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Why should I use TOR?

TOR is designed for online privacy. It’s especially useful to avoid government surveillance, protect your identity, or bypass internet censorship. TOR’s multi-hop encryption hides your activities and lets you access restricted content or the dark web anonymously.

To confirm you’re connected to the TOR network, open your browser and go to https://check.torproject.org. If it says “Congratulations! This browser is configured to use Tor,” you’re good to go.

TOR encrypts your traffic and routes it through several nodes, making it almost impossible for anyone to track your IP address. Each step in the network only knows its immediate neighbors, protecting your identity and masking your location.

To access the dark web, you need to use a browser like TOR (The Onion Router) to visit “.onion” sites, which are not accessible via standard browsers. You can find directories like The Hidden Wiki to browse available onion links. Just paste the .onion URL into the TOR browser and press enter. From there, you can explore the dark web as you would the regular internet.

Using TOR over VPN combines the strengths of both tools. You get TOR’s anonymity with the added encryption and privacy that a VPN provides, making it harder for anyone to trace your activities. This layered approach enhances security and privacy, especially when navigating through sensitive or restricted content.

A TOR circuit is the path your data takes through multiple nodes (or relays) in the TOR network before it reaches its destination. Each node only knows the previous and next node, ensuring that no single point in the chain has the full picture of your activity, keeping your data secure and anonymous.

Once the TOR browser is open, click the Onion Button at the bottom of the screen to access “TOR Circuit” and “Bridge Configuration.” You can select default bridges or request new ones from “torproject.org.” These bridges help bypass censorship or restrictions on TOR usage.

The best bridge depends on your needs. Obfs4 bridges are great for getting around censorship, while Snowflake bridges are still in testing. You can also set up a custom bridge if you want to control which relays you use. If needed, you can request bridges directly from the Tor Project.

How do I know if I’m connected to TOR?

To confirm you’re connected to the TOR network, open your browser and go to https://check.torproject.org. If it says “Congratulations! This browser is configured to use Tor,” you’re good to go.

TOR is slower than regular browsers because it routes traffic through several nodes to anonymize you, which adds latency. For better speeds, ensure no other apps are using TOR and try switching to a faster internet connection.

If TOR isn’t connecting, try these steps:

  • Update to the latest version of the app
  • Kill the app from the background and reopen it
  • Check your internet connection and reconnect
  • Ensure no other TOR-based apps are running