add-ons
You
may consider installing some add-ons on the Tor browser to get more
functionality. This will expose your identity if your choice of add-ons is
random, or if you choose to install an add-on whose performance depends on
revealing part of your identity. Also, don't forget that extensions may not
contain malware, but they may collect data and put your privacy at risk.
Moreover, Tor does not run at a high speed compared to browsers such as Firefox
or Chrome due to its way of directing traffic and thus installing add-ons can
overload and reduce its speed.
8- Don't forget to update your browser regularly
One
of the most important tips that security experts always say is to “keep
updating” even if the Tor browser is powerful, but time and obsolescence do not
make it sufficiently impervious because new vulnerabilities are being found all
the time, especially since “Tor” is not only a haven for users but also A
fertile place targeted by pirates.
This
is what happened in 2013 when the Tor network was targeted by a Trojan known as
Chewbacca (the name is taken from a character from the Star Wars series) and
its goal was to steal the bank accounts and visa cards of Tor users.
Immediately after the discovery of the vulnerability, a new update was released
to fix it immediately. So the only solution to all of these things is to update
the browser regularly because Tor Browser deals quickly, powerfully, and
without delay with these vulnerabilities.
Why is Tor an effective anonymity?
-The
contracted ISP will not be able to spy on you and track what you do online.
-No
one will be able to track you down and reveal your web activity.
-As
long as sites do not know who you are and who you are, they will not be able to
target you with annoying ads.
-You
can surf the Internet more freely, without restrictions, and share confidential
data without revealing your identity.
Is Tor Browser safe for any user? It may be free and available to
anyone, but Tor Browser does not in any way contain malware so you can use it
without a problem, as long as you don't intend to use it for something against
the law.
Is Tor Browser enough to protect me? You have to know what you are
using to get its features and avoid its weaknesses, and as we said earlier, Tor
is a proxy and not a VPN, so the job of Tor is to secure and encrypt your
traffic and this means that everything your private is protected until it stays
away from the network Tor, then your communications and data are vulnerable to
any threat, so it is recommended to use Tor and a trusted VPN service for
better protection while on the web.
Is entering the deep web illegal and can I be held accountable? We have all
heard a lot of stories about the deep web or the dark web, however, entering
this place will not expose you to any harm, but the practice of prohibited
activities is illegal and if you are doing illegal activities in this dangerous
place, there is even a slight possibility that you will be tracked and
arrested.
Will using the Tor browser cause a problem for me? Tor Browser
is available to everyone and it is an open source project that any programmer
can complete its development, and for the average user, of course, he can take
advantage of the Tor browser and have a safe web browsing experience, but you
should worry if there are illegal activities you are doing by the browser.
In
the end, privacy and security on the web = Tor Browser which will protect your
data and allow you to surf the Internet anonymously However, the browser itself
cannot provide the protection you need if you do not help it enough, which is
why you should avoid the things we talked about before To maintain your privacy
and security and prevent any attempt to track and spy on you.