A Tor Phone refers to the concept of a smartphone which routes internet connections through the Tor network. The first Tor Phone was a prototype smartphone released in 2016 by The Tor Project, which gave users the ability to route internet connections through Tor for anonymity. Work on Tor Phone was launched in 2014,[1] and a "Tor-enabled Android phone prototype" was announced in 2016.[2] The project was led by Mike Perry, Tor Browser lead developer.[3]
Background
Tor Phone refers to a smartphone set to route internet connections through Tor network, for example using the Orbot application and Android VPN settings,[4] although according to developer Mike Perry in 2016, Android's VPN APIs were not secure and could leak data at boot, which affects Orbot too.[5][6] The prototype Tor Phone was based on CopperheadOS, which added additional security features.[7][8][9][10] Another option is to use Torbrowser on smartphones.[11][12][13] Follow-on project, GrapheneOS continues supporting usage of Orbot (Tor) VPN and Torbrowser on Android-based phones.[14][15]
Adoption
The number of Tor users on phones is unknown. As of 2016 there were about 2 million daily Tor users, total, including all devices and methods.[16] The Tor Phone effort received international attention.[17][6]
The number of Tor users on phones is unknown. The Tor Phone effort received international attention.[18][6]
Related projects
In January 2015 David Briggs and Nick Spriggs began an unsuccessful Indiegogo campaign to make the BOSS phone, an Android-based phone with "rooted Tor encryption" to anonymize and privatize internet browsing.[19][20]
In 2014 a mobile version of TAILS operating system was announced.[21][22]
See also
References
- ^ Perry, Mike (April 2, 2014). "Mission Impossible: Hardening Android for Security and Privacy | Tor Blog". blog.torproject.org. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Perry, Mike (November 16, 2016). "Mission Improbable: Hardening Android for Security And Privacy | Tor Blog". blog.torproject.org. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Tor Project: Core People". 2016-11-14. Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "Tor Mobile | Tor Project | Support". support.torproject.org. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "How to anonymize all of your apps on Android". The Daily Dot. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ a b c "Tor Phone: Privacy activists developing super private and secure version of Android". International Business Times UK. 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Sabarinath (2016-11-26). "Tor Phone — Super Private And Secure Version Of Android By Tor Project". TechLog360. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "The Tor Phone prototype: a truly private smartphone?". Naked Security. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Staff, Ars (2016-11-22). "Tor phone is antidote to Google "hostility" over Android, says developer". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "Tor Phone Is The "Super-secure Version Of Android", Developed By Tor Project". Fossbytes. 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Septembre 2018, Par Louis Adam | Mardi 11. "Tor fait peau neuve sur Android". ZDNet France (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ https://www.eff.org (2020-03-11). "How to: Use Tor for Android". Surveillance Self-Defense. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ Whitney, Lance (May 9, 2019). "How to use the Tor browser on an Android device". TechRepublic. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "FAQ | GrapheneOS". grapheneos.org. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ "Usage | GrapheneOS". grapheneos.org. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ "Traffic Studies Reveal Complex Picture of Tor's Role on 'Dark Web'". eWEEK. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Septembre 2018, Par Louis Adam | Mardi 11. "Tor fait peau neuve sur Android". ZDNet France (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Septembre 2018, Par Louis Adam | Mardi 11. "Tor fait peau neuve sur Android". ZDNet France (in French). Retrieved 2021-02-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Matyszczyk, Chris. "BOSS phone, a handset so secure that Sony execs should use it?". CNET. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Dormehl, Luke (2015-01-12). "Can This Giant Tor Phone Finally Protect Against Hackers?". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "Tor is building an anonymous smartphone OS". The Daily Dot. 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
- ^ "All the details on Tor's new mobile OS". The Daily Dot. 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2021-07-04.