I challenged myself in my previous newsletter to only use the TOR browser in the month of April for any personal web browsing. It was a tough task. Here are my results.
The Setup
I only used my personal Dell Latitude 7280 laptop with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD for personal browsing. These specs normally are outstanding for a Windows or Linux operating system, but I used TailsOS to access the TOR Browser which boots off a diminutive USB 3.1 flash drive in my Dell laptop, so my burly hardware specs don’t factor in as much.
I imported my extensive bookmarks.html file from my Firefox browser on another computer to enable my usual quick access to saved websites. (Confession: Over the years I have saved way too many webpages in my web browser’s bookmarks toolbar assuming I will revisit them sometime later in the future. I admit that my datahoarding has gotten out of hand. Might have to address this in more detail in a future Greyman Technology newsletter.)
It is not recommended to add any additional extensions to the TOR Browser, so I did not install my usual Bitwarden extension to autofill usernames and passwords to the websites I visit. In order to sign into a couple of .onion websites on the dark web, I exported my Bitwarden password vault as a .csv file, then imported into KeepassXC, another outstanding password manager, and stored the local .KPXC database on the persistent volume on my TailsOS USB drive.
Side benefit: By exporting my Bitwarden password vault onto another software platform, I now have a backup of my websiteURL/username/password information in case something catastrophic happens to my BItwarden account.
The Showstoppers
Forget about visiting any banking websites on the TOR Browser. Most banks rely on javascript to provide a modern, intuitive user experience for their customers who may not be very tech savvy, and TOR doesn’t load any javascript. Plus, we use the TOR Browser to maintain our anonymity online. Entering your account username and password to a banking website over the Clearnet is a no-no with TOR.
Same goes for signing into any social media sites over the Clearnet with the TOR Browser. Yes, F-book has a .onion site. Don’t get me started on F-book. I want this to be a happy newsletter.
The TOR Browser is not for online shopping. Marketplaces on the web want to know who you are, what your location is, and where you have browsed before in order to target you with ads to get you to buy stuff. Using the TOR Browser is like walking into a store with a mask covering most of your face, black jeans, a black zip-up jacket with the hood firnly placed over your noggin, black gloves, black sunglasses, and you have a small rock in your shoe so the store’s security cameras have no way of seeing any unique identifying marks on you, and any gait analysis tools are flummoxed.
The Discoveries
I normally avoid popular websites. I seek the obscure. I research technology by visiting quieter websites, the sites not at the top of my search engine result list. The TOR Browser helps me with my research. I was able to gain access to content fairly quickly, without the usual javascript distractions, even though I may have had an exit node in Germany for example. Also, some popular news websites like the New York Times and BBC have .onion sites. One can do a web search with DuckDuckGo’s .onion site, and a recommended email provider has a .onion site available as well.
The Lessons Learned
Popular websites are driven to attract us to their website and keep us there. In order to do this, they leverage javascript to display beautifully-formatted photos, clean page setup, and pleasant-to-the-eye text fonts. Not to mention incessant pop-ups, ads, or other distractions to keep you scrolling through their sites. With the TOR Browser, and not javascript running at all, I get stripped-down webpage content, not very pretty, but just the facts. The TOR Browser is not for online shopping
Moving forward, I will continue to use TailsOS and the TOR browser for my privacy/security research to maintain my anonymity while learning. By using this privacy-focused operating system and web browser, I am indirectly combatting my urges to visit online shopping sites, since this isn’t an option by using TailsOS and TOR.