In an effort to create a safer internet, one of the most trusted VPN services has teamed up with the Tor Project.
As a Green Onion member, the Swiss-based provider of ProtonVPN as well as ProtonMail are now supporting this project. Both teams will collaborate closely to improve the user experience when connecting to Proton web applications over Tor.
“Tor’s work closely aligns to our vision of building an internet that is better and privacy is the default,” the company wrote in a blog post (opens in new window). “Sadly, more governments are resorting to internet censorship to control their citizens. Tor’s anonymity and ability to bypass internet blocks makes it a crucial tool in fighting censorship.
What is the Tor Project?
The Tor Project was founded in 2006 and became a non-profit organization. Its origins date back to the mid-1990s.
The Tor browser uses a concept called ‘onion routing’ to route traffic through multiple servers and encrypt data every step of the way. This is designed to give users as much privacy as possible when browsing the internet. All information is open-sourced.
Although this is very similar to VPN services, Tor is much more secure because it routes your data through at most three servers. It also uses multiple layers of encryption to make sure your data is protected as you move from one server to another.
The downside to using Tor browser is the fact that all of these encryption layers will slow down your connection. Even VPN providers recommend combining the services if anonymity is important, such as if you’re browsing from a restricted or highly monitored country like China.
Tor browser allows easy connection to Proton apps
You can connect to Tor using a regular browser with your ProtonVPN account, but it is a little different when you need to access your secure mail service. This collaboration has resulted in the ProtonMail onion site allowing you to sign up for your ProtonMail accounts.
This is not the first time Proton has teamed up with Tor. The provider was actually assisted by the non-profit organization in the launch of the first version of the site in 2017. Users can now benefit from Tor’s enhanced privacy options to protect their chats and calendars.
The provider stated that Proton believes everyone should have access to the internet and be free to express themselves, without fear of censorship or surveillance. As part of this effort, we have joined the Tor Project as Green Onion Members.
“Our close collaboration and the Tor Project will allow people who are under advanced online surveillance or censorship to have more access to our services through our updated onion website.”
