In the event you’re seeking to enhance your privateness in your iPhone or iPad, it’s possible you’ll end up contemplating a VPN or the Tor community. Sadly, issues get a little bit difficult on the subject of iOS, no matter whether or not you’re solely utilizing Tor or combining it with a VPN.
Apple’s iOS working system has some limitations that may make true anonymity harder to attain. Specifically, the usage of WebKit, Apple’s proprietary browser engine, is without doubt one of the greatest hurdles privacy-seeking iOS customers are prone to face. On this publish, we’ll discover the problems of utilizing a VPN and Tor on iOS, whether or not they’re secure, and what your finest choices are.
What are VPNs and Tor (and why use them)?
VPNs and Tor are two of probably the most highly effective and well-liked instruments on the subject of on-line privateness. But they work in several methods and supply totally different ranges of safety.
What’s a VPN?
A VPN, quick for Digital Personal Community, takes your iPhone or iPad’s web visitors and routes it by way of an encrypted tunnel to a safe server in one other location earlier than forwarding it to its vacation spot. Encryption ensures your ISP and different snoopers can’t see what you’re doing on-line, be it the web sites you’re visiting or the information you’re sending.
Web sites and providers you go to will solely see the IP handle of the VPN server. This isn’t solely advantageous for privateness, but additionally as a way of bypassing geographic restrictions. Connecting to a server out of the country means that you can spoof your location, serving to you sidestep geo-blocking.
What’s Tor?
Tor, quick for The Onion Router, is a decentralized community that anonymizes web visitors. If you use Tor, your encrypted web visitors is routed by way of three random servers (also known as “relays”). Every relay peels away a layer of encryption, very like the layers of an onion, till the decrypted knowledge reaches its remaining vacation spot.
Though Tor is slower than a VPN as a result of a number of layers of encryption, it gives stronger anonymity. You don’t have to put belief in a 3rd celebration as you do with a VPN, and Tor has the added benefit of being free (though free VPNs exist, we don’t advocate them).
Why use a VPN and Tor?
Individuals use VPNs and Tor for a spread of causes, together with the next:
- Safe delicate knowledge equivalent to emails and cost data
- Defending privateness from ISPs, governments, and different snoopers
- Accessing geo-blocked or government-censored content material
- Circumventing surveillance in oppressive international locations
- Researching delicate subjects with out being tracked
- Safeguarding communication for journalists, activists, and whistleblowers
Some folks select to mix each a VPN and Tor so as to add an additional layer of safety when shopping. The effectiveness of this actually is determined by the way it’s performed in addition to which machine is getting used. Certainly, there are some issues to consider with a Tor+VPN setup on iOS.
The iOS WebKit limitation
All browsers on iOS have to make use of Apple’s WebKit engine. Even privacy-focused browsers equivalent to Firefox, Courageous, and the Onion Browser, the latter of which connects to the Tor community, are all constructed on the identical underlying know-how.
In the event you’re utilizing the Onion Browser on iOS, it’s nonetheless based mostly on Apple’s modified model of WebKit. This differs from the official Tor browser on desktop, which, based mostly on Firefox, may be extensively personalized for privateness and anonymity.
This restriction is problematic for just a few causes, primarily as a result of it limits the Onion Browser’s potential to implement a few of Tor’s strongest privateness options. For instance, it could actually’t totally stop JavaScript-based fingerprinting, a method web sites use to trace customers with out utilizing cookies. As a substitute, it depends on accumulating distinctive particulars about your browser and machine setup. This may embrace the next:
- Working system and browser model
- Display dimension and backbone
- Timezone and system language
- Put in fonts and plugins
- Whether or not you’re utilizing darkish mode
- The way in which your browser renders pictures or processes JavaScript
Individually, this data is pretty innocent. Nonetheless, when mixed it could actually type a novel fingerprint that’s able to figuring out and monitoring you throughout totally different web sites. In reality, it could actually do that even in case you’re utilizing Tor and blocking cookies.
Onion Browser additionally lacks first-party isolation, which prevents totally different web sites from linking your exercise throughout a number of tabs or periods. Consequently, though the Onion Browser on iOS routes visitors by way of the Tor community, your anonymity isn’t as nicely protected as in case you have been on a desktop utilizing the official Tor browser.
Is the Onion Browser secure to make use of?
The Onion Browser is one of the simplest ways to entry the Tor community on iOS. It’s open-source and even endorsed by the Tor Undertaking. For these causes, many customers discover it to be a secure and useful gizmo for enhancing privateness on iOS. In the event you’re seeking to browse .onion websites or conceal your IP handle from web sites, the Onion Browser definitely does the job.
Whether or not the Onion Browser is secure actually is determined by your risk mannequin. As a result of the truth that it runs on Apple’s WebKit browser engine, Onion Browser lacks among the superior protections discovered within the desktop Tor browser. These embrace not totally blocking fingerprint strategies or isolating web sites from each other. Consequently, it’s simpler for websites to trace you throughout periods or determine your machine.
Even with its limitations, the Onion Browser continues to be safer and personal than Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or some other mainstream browser on iOS, supplied you’re utilizing it appropriately. The Tor community routing hides your IP handle and anonymizes visitors. It additionally blocks trackers by design.
The Onion Browser is completely appropriate for informal shopping, however it’s possible you’ll need to rethink in case you plan on utilizing it for extra delicate actions equivalent to evading surveillance.
Combining a VPN with Tor on iOS
It’s attainable to mix a VPN with Tor on iOS, however you’ll discover it’s extra restricted than what you are able to do on a desktop. On iPhones and iPads, you’re largely restricted to the next configuration:
VPN + Tor (Tor over VPN)
A Tor over VPN setup may be very easy in that you simply solely must open your VPN, hook up with a server, after which launch Onion Browser in your iPhone or iPad. There are a number of advantages to doing so.
By connecting to a VPN first, you’ll conceal the truth that you’re utilizing Tor out of your ISP. That is helpful in case you’re utilizing Tor in a rustic the place Tor utilization can increase purple flags – even in case you’re not really doing something unlawful. Oppressive governments might affiliate Tor visitors with bypassing censorship, cybercrime, accessing the darkish internet, or whistleblowing.
If Tor utilization is logged or flagged in your location, connecting to a VPN first means your ISP solely sees encrypted visitors going to the VPN server. That is much less prone to stand out if extra folks use VPNs than Tor in your nation. Having stated this, if utilizing Tor is a matter in your nation, it’s unlikely that VPNs are appeared on extra favorably.
Tor over a VPN protects Tor from native community monitoring. In the event you’re on public wifi or a community you don’t completely belief (in a college or office, for instance), your VPN encrypts all visitors earlier than it leaves your machine. If a community blocks entry to the Tor community, a VPN can probably assist you bypass it. The community will solely see a VPN connection and never a Tor connection. Some VPNs obfuscate connections, disguising VPN visitors as common internet visitors so a community might not even know you’re utilizing a VPN.
Likewise, it’s possible you’ll need to stop Tor entry nodes from seeing your actual IP handle. Nonetheless, there are some instances the place utilizing Tor over a VPN doesn’t assist that a lot. A VPN doesn’t make you completely invisible and, in actuality, simply shifts belief out of your ISP to your VPN supplier. In the event you’re underneath excessive surveillance or have a high-risk profile, different instruments equivalent to a Tor bridge could also be extra acceptable.
Tor + VPN (VPN over Tor)
The opposite setup is much much less frequent and includes routing your visitors by way of Tor first after which tunneling out by way of a VPN. This usually requires superior configuration. Certainly, iOS doesn’t actually permit this sort of customized routing between apps.
The potential good thing about a VPN over Tor is that you could then conceal Tor utilization from the vacation spot website and encrypt exit visitors. This can provide you entry to websites, apps, and providers that in any other case block Tor connections or immediate Tor customers with incessant CAPTCHAs.
Organising a VPN over Tor is extra complicated, however it may be useful for people searching for to entry web sites that block Tor visitors.
The best way to browse safely on iOS
Most individuals don’t want to make use of each a VPN and Tor. Additional, iOS does have some built-in safety strengths, equivalent to sandboxed apps and strict app retailer controls. It’s simply that on the subject of on-line privateness and anonymity, iOS customers are considerably restricted by Apple’s obligatory WebKit for all browsers.
Right here are some things you are able to do to browse extra safely on iOS:
1. Use the Onion Browser
Though it is probably not good as a consequence of WebKit, Onion Browser stays arguably probably the most personal browser choice accessible on iOS. It routes your visitors by way of the Tor community, hides your IP handle, and grants entry to .onion websites. Deciding on the “Most secure” safety stage disables scripts and reduces monitoring dangers.
2. Use a good, no-logs VPN
The Onion Browser solely encrypts your browser visitors and never that of your apps. A top quality VPN securely encrypts all your iPhone or iPad’s visitors. It additionally hides your IP handle from each your ISP and web sites you go to. It’s vital to decide on a good VPN supplier that has a strict no-logs coverage – ideally one which’s been independently audited to show it.
3. Use a privacy-focused browser (when not utilizing the Onion Browser)
One draw back of the Onion Browser is that, as a result of layers of encryption concerned, it may be fairly gradual. It could not all the time be appropriate for informal shopping and is definitely not appropriate with bandwidth-intensive actions equivalent to streaming or on-line gaming. For that reason, it’s possible you’ll need to discover a privacy-focused browser while you’re not utilizing it. The likes of DuckDuckGo and Courageous have a significantly better status for privateness than Safari or Chrome, as they block trackers and implement HTTPS.
4. Restrict monitoring and knowledge sharing in iOS settings
You’ll be able to cut back the quantity of information that apps, advertisers, and even Apple can acquire about you within the background. This lowers your threat of being profiled or tracked throughout totally different apps and providers. To do that, go to Settings > Privateness & Safety and overview the next:
- App monitoring transparency: Disable monitoring for all apps.
- Location providers: Set to “Whereas utilizing the app” or disable the place not wanted.
- Analytics & Enhancements: Flip off iPhone Analytics and sharing with Apple/builders.
5. Pay attention to your digital footprint
You’ll be able to cut back your digital footprint by commonly clearing your browser’s cache and cookies. Some browsers, equivalent to DuckDuckGo and Onion Browser, embrace auto-clear choices. In the event you’re attempting to browse anonymously, it’s finest to not keep logged into accounts.
VPN and Tor on iOS: FAQ
Can I take advantage of the Tor browser on iOS?
No. The official Tor Browser, developed and maintained by the Tor Undertaking, is out there solely on desktop platforms (Home windows, Mac, and Linux) and on Android. As a result of a few of Apple’s restrictions, there’s no full Tor browser equal. As a substitute, iPhone and iPad customers can use the Onion Browser. The Tor Undertaking endorses this open-source app as one of the simplest ways to entry Tor on iOS.
Is the Onion Browser secure to make use of?
Sure, the Onion Browser is secure to make use of however it’s vital to pay attention to among the limitations. The open-source app is developed by Mike Tigas and is endorsed by the Tor Undertaking as the best choice for accessing the Tor community on iOS. It hides your IP handle and anonymizes your shopping. It additionally enables you to go to .onion websites. Nonetheless, iOS’s WebKit engine doesn’t permit browsers like Onion Browser to supply anti-fingerprinting or first-party isolation.
Ought to I take advantage of a VPN with the Onion Browser?
You should use a VPN with the Onion Browser and in some instances it’s useful to take action, significantly if you wish to conceal the truth that you’re utilizing Tor or conceal your actual IP handle from the primary Tor relay (entry node). Nonetheless, it’s not all the time vital to make use of a VPN with the Onion Browser as a result of it already routes your visitors by way of the Tor community, anonymizing your connection by bouncing it by way of a number of encrypted relays.
You need to have belief in your VPN supplier. Your VPN sees your actual IP handle and unencrypted visitors. As such, it’s vital to decide on a good VPN supplier that operates a strict no-logs coverage. Utilizing a VPN alongside the Onion Browser can decelerate efficiency much more as a result of additional layer of encryption on prime.
