

For more information, see our ethics policy. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. As a result, while Tor protects you against tracking, you may still have to put up with the presence of the ads themselves.
#How safe is tor browser install
The Tor Browser doesn’t block ads, but Tor also recommends that you don’t install extensions as they may cause privacy or functionality issues. “This means each Tor Browser user looks like every other Tor Browser user, making it difficult to track any individual user.”

“Tor Browser is specifically engineered to have a nearly identical (we’re not perfect!) fingerprint across its users,” it says.
#How safe is tor browser download
Find the “History” section in the main area and uncheck “Always use private browsing mode.” You will need to restart the browser you can then choose what you want it to remember when you exit (such as your browsing and download history).Go to “Privacy & Security” on the left-hand menu.Go to “Options” (on a PC) or “Preferences” (on a Mac). Click on the three bars in the top right corner of the browser window.(It will also delete them when you restart it using the “New Identity” function, which is the broomstick icon to the right of the address bar.) You can disable private browsing mode if you want to keep some of your cookies or data. When you install the Tor Browser, it is set by default to private browsing mode, which will delete all cookies and site data when the browser is closed. If you’re having trouble getting the site to load properly you can try to adjust it by clicking on the “New Circuit for this Site” button, which will reroute the data and possibly solve the problem.Īs mentioned above, the Tor Browser is based on Firefox, which is why some of the interface and controls may look familiar if you’re a Firefox user. To see what servers your data is being bounced through, you can click on the green lock icon on the left side of the address bar. The Tor Browser just bundles Tor tech into a Firefox wrapper, so using this browser doesn’t mean you’re suddenly going to stumble onto the dark web.) Adjust your tracking settings (A note: you may have read a lot about Tor and the dark web. While this efficiently protects your identity, it can also become troublesome with sites such as financial institutions or medical services that see your login as not coming from your home computer. Different tabs originating from the same website will all be loaded through the same circuit.Īs a result, according to Tor, websites and browsers will identify your connection as coming from the Tor network.

As Tor’s site explains, it does this by encrypting your information and relaying it through Tor’s system of servers (called a circuit), so that your ISP can’t track your activity. The name Tor stands for The Onion Routing, which was the original description of how the open-source browser anonymizes its users. If you’re concerned about privacy and want one of the most well-protected browsers available - and don’t mind that it may prevent you from using certain websites - then you should try the Tor Browser.
