Safeguarding one's privacy in today's polarizing digital world is a must. There are many ways to improve your privacy, which include things like using a privacy-focused search engine, getting a VPN, and installing trusted programs.
In our FOSS Android series, we have already taken a look at many privacy-focused applications for Android, with new ones being constantly added to that collection.
This time around, we are going to take a look at Orbot, an app for making use of Tor on a smartphone. If you didn't know, Tor is a popular network that facilitates anonymous communication over the internet via a global network of interconnected, volunteer-operated relays.
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This app is different from the Tor Browser, which is a web browser with Tor integration, think of Orbot more like a VPN app.
Orbot: Tor Uncomplicated
Developed by the Guardian Project, Orbot is a simple-to-use application that makes connecting to the Tor network easy. When using this, users can expect their traffic to be encrypted and moved around different parts of the world before reaching its intended destination.
This helps with online privacy, circumventing censorship by local governments, avoiding surveillance, and pretty much neutralizing tracking. Of course, you need to keep some important things in mind before you start using Orbot.
When using Orbot, you can choose to help others connect to Tor by enabling “Kindness mode”, which will make your device a Tor relay. You can also select specific apps to use with Orbot while routing network traffic for other apps through conventional means.
Personally, I use Orbot along with F-Droid, as I noticed that it was noticeably slower without it enabled. Orbot also suggests enabling it for social media apps, as it works well with them; I have not tested that claim.
Install Orbot
You can download the latest Orbot release from the Play Store, with instructions on how to get it on F-Droid available on the official website. Do keep in mind that you may need a VPN to get access to the F-Droid instructions.
Interestingly, the mobile apps for Orbot are offered in collaboration with the Tor Project, the same group that is responsible for Tor. I'm not entirely sure why they went with this approach.
Those looking to check out the source code can visit the Guardian Project GitHub page, which lists the code for the Android app.
Ankush Das
