What Is Tor Browser and When Should You Actually Use It

Tor Browser is a free browser from the Tor Project, built on Firefox, that sends your traffic through the Tor network. Sites see a Tor address instead of yours, and your internet provider can see that you're using Tor but not which sites you visit.

How it works

• Your traffic passes through three volunteer-run relays, each encrypted layer by layer, like an onion.
• The first relay knows your address but not where you're going; the last knows where you're going but not who you are.
• No single relay, and no single company, sees both.
• Tor Browser also makes users look alike, with the same window sizes and settings, to resist fingerprinting.

When it's worth using

• Censorship: reaching blocked sites and news, using bridges if Tor itself is blocked where you are.
• Sensitive research: looking into a health issue, legal problem or personal situation you don't want tied to you.
• Journalism and sources: many news organizations accept anonymous tips through Tor, using tools like SecureDrop.
• Onion services: sites with .onion addresses, which only work through Tor. Some major sites offer them.

When something else is better

• Everyday browsing: Tor is slower, and many sites show extra checks or block Tor addresses.
• Streaming and large downloads: too slow, and it burdens the volunteer network.
• Hiding your activity on public Wi-Fi: a trustworthy VPN is faster. A VPN means trusting one company, though; Tor spreads that trust. See what a VPN protects.
• Accounts in your own name: signing in to your usual accounts tells those sites exactly who you are.

Mistakes that undo the protection

• Logging in to personal accounts in the same session as anonymous browsing.
• Installing extra extensions, which makes your browser stand out.
• Opening downloaded documents while online; they can load content outside Tor.
• Entering details on sites without HTTPS: the last relay can see unencrypted traffic.

Is it legal?

Using Tor is legal in most countries, though some restrict or block it. What you do over Tor is subject to the same laws as anywhere else.

Less drastic privacy steps in Chrome

If you don't need anonymity, block trackers, use private DNS, and stop WebRTC from exposing your IP with WebRTC Privacy Shield. Remember that Incognito only stops history being saved on your device. See what your ISP sees in Incognito.