One of the factors that most worries users when browsing the web is privacy. We already know that our data has great value online and that there are many marketing companies that can try to obtain information to include us in Spam lists, send targeted advertising or even sell it to third parties. To face this problem it is possible to use different tools that protect us. Two examples is to use VPN services and use Tor . Now what happens if we use both? We are going to talk about it in this article.
Use VPN and Tor together
First of all, it should be mentioned that both options will serve to improve our privacy and security online . On the one hand Tor is a browser based on privacy, on protecting our data, allowing us to surf anonymously. It is very interesting for those users who want to protect their data as much as possible.
On the other hand we have VPN services , which what they do is encrypt our connections. It is very useful to prevent information from leaking, but also to connect to the network without showing our IP or being able to access services that may be geographically blocked.
We can say that each of them protects our privacy in a different way. This means that on certain occasions users can choose to use Tor , while on others it is better to use a VPN. What if we use both options at the same time?
From Tor they indicate that our connection is totally secure and private when we use their browser. They assure that it would not be necessary to use alternative tools that can protect our information. But of course, we are protecting privacy when we use that specific browser, and not other tools that we can use to surf the web.
Tor over VPN and VPN over Tor
However, keep in mind that our operator may know that we are browsing from Tor. When we start browsing, the input node will receive Tor’s IP address and therefore our operator will have that information. Now, there is what is known as Tor over VPN , which basically means that we are connected to this popular browser through a VPN service.
In this case that we mentioned, our Internet operator would obtain the IP address of that VPN that we are using and they would not know that we connected from Tor. Therefore we can add an extra privacy in that regard.
Also, by using a VPN alongside Tor, we could have greater security against malicious login nodes. It is, therefore, another point in favor to consider this option.
Another method is VPN over Tor . It also includes an improvement in terms of privacy and data protection. This allows us to access sites that do not allow connections from known Tor exit nodes. It also protects the exit nodes that can be malicious. Of course, this method requires configuration and any failure in that process could expose our data.
In short, we can say that it is possible to use a VPN together with Tor . It is something that will not harm our security and privacy, but even in certain cases, as we have seen, it could add an extra layer. However, it should be mentioned that it is vital to use a VPN service that is reliable, secure and that in no case can compromise our privacy. We already know that we have at our disposal a wide range of possibilities but that not all of them are going to be really safe.
As we have indicated, privacy is a very important factor for all Internet users. When surfing the web we can come across multiple threats that seek to obtain information, steal data and compromise. For this reason we must always take measures not to compromise our systems. Beyond the tools we use, common sense will also be vital.