Maximum Privacy Mode

Combine Tor Browser (client→server) with in-app Tor routing (server→relay) for layered privacy. Neither guarantees perfect anonymity — behaviour and device hygiene still matter.

How it works

  • Tor Browser hides your IP from the Atopos server. Traffic is routed through Tor relays before reaching the server.
  • In-app Tor routing (when enabled on the server) routes server→relay traffic through Tor with per-room SOCKS5 circuit isolation, so a single relay cannot link your rooms by circuit.
  • Both layers help reduce correlation; neither removes all risk, and neither defeats a global passive adversary.

Steps (Desktop)

  1. Install Tor Browser.
  2. Open Tor Browser and wait until it connects.
  3. Visit Atopos in Tor Browser (same URL; or a .onion URL if your deployment provides one — see Tor Browser guide).
  4. Create a room as normal. Check the Room Setup page for Active transport (server) — when in-app Tor routing is enabled, you benefit from both layers.

In-app Tor status

In-app Tor routing is determined by the server. If the server has Tor enabled, the Room Setup page shows "Tor" under Active transport. If not, you can still use Tor Browser for client→server privacy.

Recommended hygiene

  • Use a fresh browser profile.
  • Avoid extensions that inject scripts.
  • Avoid personal identifiers in room names.

What it does NOT guarantee

  • Perfect anonymity — timing, behaviour, and device fingerprinting can still correlate activity.
  • Protection against malware or a compromised device.

.onion entrypoint (optional)

If your deployment provides a .onion URL (Tor hidden service), use it in Tor Browser to reach Atopos without Tor exit nodes. See Tor's documentation for how hidden services work. Operators can enable this via the optional tor_onion service — see docs/ONION_ACCESS.md in the repository.

For more details on Tor Browser setup, see the Tor Browser guide.

Back to Create Room Tor Browser guide