Tor Project Launches Tor VPN Beta for Android

The Tor Project, behind the well-known privacy-oriented Tor Browser, has now made Tor VPN Beta available officially as an experimental VPN application aimed at taking privacy online to the next level. The VPN, distributed under the open-source BSD 3-Clause license, is accessible right now for Android users only through the Google Play Store. Unlike normal VPNs, Tor VPN Beta is not yet suitable for riskier situations because it's still in testing mode and can be susceptible to leaks or not fully optimized features. Rather, the app wants to gather user feedback, optimize its performance, and develop into a more secure and stable utility in the future.

How Tor VPN Beta Works

Fundamentally, Tor VPN Beta uses the Tor Network to hide people's IP addresses and locations, providing greater privacy between applications and services. In contrast to a typical VPN that makes all of the data go through one encrypted tunnel, this application brings something more robust each application can execute on its own independent Tor circuit, and thus they have unique exit IP addresses. This architecture works to restrict cross-app tracking and increase anonymity.

The app sends data through five different nodes: one entry, three intermediate, and one exit. This mirrors the architecture of the Tor Browser so that there is a layered security. It makes it that much more difficult for trackers, advertisers, or surveillance systems to track the user activity.

Custom App-Level Routing

Another highlight is the option to select which applications route through Tor. Users can set up manually which apps employ the VPN while others can ride around it. This granularity makes Tor VPN Beta particularly valuable for users who want to leave social apps or sensitive services under wraps but allow less important apps to connect as usual. This level of control is all but unseen among top-tier VPNs, setting Tor VPN Beta apart.

Tackling Censorship With Built-in Bridges

Tor has long been a tool for bypassing censorship, and Tor VPN Beta carries this legacy forward. The app comes preloaded with bridges that disguise Tor traffic to help it avoid detection and blocking.

• obfs4 Bridge: Disguises Tor traffic to look like random, unidentifiable data.

• Snowflake Bridge: Makes traffic resemble a regular video call, making it harder for censors to block.

For users facing stricter censorship, the app also allows them to add extra bridges manually or request them directly from the Tor Project. This ensures connectivity even in heavily restricted regions.

Constructed on Arti

Probably the most important enhancement under the hood is that Tor VPN Beta is constructed on Arti, the Tor Project's new Rust-based implementation. In contrast to the older C-based tools, Arti offers a safer security foundation, improved performance, and easier maintainability. Rust's memory safety features lower the threat of common vulnerabilities, giving Tor VPN Beta more safety for extended use.

This new re-architecture is a significant improvement to the Tor ecosystem, setting the stage for future privacy technologies that are both safer and faster.

Why Tor VPN Beta Matters

Launch of Tor VPN Beta marks a significant broadening of the mission of the Tor Project outside of the browser. Although the Tor Browser is still vital for anonymous web surfing, this VPN app wants to bring the privacy advantages of Tor to all apps on Android. With messaging apps to streaming services, individuals will now have the opportunity to determine where their traffic goes, with freedom from the constraints of browser-based anonymity.

While it's currently experimental and not ready yet for journalists, activists, or high-risk users, Tor VPN Beta gives us an idea of where mobile privacy is headed. With user input and further refinement, it could be a top privacy-focused VPN solution.

Tor VPN Beta is more than a VPN app it's a different way of approaching mobile device online privacy. By sending app traffic through multiple Tor circuits, hiding activity behind censorship-resistant bridges, and standing on the secure foundation of Rust, the app differentiates itself from standard VPN services.

For the time being, it is still a beta project for experimentation and testing purposes, but its release is a promising step in the direction of more capable privacy instruments for all. Android users interested in privacy and anonymity can test it today on the Google Play Store and provide valuable feedback for its future shaping.