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New iOS 9 Features Mean System-Wide Tor Is In the Works For the First Time (dailydot.com)

Posted by samzenpus on from the on-the-down-low dept.

Patrick O'Neill writes: At a time when privacy and encryption on mobile devices are the subject of political storm, last month's iOS 9 release means that Apple devices will finally get what Android has had for years: System-wide Tor anonymity. A handful of security experts recently set to work on projects to bring more powerful anonymity to iOS. “There are a bunch of pieces in the works,” Tor developer and Guardian Project leader Nathan Freitas told the Daily Dot. “We just started to work on it and think about it. Tor knows we can’t ignore all the iOS 9 users in the world.”

34 comments

  1. I did a double take by Hadlock · · Score: 2

    I thought this was a new OS 9 feature.
     
    I think that means I am officially old. Welp.
     
    Hello Slashdot, I'll be here for another 15 years...

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
    1. Re:I did a double take by EzInKy · · Score: 1

      Hello Slashdot, I'll be here for another 15 years...

      Deities or nature willing, depending on your beliefs :-)

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    2. Re:I did a double take by jimbo · · Score: 1

      Well, the summary could have been more informative...

  2. Android has ... anonymity ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Bwahahahahaha

    You are holding a Google tracking device and you think you have anonymity?

    Bwahahahahaha

    1. Re:Android has ... anonymity ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Quiet, infidel! Thou dost not speak ill of the Annointed System!

    2. Re:Android has ... anonymity ?! by invictusvoyd · · Score: 0

      That's right , but no one is forcing anyone to use android. There's no point bitching about something you don't really have to use.

    3. Re:Android has ... anonymity ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somebody should remind the Fandroids of that fact.

  3. iOS user != Tor user by phayes · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Ahh, the hubris of people who think that THEIR project is so important. Only a small minority of iOS users even know what TOR is and only infinitesimal percentage of iOS wants it on their devices.

    --
    Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
    1. Re:iOS user != Tor user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      True, most people want to share their 1Gb of data on their $300 Verizon plan with lots of anonymous strangers. Tor will be good for that.

    2. Re: iOS user != Tor user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not true. I use Tor already on iOS 8.4 (jailbroken). Looking forward to using it on iOS9.

    3. Re: iOS user != Tor user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact that you are a target does not invalidate the claim.

    4. Re:iOS user != Tor user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they don't. Running an exit node on a mobile phone is dumb. This is about getting Tor client support onto iOS (where the only traffic you generate is your own).

    5. Re:iOS user != Tor user by phayes · · Score: 1

      Sign in you puling coward...

      Tor already exists as a browser for those that want it but given how few downloads the tor browsers have & that this covers just about every use of tor, I'm sticking to my conclusion that only an infinitesimal number of iOS users want to route all their traffic through tor.

      --
      Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
    6. Re:iOS user != Tor user by macs4all · · Score: 1

      Ahh, the hubris of people who think that THEIR project is so important. Only a small minority of iOS users even know what TOR is and only infinitesimal percentage of iOS wants it on their devices.

      Speak for yourself, infidel!

    7. Re:iOS user != Tor user by phayes · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I don't worship at the church of TOR.

      Given the minuscule number of downloads of TOR browsers which cover 99% the needs that most people have for TOR, it's safe to say that those who want TOR for all their traffic are few in number. I'll add to that that people who truly care for their security will use a TOR browser anyway because routing all iOS traffic through TOR only makes the user more visible as there will be cookies & other identifiable info being routed through both TOR & in the clear making it easier to identify them. Or do you want that fart app that phones home every once in a while to serve as an identifier?

      --
      Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
  4. Re:I did a double takef by Hadlock · · Score: 1

    I think parent company Dice plays a large role in this overall still, unfortunately :(

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
  5. paid posts?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously? I've been an AC here since 1999 and I must say it's a sad day when the 'slashdot effect' is something companies think they can just buy. At least they have made it the appropriate shit brown color to indicate that it is just that. Guess it's time to take my cowardice elsewhere...

    1. Re:paid posts?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This particular post was not of the very commercial type. A major OS including a much talked about feature is ok for Slashdot. It's at least better than some of the articles recently seen here..

    2. Re:paid posts?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize this isn't Apple creating a system-wide Tor client, but rather someone making a Tor client that takes advantage of the iOS 9 feature of being able to publish configs for VPN / proxy access / ad blocking via the app store.

      You could have done this before by creating a mobile config file or doing an MDM provision and running your own proxy. Apple made it easier under iOS 9 by allowing apps to provision config files.

      Maybe instead of bitching, pay attention to what's going on.

  6. System-wide Tor anonymity? by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 1

    Does that include DNS? Are we aware that NSA and North Korea control some exit nodes and the implications of that?

    1. Re: System-wide Tor anonymity? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It remains to be seen how deeply it's integrated and yes, people understand Tor's weaknesses.

  7. Yeah, right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Android has had it for years, because Android is a POS for security and privacy.

    1. Re:Yeah, right by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      iOS has had it for years too, if you knew how to create a VPN config.

      Now you don't have to, because they are allowing apps that can provision a VPN profile. /twirlfinger

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
  8. Re:TOR is cows. by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    "Tor is for cows."

    You should take your medication for mad cow disease.

  9. Re:TOR is cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great FP.

  10. not really iOS9 feature.. by Phusion · · Score: 1

    Yeah, so this is just an app, it's not exactly built into iOS9. Also, what happens when joe-shchmo installs this and realizes it makes their browsing a whole lot slower, tells all of their friends it sucks and no one uses it. People are better off with a strong VPN client anyway.

    --
    640k ought to be enough for anyone.
  11. Really??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is it a feature, or a BUG that apple just stumbled over and decided to develop with some 3rd party outfit, since clearly Apple cant get its self out of a paperbag, for example..
    They are turning to Cisco to make their computers compatible in the enterprise..

    SO, With all of apples money, resources, pull, and bastardness really they couldn't pull it off.
    they have to rely on a 3rd party which will blunderfuck it as well, in keeping with apple's rich tradition of testicle advancement..

    Here is a new box, Shiny,, Ohhh lets get all the vp's one and force the load of support to an allready burdoned IT dept..

    Apple's response, We made it now you make it work..
    and pay us a royalte just because its shiny and it makes your artsy fartsy stuff smell better.. Just like Job's rotting, de-composing ass 6ft under..
    Makes me sick, these twisted manuevers\

    1. Re:Really??? by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      Once you're on the tablets, you have to keep taking them.

  12. Tor is already slow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does Tor really need an extra 800 million iPad/iPhone users connected to its system? Tor is already slow as hell.

  13. Re:IOS is cows. by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

    But what does the fox say?

  14. Re:IOS is cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thank you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.