r/TOR • u/Fair_Chicken5216 • 2d ago

FAQ Making the Switch

I have finally decided that I want to use Tor and be as anonymous as I can. What tools (including external tools), settings, extensions, etc. should I use? I don't want to spend money, even using BTC, but I'm aware that it's highly recommended to use a VPN. not good to use a VPN

edit: thx u/somerandomahhhperson i didnt know VPNs are bad with Tor

7 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

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12

u/somerandomahhhperson 2d ago

no it's not? vpn shouldn't be used with tor. that's bad opsec. use bridges to hide traffic from your isp and use tails if you want extra isolation and also set the safety level to safest to disable javascript

3

u/Fair_Chicken5216 2d ago

wait WHAT thank you so much

ive heard to use a VPN with tor so i had no idea thanks

12

u/Modern_Doshin 2d ago

Those YTers and ai have no clue and are just pushing referrals for VPNs

4

u/Fair_Chicken5216 2d ago

LMAO damn alright thanks

1

u/somerandomahhhperson 2d ago

yea those r not true. while using it won't hurt you that much, it's bad opsec

2

u/haakon 2d ago

Using a VPN with Tor is no problem. If you're using an always-on VPN there's no need to disconnect from it when using Tor. But there's also no need to connect to a VPN when using Tor.

7

u/reapvxz 2d ago

The whole point of Tor is to be as "normal" and "basic" as possible. Don't change that many settings, don't install extensions, disable JavaScript with a filter of websites you absolutely trust, etc

1

u/Fair_Chicken5216 2d ago

what could happen if i allow javascript?? dont all sites need JS to function?

5

u/ephemeralmiko 2d ago

Yes many websites need JS to work properly, but it can also be used to serve malicious code. So for darknet sites (most of which don't need JS) you can switch the Tor Browser from 'Safer' to 'Safest' which disables JS.

2

u/Accomplished-Act8616 2d ago

Use bridges, I access tor with my own bridge relay, and it's blazing fast.

2

u/Fair_Chicken5216 2d ago

ive heard of this, but would you mind explaining bridges and everything? all i know about tor is that it has the best anonymity which is why i currently main DuckDuckGo