Twitter has released a new Tor-based version of the service, allowing users to have a more private experience while avoiding Russian censorship. Russia recently prohibited prominent social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, prompting the announcement of the new version. The main goal of limiting access to Twitter was to prevent the dissemination of misleading information and maintain control over what information was viewed by domestic audiences about the invasion of Ukraine.
Alec Muffett, a software engineer who helps businesses establish onion sites, said on Twitter that the platform has now added the Tor network to its list of supported browsers.
“I’m delighted to have assisted Twitter engineers in their adoption of Onion services and Onion networking providing greater privacy, integrity, trust, & unblockability for people all around the world who use Twitter to communicate,” Muffett said.
“Making our service more accessible is an ongoing priority for us,” a Twitter spokesperson told Motherboard, saying that Twitter’s “supported browsers” page now includes a link to the Tor onion service.
In case you are unaware, Tor’s network actually encrypts and routes the internet traffic of users through various serves to hide their identity. The network, which is also sometimes called “dark web,” is being used by several platforms to offer a more secure experience as the Tor servers are undetectable on search engines. Sites like the New York Times and BBC already have Tor-specific versions.
“It’s a commitment from the platform to dealing with people who use Tor in an equitable fashion. Setting up an onion address is a practical step which demonstrates that the platform is providing explicitly for the needs of people who use Tor,” Muffett told The Verge.
