Tor is Good But It’s Not Magic

In my post How to Use Tor, I showed you the basics of using the Tor Browser. But Tor is more complicated than that, and setting up a super-secure connection is harder than you think. Using the Tor Browser can help, but there’s a lot of other things to consider. It can be a big help, but Tor is not magic.

I wrote this post after reading a discussion on Twitter about security flaws. One person referenced an infamous flaw in certain Intel chip systems that could let an attacker break into your computer. The conversation then turned to Signal and Tor. Some of the people in this conversation were from countries where censorship is pretty rampant; any flaw with Signal or Tor could expose them and lead to dire consequences.

It made me wonder if I was guilty of giving out harmful advice. The information in my first Tor post still holds up, but I don’t want anyone to think that it’s a complete guide to all things related to Tor. I’ve seen how many of you love “How to Use Tor.” I thank you, and I don’t want anyone to take dangerous risks. 

There is no one-size-fits-all secure app. If you really want things locked down, it’s going to take a lot more than a couple apps on your smartphone. And anyone who tells you that one app can solve everyone’s problems doesn’t know what they are talking about.

How you experience the Internet (and what you can actually access on the Internet) still depends on where you live. Not every resource on the Internet is available to everyone. For example, some countries block the use of Tor altogether. This is possible because Tor can’t disguise itself. If someone were to analyze network traffic, they might not be able to find your identity but they could tell that someone was using Tor.

If you want a higher level of security, you will have to learn and practice compartmentalization. At its most basic level, compartmentalization means not using the same email address and password for all your accounts. In some cases, this means not using the same phone for all of your activities. The more security you want, the more conveniences you will have to give up.

What can I teach you? I can teach you how to use Tor products. I can give you basic security advice. For more detailed advice, a good place to start is Surveillance Self-Defense, especially the section on advice for human rights defenders. But if you are attempting to evade surveillance, this will not be easy. It’s a life of constantly looking over your shoulder, of never leaving anything to chance. These tools can help you a lot, but they must be combined with caution, diligence, and a bit of paranoia.

Remember: Tor is good, but it’s not magic.