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Yes, you can still be tracked or identified while using Tor. Tor Browser helps hide your real IP address from the websites you visit and makes those visits less visible to your local network observer. But it cannot hide an account you sign into, personal details you disclose, or every browser and network clue. Tor reduces particular kinds of tracking; it does not guarantee anonymity.
What Tor hides from websites and your network
Tor Browser sends web traffic through the Tor network. A destination website ordinarily sees the IP address of the Tor exit relay rather than your real IP address. Your internet service provider or another observer on your local network ordinarily cannot see the names and addresses of the websites you visit in the same way they could with a direct connection. Tor Project support
That protection concerns network location and visibility. It does not make you anonymous to a service if you identify yourself through an account or by what you submit.
How you can still be identified or tracked
Logging in or sharing personal details
If you sign into an account tied to your name or identity, the service knows which account is using it, even if it sees a Tor exit address instead of your home IP. A name, email address, phone number, message, or other identifying detail can reveal who you are independently of your network address.
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Browser fingerprinting
Websites can use browser attributes to distinguish visitors, even without cookies. Tor Browser tries to make users less distinctive by standardizing settings and using protections such as letterboxing, which limits the visible browser-window dimensions, and by normalizing or restricting other identifying features. Those measures make fingerprinting harder; they do not make every browser identical or make fingerprinting impossible. Tor Browser anti-fingerprinting guidance
Adding extensions can make your configuration more unusual and easier to distinguish. Tor Project discourages installing extra extensions because they can weaken privacy and add risk. Tor Browser extensions guidance
Linking activity across sites
Tor Browser uses separate circuits for different website addresses, helping limit a third-party tracker’s ability to infer that activity on different sites came from the same browser. Its identity controls have different effects:
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- New Tor Circuit for this Site changes the circuit used to reach the current site. It does not clear private session information or undo links to activity that has already occurred.
- New Identity closes tabs, clears private session information, and uses new circuits. Use it when you want to start a fresh browsing session rather than merely change the route to one site.
Neither control makes an account or personal details anonymous. Tor Browser identity guidance
Using another browser or an app outside Tor Browser
Tor Project recommends using Tor Browser rather than routing a different browser through Tor. Other browsers may expose your real IP through DNS or WebRTC leaks, disclose identifying browser details such as operating-system information, fonts, or plugins, or retain cookies and cache that link sessions. Tor Browser protects its own traffic; it does not automatically route or protect other applications on your device. Tor Browser usage guidance
Unencrypted connections and downloaded documents
Tor encrypts traffic inside the Tor network, but it does not automatically encrypt the connection from the exit relay to an ordinary website. Check that a site uses HTTPS and that you are connecting to the site you intended before entering sensitive information. Tor Browser’s security guidance puts the limit plainly: “Tor Browser includes many privacy protections, but it cannot guarantee perfect anonymity.” Tor Project HTTPS guidance
A downloaded document can also create a connection outside Tor Browser when opened in an external application. Be particularly cautious with DOC and PDF files; Tor Project advises against opening them outside the browser, unless using its built-in PDF viewer.
Evidence outside the network
Tor Project says its developers cannot trace users through the Tor network. That does not mean a person cannot be identified through other evidence: technical analysis, interviews, or physical investigation can identify someone without tracing their network path. Tor limits certain kinds of observation; it does not erase evidence or provide immunity from investigation. Tor Project explanation of Tor’s limits
Quick Recap
Practical steps to reduce exposure
- Use Tor Browser as designed. Avoid routing a different browser through Tor, and do not assume other apps on your device are protected.
- Keep its configuration standard. Avoid extra extensions that could make your browser easier to fingerprint.
- Separate identity from browsing. Do not sign into identifying accounts or submit personal details if your goal is to avoid being recognized by the site.
- Use the right identity control. Choose New Identity to clear private session information and start over; use New Tor Circuit for this Site only to change that site’s circuit.
- Check HTTPS and the destination. Tor alone does not encrypt the exit-relay-to-site connection to an ordinary website.
- Be careful with downloads. Avoid opening downloaded documents in external applications that may connect to the internet outside Tor Browser.
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