Tails of Tor: Linux Access to the Dark Side Part 1

Category: Linux

Note: Yes, the title of this article is an indirect reference to Roy Thomas' classic Conan comic books from the 70s.

There are many online discussions regarding the Tor project, some of them exploring the questionable use of the "Dark Side of the Internet". With everyone (including the Linux Action Show hosts) suggesting ways to protect a user's online activities in light of NSA's behavior towards privacy, is Linux's amnesiac distribution aka Tails a recommended workaround?

I won't even try to be controversial. I just wanted to check if I can maintain my Blogger.com account using Tails while living in Shanghai (followers of Unsolicitedbutoffered will notice I pulled a poorly written Opera review). The Tor project and the Tails website are blocked in mainland China, but a recent trip to Hong Kong gave me the opportunity to download the torrent file and get my hands on the slim 861MB ISO for the amnesiac distribution.

What you get with Tails is another great Linux distribution worth giving a try. If you are in the same position as I am, you would have to set up a Tor bridge to get access to YouTube.com and Blogger.com, but using Tails, a Debian 6.x-based distribution, is rewarding in itself.

Speed Demons Think Twice

Expatriates are always advised online in forums that a VPN is a must. For my part, I don't feel it's a necessity (most of the people I know who have a VPN just use it to watch cat videos, post inane Twitter and Facebook messages and catch Rihanna's new music videos on Vevo). Obviously, if you're going to use Tails while connecting via VPN, don't expect speedy network access. If you have the resources, set up an aforementioned Tor bridge if your location is that closed out.

New users to Tails will also notice the following:

1. When using the non-safe browser, the non-safe browser loads slowly because Tails runs on the Tor network by default. Disengaging from the Tor system to browse without a safety net takes longer than actually pulling up the modified IceWeasel, the default browser for Tails.

2. Shutdown takes longer than usual for a reason. Tails is committed to its design principles in every way and wipes out traces of your PC use once you power off. For the impatient, do not unplug your LiveUSB or eject your LiveCD if the screen suddenly goes awry. If you take the time to read the verbose Terminal messages, Tails actually warns you in advance that the screen is going to go bonkers as RAM is cleaned out.

3. Tails as a Linux desktop performs as fast as any lightweight distribution. Besides being a privacy-focused distribution, Tails is also a fully-functional workstation with all the expected office and multimedia applications (see Part 2). Inkscape and Gimp launched fairly quickly on my rickety old ASUS 1000H EEEPC - and this was using a LiveUSB of Tails.

The problem with most users nowadays is that they associate a PC's speed with Internet access. This misunderstanding was probably brought on by all the dizzying standards for data access on smartphones and tablets. There's more to a computer than the Internet people.

4. Tails comes with a Windows XP camouflage mode. It's cool for trivial reasons, but I think people would more likely be more suspicious with someone using a Windows XP machine than with someone using a decent Linux desktop. 

 To use camouflage mode, click Yes on the More Options window once you boot using Tails. 

Continued in Tails of Tor: Linux Access to the Dark Side Part 2: Applications and the Internet