Brave browser users can now do their part to fight internet censorship after the latest update.
Brave 1.47 release allows users everywhere to turn their device into a proxy service to give people all over the world access to Tor Browser.
This isn’t the first step Safe Browser has taken in trying to evade Internet restrictions, having previously introduced support for Tor Bridges in Private Windows with Tor in its 1.44 version. But the company’s new feature is a step forward in empowering the Brave community in promoting an open, free internet for all – just from right behind their screens.
Brave and Tor Snowflake
Brave’s latest upgrade adds Tor Snowflake directly to its browser system. This is a peer-to-peer technology developed by the Tor Project to allow people around the world to access censored websites and applications.
Like many of the best VPN services, Snowflake helps those who live under severe internet restrictions to bypass internet censorship.
However, as Tor explains in a blog post (Opens in a new tab): “Unlike VPNs, you don’t need to install a separate app to connect to a Snowflake proxy and bypass censorship. It’s usually a circumvention feature built into existing apps.”
Powered by a combination of proxy technology and WebRTC protocol, Snowflake hides users’ online activities making it appear as if they are using the web for a normal video or audio call. Then it automatically sets ephemeral Tor bridges to give access to blocked websites to whoever needs it.
At the same time, it secures users’ privacy and anonymity so that the authorities can’t tell if and when someone is circumventing their online restrictions.
Tor Bridges, which has already been available on the Brave browser since last September, is a volunteer-run relay program that aims to help people access Tor in the event of a blockage.
Essentially, you give users an alternate access point to the Onion routing.
To enable the feature in the Brave browser, you have to head over to the settings menu and press Privacy and security tab. Click on Tor windows To manually select or add an active built-in bridge.
Snowflake represents the natural progression of that. In fact, anyone who wants to help others access Tor can now enable the browser extension on that specific Tor bridge by simply turning on the option.
This means that users’ machines don’t just act as an intermediary between an external computer and the Tor site. It also allows encrypted messages to flow between running Snowflake and other computers within the Tor network.
While everyone can do their part to help people around the world access Tor with ease, it should be noted that the Snowflake feature does not work for users who live in countries where Tor is censored and/or access the Internet through their school or workplace firewall.
via BleepingComputer (Opens in a new tab)
