To surf the Internet we have many options available, but not all of them are the same. There are many browsers for both computer and mobile, but we can find differences in security and privacy as well as performance. In this article we are going to talk about how to use the Tor browser. We are going to explain what it consists of, why it is useful and what steps must be taken to start using it both on the computer and on the mobile.

What is the Tor browser

The Tor browser is one of the many options we have to be able to surf the Internet. It is based on Firefox and offers greater anonymity on the net. In fact it is an option to be able enter the Deep Web, in sites that we could not access from Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

It is a project that uses the TOR network or onion net. Basically our connection will travel through multiple nodes until we reach the destination, which for example would be the website we are visiting. In this way, it creates a network superimposed on what would be the conventional Internet, which occurs when we browse from another browser and enter a website.

So what you do is use multiple layers to hide the information we are sending. This is going to make our privacy better. If we enter from a computer to a web page in a conventional way, for example from Chrome, that website will obtain information such as our IP address, they will know which operator we have, what is our operating system, time zone, etc.

Instead, when browsing TOR all that changes. We are exiting through a node that will have an IP that is not ours, so we will be hiding our real location. This is very useful for people who, for example, live in a country where the Internet is not free and cannot access many services. When using the Tor browser they will enter anonymously, without using your original IP.

You must bear in mind that the Tor browser is totally legal, safe and does not pose any danger to your team. However, you will be able to access all kinds of onion sites through this program. That means that many of them are not going to be legal, since they can contain forums to create malware, sale of illegal products, etc.

Steps to use it

The Tor browser is available both for desktop operating systems, such as Windows, Linux or macOS, as well as Android, in the case of mobile devices. It is a totally free program and open source. Using it is simple and we will show the steps that must be taken to install it and put it into operation.

Download

The first thing to do is download the program. For this you have to go to the Web page of the TOR project. There you will find the download section and the different options you have available. You only have to choose the one you need, for example the application for Windows or Android.

Once you download it, it will automatically start to download the file. You will also see the buttons to download the Alpha version, which is test, as well as the source code of the program, in case you want to analyze it. In addition, you can download the browser in another language if you need it.

It is important that whenever you install a program, even more so if it is the browser or some tool that connects to the network, it is from official sources. For this reason we advise you to only download Tor Browser from its official website and avoid any third-party platform, since you could come across a file that has been maliciously modified.

Installation

The next step, once you have downloaded the file, is install it. In the case of Windows, the installation file takes about 75 MB. You will have to choose where you want to install it and continue the process. It is really simple and it will not take you long to start using it on the Windows device. The process for macOS or Linux is very similar.

If you are going to use it on Android, you can also download it from Google Play. To do this you just have to go to the Google platform, search for Tor Browser and install it. It is quick and easy. An alternative to downloading the file from the website and installing it manually on this operating system.

Operation

Once you have installed it, the next thing is start using it. You will find a first screen like the one you see in the image below. At first it will not be connected. That means you are going to navigate just like if you were using any other browser, such as Firefox or Chrome.

It changes when you hit the button Connect. From there you will start to route traffic through the TOR network. That means that you will start browsing anonymously and your data will be hidden. This will take just a few seconds and you will see that it has quickly connected.

From there you can access onion sites that are only available through TOR. An example is The Hidden Wikki. You can try accessing that link from a conventional browser, such as Chrome or Firefox. You will see that it launches an error of the type DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN and it is not shown. On the other hand, if you access from the Tor browser, you can enter without problems.

What is useful for

Now, what is the use of using the Tor browser? Let's talk about the main uses that we can give it. Beyond serving as a browser, as any other can be, you have certain peculiarities that can be decisive for many users to decide to start using it.

Hide IP address

The first utility is that it allows hide the real IP address. If we enter a web page, such as RedesZone, Google or any online service, we are exposing the IP address. Our connection will use an IP to be able to connect to servers on the network. What the Tor browser allows is to hide that address.

In this way we will be able to enter any online service without showing our identity. They will not know where that visit comes from and it would be very difficult to trace it, unless there is some vulnerability in some node. We are going to arrive with a different IP than our real one, so they could not know our location either.

Avoid geographic locks

Precisely the latter that we mention is another important utility. We will avoid geographic locks that there may be. Think, for example, of a social network that is restricted in a given country. If you enter with an IP of that territory, you will not be able to access it. Instead, if you connect through nodes in the TOR network, you can skip that lock.

In part this works similarly to a VPN, where you're also going to be able to hide the IP address and skip a geographic lock that might exist. However, it has differences and the mode of operation is not really the same, although in this sense it seems similar.

Access onion sites

Of course, another use that you will be able to give to the Tor browser is to be able to enter onion websites. These are pages that are not accessible through search engines such as Google and you will not be able to directly put the URL in the browser and show you that website. For example, you can find onion versions of social networks like Twitter, as well as many other web pages.

Although an onion website doesn't mean it's dangerous or illegal at all, it is true that a part of the Deep Web or Deep Internet is what is known as the Dark Web. It is there where you will find pages and forums with illegal, dangerous content and where you can have certain problems.

What to consider when using this browser

You must take certain aspects into account if you are going to use the Tor browser. It is a good option on many occasions, but it has certain characteristics that may not be ideal for many users. We are going to explain the main points to keep in mind if you are going to start using it and you do not want problems.

Speed decreases

The first thing is that the speed it will decrease a lot. You may have trouble, for example, watching videos on Streaming, downloading large files, using the cloud… All this requires good bandwidth and when using Tor the speed will decrease a lot and you will find limitations.

Therefore, it is not the best option if you are going to use it to navigate normally in your day to day. It is rather an application to use at certain specific times. If you need speed, it is not the best program. You will have cuts when watching a video, failures when downloading, you will not be able to play online normally, etc.

Does not help improve security

This point is important. The security It is a determining factor and at all times we must take care of it. We may think that by using a privacy-based browser like Tor we can be more protected. However, the reality is that we can suffer computer attacks as well.

Why do we say this? Tor Browser is not going to protect us from clicking a link that takes us to a fake website, nor is it going to prevent us from downloading a file that actually contains malware. Nor will it tell us if that program we are installing has viruses. It does not act like an antivirus.

In this way, the Tor browser will not act as an antivirus. You will always have to have security programs if you want to be fully protected on the net and have no problems. Although it is a useful tool for privacy, it is not so useful in order to improve security. Basically in this case it would act like any other browser.

Privacy improvement is limited

Although in a way it is evident that it improves the privacy when browsing, keep in mind that this is limited. Tor is going to hide the real IP address and it will improve our privacy when we use the browser to enter a web page or use an online service through this application.

However, it will not improve privacy if we use any other program connected to the network. In that case what you would have to use is a VPN, that does encrypt the entire connection and not only what happens through the browser. Encryption will only go through the browser, the pages you visit for example. If you use something external, such as an application like Skype, the data would not be going through that tunnel.

Works with VPN, but not advisable

Although you will be able to use the Tor browser at the same time as a VPN, it is not advisable. It is not since the connection is going to slow down much more. Think that a VPN is already going to encrypt everything you send over the Internet, so using this browser would produce double encryption and that will slow down the connection.

It is an option that you can take into account at certain times if you need to preserve privacy to the maximum, but it is not something that is advisable. The most normal thing is that you cannot navigate normally, especially as soon as you do something that requires significant speed.

What to avoid when using Tor

We have explained why the Tor browser is useful, how it works and also its limitations. Now we are going to talk about under what circumstances you should avoid using it. Mainly for security and privacy, there are times when it is not convenient to use this program or, at least, use it with greater caution.

An example is log in on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. By doing so we can identify ourselves on the network. They can even capture login packets and impersonate the identity. Something similar can happen when logging into commercial platforms such as Amazon or eBay.

You should also avoid sending information personal through the Tor network or at least make sure you send it safely. Always use encrypted pages and you can help you with plugins like HTTPS Everywhere to reduce the risk. This type of error can quickly expose your identity without you noticing.

Also, another point to keep in mind is that you should not take more risks than when using any other browser. That is, you should not have a false sense of greater security and open any link or file that reaches you, since there could be viruses and they will also compromise your device.

In short, as you have seen, the Tor browser is very useful for browsing the network, hiding the IP address and being able to access Onion sites. It has limitations and it is not the best option if you are looking for speed, but it does have peculiarities that make it an interesting option in many cases.