VPN vs tor bridges

Wondering what's better to hide your tor usage. I know that a VPN just hides everything you do from your ISP. If at any case a VPN provider decides to fuck over a user & send logs to your ISP (even if they claim to not keep logs), it's basically useless. I also know bridges don't 100% hide tor usage, but maybe it's a better option than a VPN? Thoughts/opinions?


Comments


[3 Points] sapiophile:

An obfs4 bridge is almost certainly the best way to conceal Tor usage from your ISP. There are some good guides on how to use Bridges on https://torproject.org

In addition to the issues with a VPN that were mentioned in the OP, Tor traffic is also fairly distinct, even when tunneled over an encrypted VPN connection (just based on timing and packet sizes, etc.).

But there's a really important thing, here: 99% of the users on this subreddit (by my estimation) have literally no reason to conceal the fact that they're using Tor. Using Tor is not illegal, and it's not even particularly suspicious. Literally millions of people use Tor every single day, and the vast majority of them aren't using DNMs or doing anything else that would incriminate them.

The recent Court ruling that allows FBI to obtain cross-jurisdictional warrants for Tor, VPN and proxy users applies to investigations launched from the server side. This means that you are not affected simply for using Tor - the targets are selected on the other end of the circuit. That story has gotten wildly distorted and blown out of proportion, and the result has been unfounded panic and an extreme propagation of ignorance and outright falsehood. So let me say it really, really big:

The recent U.S. Court Ruling is *not* a reason to try to conceal your Tor usage!

If anyone has questions about the specifics of this, I'll be glad to help.

The other thing is this: Tor Bridges are a very limited resource provided entirely by un-compensated volunteers around the world, and when they are discovered by governments like China's, they are no longer useful. By using Tor Bridges when you don't actually need to, you are literally depriving people in oppressive regimes of an open internet. So please, if you're not living in fucking Bahrain, then don't use Tor Bridges. And if you think you want to conceal your Tor usage from your ISP at all, please think long and hard about that, as well.

EDIT: Or start hunting for other wifi networks...


[1 Points] gaythrowawaytodayhey:

I would also like to know if anyone has any advice. How can we use either of these on tails?


[-3 Points] x2thexyz:

I just spoke to a friend of mine working at the NSA...long story short he told me "No chance buddy".