Tor Messenger

The strongest privacy preserving browser has been updated, including: • Refreshed application icons • New homepage • Bigger new windows These seem minor, but the last one is the most interesting, since several tracking techniques rely on fingerprinting your browser's viewport, and Tor defeats that with some interesting trickery! Letterboxing was introduced in Tor Browser 9.0 2 to allow users to resize their browser window without fear of being fingerprinted by rounding the inner content window (sometimes referred to as the "viewport") down to multiples of 200 x 100 pixels. This technique works by grouping the window sizes of most users into a series of common "buckets", protecting individual users within those buckets from being singled-out based on their window or screen size. In order to preserve these protections when opening new windows, Tor Browser overrides platform defaults and will instead select a size that conforms to our letterboxing steps up to a maximum of 1000 x 1000 pixels. However, while that may have been fine in the past, a max width of 1000px is no longer suitable for the modern web. For example, on many newer websites the first responsive break point lies somewhere in the range of 1000 – 1200px, meaning by default Tor Browser users would receive website menus and layouts intended for tablet and mobile devices. Alternatively, on certain websites, users would receive the desktop version but with the annoyance of a horizontal scroll bar instead. This, naturally, would lead to users of these websites needing to expand each new window manually before it's usable. In response we've bumped up the max size of new windows up to 1400 x 900 pixels and amended the letterboxing steps to match. Thanks to the increase in width, Tor Browser for desktop should no longer trigger responsive break points on larger screens and the vast majority of our desktop users will see a familiar landscape aspect-ratio more in-keeping with modern browsers. This particular size was chosen by crunching the numbers to offer greater real estate for new windows without increasing the number of buckets past the point of their usefulness. As an added bonus, we also expect that Tor Browser users will not feel the need to manually change their window size as frequently as before – thereby keeping more users aligned to the default buckets.

I have had the worst experience with Tor in the past, it was so slow that I couldn't even get it to work. I am glad that it is still going strong because the more people that use it the more effective it will be. Hackzors unite!

Congratulations on the launch of Tor Browser 13.0! The transition to Firefox ESR 115, accessibility improvements, and the new homepage design are excellent updates. The attention to detail in maintaining the "onion logo" and the removal of the "red screen of death" show your commitment to user experience. Thanks for enhancing privacy and security for all users! 🎉

My kinda browser 😏.... and the icon looks super distinct!

The update to the Tor Browser is a significant step towards enhancing user privacy and a more seamless browsing experience. The focus on defeating tracking techniques through clever measures like letterboxing shows the commitment to safeguarding user data. The increased window size and adjustment of letterboxing steps demonstrate a thoughtful response to the evolving web landscape, making it more convenient for users while maintaining privacy. It's clear that Tor Browser continues to prioritize both security and user experience. Kudos to the team for this fantastic update! 👏🌐🔒 #TorBrowser #PrivacyMatters

wow! It's nice

The icon looks super nice!