Browsing via the Tor network is easy with the official software, but if you want to do more than visit pages, you'll likely need other tools. For instant messaging, many users have relied on TorChat or Ricochet, and now it's Tor Messenger's turn. Its code is based on the InstantBird client and supports the protocols of several popular services.
With spy programs out of control and the direct threat of political officials seeking to ban encryption technologies, more and more users prefer to use more robust tools, capable of placing all possible obstacles before the eyes of that legion of meddlers hiding behind the excuse of 'national security.' For a large part of those users, the definitive solution came with access to the Tor network. Although it is not perfect, over the years it has managed to cause multiple headaches, and the number of programs that seek to redirect their connections through it continues to grow. All you need to enter the Tor network is the famous Tor Browser based on Firefox; however, now we have another official tool at our disposal: the messenger Tor Messenger.
A Closer Look at Tor Messenger
Tor Messenger began its journey as a closed project that had a total of three alpha builds, so this is the first time the general public can download a copy. The messenger itself is a modified version of InstantBird, whose support for multiple clients is well known. The main difference is that the original InstantBird does not have OTR support, but the Tor Messenger team took care of implementing it. The fact of linking the user to a service via Tor makes it virtually impossible to determine their real location, although there is a possibility that certain isolated metadata may be recorded by the service anyway.
Current Limitations
It goes without saying that everything the user gains in privacy and anonymity will be attenuated by less convenience. What do I mean by this? As soon as I tried to log into Facebook chat with Tor Messenger, the social network temporarily blocked my account because they registered an unexpected login from Bangladesh, a fairly normal behavior if we consider how Tor works (in addition, it proves that the software works). At the same time, the client is in a very early beta phase, and developers are asking for feedback to hunt down and fix the most serious bugs. In other words, Tor Messenger is not a ready-to-use product, but a tool under development that needs our assistance in removing the sharpest edges.
