[root tip] [How To] Use Tor Network and Browser on Manjaro

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Tor Network and Browser

The Tor network is a network layer on top of the existing internet.

The network obscures the route as any relay only knows the sending relay and the next relay.

The Tor web browser is an anonymized version of Firefox which is setup to use the Tor network to access the internet.

Stay safe

Please do not torrent over Tor.
Tor Browser will block browser plugins such as Flash, RealPlayer, QuickTime, and others: they can be manipulated into revealing your IP address.

We do not recommend installing additional add-ons or plugins into Tor Browser

Plugins or addons may bypass Tor or compromise your privacy. Tor Browser already comes with HTTPS-Only mode, NoScript, and other patches to protect your privacy and security.
– Tor Project | Download

For reasons of security it is recommened to

  • download the browser directly from the source
  • download the signature and verify the integrity of the downloaded package

Troubleshooting

Ensure your system clock is set correct

sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-timesyncd

When you have verified the integrity of the archive

  1. unpack the archive into your home
  2. open the tor-browser folder
  3. launch the start-tor-browser.desktop file in the unpacked folder

Convenience methods

Using a convenience method takes away any guarantee that you are getting the unmodified components from upstream Tor Project.

This is not a criticism of the use of a convenient solution - it should be seen as a fact you have to deal with.

Whatever you decide on, you have therefore done it on the basis of information - not just something someone has said is a good solution - you did in fact make an informed decision on how you get and maintain the Tor browser…

torbrowser-launcher

You got two options

  1. Use the torbrowser-launcher package from the repo - this will pull the network component - the tor package from the repo

    sudo pacman -Syu torbrowser-launcher
    1. Open the Tor Browser Launcher Settings from the menu system
    2. Download Tor Browser
    3. Launch Tor Browser from your menu system

  2. Use the flatpak version of torbrowser-launcher

    flatpak install flathub com.github.micahflee.torbrowser-launcher -y

    flatpak run com.github.micahflee.torbrowser-launcher

To uninstall flatpak and clean up

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