Tor VPN and Signal Backups Beta Released | This Week in Privacy #18 (Sep 12, 2025)

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Join us 2025-09-12T21:00:00Z for This Week In Privacy #18, to catch up on the latest Privacy Guides updates and to discuss trending news in the privacy space.

During the livesteam we’ll answer viewer questions. If you have a question for us, please leave a comment in this forum thread or the YouTube chat.

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Questions:

  1. Will it be fair to think of any OS Tor VPN is running on to be half way between Tails OS and any other mainstream OS? (in that everything is routed through Tor but no ephemeral state and only persistent storage).
  2. Will Tor speeds still be the same or does The Tor Project has plans to somehow improve speeds when more people start using the Tor VPN?
  3. Will Tor VPN result in more CAPTCHA’s as the current Tor browser often does (depending on the website)?
  4. What else is more likely to break with the usage of apps and services with the Tor VPN that people may not be thinking about yet? What should users be aware of as the “pitfalls” from a usability POV with Tor VPN? You may also cover the advantages here.

Thanks!

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@JG
Tor VPN is just a modern reimplementation of Orbot using Arti officially by the Tor Project.

It is Android only.

yes.

You may see less if you use a traditional browser, but that is strongly not recommended.

People should be aware of any apps that may use plain HTTP, although Google has mandated HTTPS for a while now for Play Store inclusion.

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Thanks for all the answers.

Yes I know. For now. But I am ssuming it is also coming for other OS’s?

I’m confused then. If using Tor VPN, should you still use the Tor browser? :confused: How’s that going to work? Am I missing something here?

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Thanks again.

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Tor Browser and other Tor over Tor apps will bypass it, same as Orbot, as long as the system Block connections without VPN setting isn’t enabled.
See the list here: app/src/main/java/org/torproject/vpn/ui/approuting/data/AppManager.kt · 0566c4478db50eea04457de7aab8f206307ae156 · The Tor Project / Applications / vpn · GitLab
In the past my DivestOS had a feature (based off of some Calyx patch) that allowed this to work for Orbot and Tor VPN even with that (essential) setting enabled.

Invizible is the only one that let’s those apps work even with the killswitch enabled due to how they handle traffic.

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Thanks for the exposition.