March 12, 2024 at 12:52PM
The Tor Project introduced WebTunnel, a new bridge type to help bypass censorship targeting the Tor network. WebTunnel hides connections by blending them with HTTPS-encrypted web traffic. Users can manually add the bridge addresses to Tor Browser for desktop and Android. It’s available for trial deployment and more testers are needed, aiming to ensure Tor works for everyone.
It appears that the Tor Project has introduced WebTunnel, a new bridge type designed to help bypass censorship targeting the Tor network. WebTunnel is a censorship-resistant pluggable transport that aims to make it harder to block Tor connections by blending the traffic in with HTTPS-encrypted web traffic. This is achieved by wrapping the payload connection into a WebSocket-like HTTPS connection, making it appear as an ordinary HTTP connection to network observers.
To use a WebTunnel bridge, users need to obtain bridge addresses and add them manually to the Tor Browser for desktop or Android. The WebTunnel pluggable transport was first introduced in December 2022 and has been available for deployment by bridge operators as part of a trial soft launch since June 2023. The Tor Project is looking for more testers in regions or using Internet providers where the Tor network is blocked or partially blocked.
As of now, there are 60 WebTunnel bridges hosted all over the world, with more than 700 daily active users using WebTunnel on different platforms. However, it is important to note that WebTunnel does not currently work in some regions in Iran.
Additionally, the Tor Project emphasizes its goal to ensure that Tor works for everyone, especially in regions facing geopolitical conflicts. The internet has become crucial for communication, witnessing and sharing global events, organizing, defending human rights, and building solidarity.
If you have any questions or need further details, please feel free to ask.