Tor Browser 15.0.20

Tor Browser is a hardened Firefox build that routes traffic through the Tor network and, more importantly, is configured so that every user looks the same to the websites they visit. Version 15.0.20 is the current stable release and ships in Tails 7.11.

Anonymity comes from uniformity

The routing is the part everyone knows about. The fingerprinting resistance is the part that does the heavy lifting.

An ordinary browser leaks an enormous amount of identifying information: screen dimensions, installed fonts, timezone, canvas rendering quirks, WebGL capabilities, audio processing characteristics. Combined, these are often unique enough to identify you across sessions without any cookie.

Tor Browser normalizes all of it. Every user reports the same characteristics, which is why the window opens at a specific size and why resizing it produces a warning. Those behaviors look like bugs and are the entire point.

Why you should not customize it

The instinct to install your favourite extensions and change settings is exactly wrong here. Every modification makes you more distinguishable, which is the opposite of what the browser exists to achieve.

The same reasoning applies to maximizing the window, changing the default zoom, or installing fonts. If your configuration is unique, the network-level anonymity does not save you.

Security levels

Three levels are available from the shield icon:

• Standard. All features enabled. Fastest, least protected.
• Safer. JavaScript disabled on non-HTTPS sites, some media click-to-play.
• Safest. JavaScript disabled entirely, most media blocked.

Most successful attacks against Tor users historically targeted browser vulnerabilities rather than the network. Raising the security level reduces the attack surface substantially at the cost of many sites not working.

Installing on Linux

# The tarball, extracted anywhere
tar xf tor-browser-linux-x86_64-15.0.20.tar.xz
cd tor-browser
./start-tor-browser.desktop --register-app

# Or Flatpak
flatpak install flathub org.torproject.torbrowser-launcher

Avoid distribution packages of Tor Browser where they exist. The project builds and signs its own releases specifically so that the binary you run matches what was audited, and distribution rebuilds break that chain.

What Tor does not do

Tor anonymizes your connection. It does not make you anonymous if you log into an account tied to your identity, and it does not encrypt traffic past the exit node for non-HTTPS sites.

For a stronger posture, Tails runs the whole system through Tor rather than a single browser.

Verify Your Download

The Tor Project signs every release. Verification instructions are published at support.torproject.org, and for this particular piece of software they are worth following.