Tor Browser and Searching on Tor

Tor Browser is Firefox configured so that every user’s browser is indistinguishable from every other user’s browser. That single design decision is what makes it a privacy tool rather than a routing tool.

Why the configuration is the point

Browser fingerprinting works by finding values that make you unusual. Tor Browser removes unusualness by fixing the values:

• window size, screen dimensions, timezone, and locale are standardised
• WebRTC and other APIs that leak local network information are disabled
• canvas and font lists are quantised so that minor system differences disappear
• every user looks the same to every site, so there is no long tail to single out
• the browser refuses to let a site override these settings

Practical configuration

• Take Tor Browser from torproject.org or a reputable mirror, and verify the signature if the distribution channel allows it.
• Do not install extensions. Do not change the window size.
• Leave the default bridge, security level, and fingerprint settings alone unless there is a reason.
• Use a separate profile for work versus personal browsing only if you understand that separate profiles on one machine are not separate people; the fingerprint is the same either way.

Onion search

Searching the normal web through Tor sends the query over the circuit, so the search engine sees an exit relay. Search engines also treat Tor traffic as a bot signal, so results are frequently degraded or blocked.

An onion service search engine removes both problems: the query never leaves the network, and there is no bot-detection layer. SearxNG can be run as an onion service, and several public instances exist. Treat public instances with care: the operator can see your queries unless the instance is configured to log nothing, and a self-hosted instance is the only version where that is under your control. See SearxNG documentation.

Onions, and sites that block Tor

Some services — banks, most search engines, and a number of content sites — block exit relay addresses outright. This is a property of those services, not a failure of Tor, and it cannot be worked around without abandoning the reason for using it.

If the site blocks you:

• do not install a bridge to bypass a specific block in a way that defeats your own anonymity guarantees
• do not log in to an account from a circuit you care about
• accept that some parts of the web are not reachable this way

Which mode to use

Need	Mode
Anonymity from a website, an ad network, a local network	Standard
Accessing a site that blocks Tor	A bridge, accepting a small setup cost
Reaching a specific onion service directly	Onion mode, which skips the exit
Maximum resistance in a hostile country	The highest security level, and a bridge

Sources

• Download Tor Browser — what the project states the browser is for, and the download.
• Tor Browser Manual — the authoritative reference for settings, including the security levels and what each disables.
• SearxNG documentation — self-hosting, logging configuration, and onion service deployment.