The Tor browser is now available on Android as an Alpha release.

"For the past year, we've been working to reach the rising number of mobile users worldwide," the Tor Project said in a tweet, so the app brings the privacy protections from the desktop version to Android devices.

You can download the free app on Google Play or through the group's website. To protect your privacy, the browser funnels your internet traffic through a large network on volunteer-operated servers across the world. Doing this can anonymize your internet presence by scrambling the details of your location and IP address.

That's why journalists, activists, and cybercriminals all use Tor. The technology can prevent governments from tracking people's online activity, allows those in restricted areas to by pass censorship, and makes it difficult for law enforcement to find those engaged in more nefarious activity. Advertisers will also have trouble discerning a computer's characteristics, thwarting efforts to track activity for ad-related purposes.

Accessing Tor over Android was previously available through another app called Orfox, which an activist group called the Guardian Project developed. However, the Tor Project said Orfox will be retired early next year when the Android version of the Tor browser is slated to become a stable release.

To use Tor browser for Android, you'll have to download an additional free app called Orbot, which lets you connect to the Tor network. (Over time, the developers plan on stripping the need to download Orbot.)

PCMag briefly tried the Android version, and it offers a pretty similar experience to Tor for desktop. Expect somewhat slow connection speeds, given that your internet traffic is now jumping from one server to another over the Tor network. Certain websites, such as Yelp, that block Tor connections may also deny you access. Or they may give you a CAPTCHA test to prove you're human.

But on the flip side, you're getting more privacy than other products. You'll also be able to visit shady sites on the Dark web. In addition, the browser has been designed to block third-party ad trackers from following you from website to website.

If you're an iPhone user, you can check out the Onion Browser, an iOS app based on Tor technology.

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Tor Browser Arrives on Android | News & Opinion | PCMag.com