Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows individuals and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet.
The release of the new branch and version of the popular browser was announced "Tor Browser 12.0", which has been transitioned to the Firefox 102 ESR branch. This new version highlights builds for Apple devices with Apple Silicon chips, multilanguage support, and more.
The Navigator is focused on providing anonymity, security and privacy, all traffic is redirected solely through the Tor network. It is impossible to contact directly through the regular network connection of the current system, which does not allow tracing the real IP address of the user (in the case of a browser attack, the attackers can access the network settings of the system, so which products like Whonix should be used to completely block potential leaks).
Main news of Tor Browser 12.0
This new version that is presented, moved to the codebase to Firefox 102 ESR versions and the stable branch tor 0.4.7.12, Besides that multilingual builds are provided, since in previous versions of the browser you had to load a separate build for each language, now a universal build is provided, allowing the user to switch languages on the fly.
For new installations on Tor Browser 12.0, the language corresponding to the locale set in the system will be selected automatically (the language can be changed during operation), and when moving from the 11.5.x branch, the language previously used in Tor Browser will be selected automatically (the multilingual set is about 105 MB).
For new users, Tor Browser 12.0 will automatically update itself when launched to match your system language. And if you've upgraded from Tor Browser 11.5.8, the browser will try to keep your previously chosen display language.
Either way, you can now change the display language without additional downloads via the Language menu in the general settings, but we still recommend that you restart Tor Browser before the change takes full effect.
Naturally, bundling multiple languages into a single download should increase Tor Browser's file size; we are well aware of this; however, we have found a way to save efficiency elsewhere, which means the difference in file size between Tor Browser 11.5 and 12.0 is smaller.
In the version for Android, HTTPS-Only mode is enabled by default, in which all requests made without encryption are automatically redirected to secure page variants ("http://" is replaced by "https://"). In the versions of desktop, a similar mode was enabled in the last major release.
It is also worth mentioning that in the version of Android, added “Prioritize .onion sites” setting to the "Privacy and Security" section, which provides automatic forwarding to sites when attempting to open websites that emit the "Onion-Location" HTTP header indicating the presence of a variant of the site on the Tor network.
Another novelty that stands out in the new version is the improved implementation of the mailbox mechanism which adds padding around web page content to block identification by window size.
We can also find that the ability to disable widescreen format For trusted pages, single-pixel borders around full-screen videos have been removed, and potential information leaks have been eliminated.
Of the other changes that stand out from this new version of Tor:
- Added interface translations to Albanian and Ukrainian.
- The tor-launcher component has been redesigned to launch Tor for the Tor Browser.
- After the audit, HTTP/2 Push support is enabled.
- Locale leaks prevented via international API, system colors via CSS4, and blocked ports (network.security.ports.banned).
- Presentation API disabled and Web MIDI.
- Native builds prepared for Apple devices with Apple Silicon chips.
Finally, if you are interested in being able to learn more about this new release, you can check the details at the following link.
Download and get Tor 12.0
For those interested in being able to try the new version, they should know that the Tor browser builds are prepared for Linux, Windows and macOS.
The formation of a new version for Android is delayed.
The Tor browser, really very ingenious, with very good tools.
Undoubtedly, today the one with the best capacity, to have what today almost does not exist, privacy and security before so many millions of snoopers, above all, the big giants like Google.
Thank you and without a doubt Linux, not very well known, but the best operating system because you adapt it to yourself, it absorbs few resources.
Thank you for the precise information on its evolution in various utility plans.!!
Rafael