How to Configure Google Chrome for Tor

(This article supposes you already have tor installed on your Ubuntu system.  If not, see How to Install Tor in Ubuntu)

With firefox practically pioneering open source browser technology, it's no surprise that there's a turn-key package for tor browsing in firefox.  But I like google chrome or chromium and there's no tor add-on.  Not to worry, it's fairly easy to make yourself.  Below are 3 completely different ways to get chrome working with tor:

Method 1 - Configure on Launch (best)

This is the best option for a couple reasons: it's easy to setup and it protects the most data.  All you need to do is run the following command from terminal:

google-chrome --proxy-server="127.0.0.1:8118;https=127.0.0.1:8118;socks=127.0.0.1:8118;sock4=127.0.0.1:8118;sock5=127.0.0.1:8118,ftp=127.0.0.1:8118" --incognito check.torproject.org

This command line:
- tells chrome to load using proxy settings
- ensures http, https, socks, socksv4 and sockv5 all use localhost port 8118 (127.0.0.1:8118)
- loads incognito
- goes to http://check.torproject.org for verification

You can substitute any homepage you wish for check.torproject.org but it's nice to have positive verification on load.  You may also remove the --incognito option but I recommend you do not.  Incognito ensures your cookies are not seen by visited websites (cookies easily show the website who you are).

If you don't want to remember that command, simply create a launcher and stick it in the Applications > Internet menu next to chrome:

Just remember that, using this method, you must close all instances of chrome before launching with tor.  If you already have chrome open, the open application's settings will override the tor launch.

Method 2 - Switchy! extension (ok)

This method involves adding the Proxy Switchy! extension to chrome and configuring it for tor/non-tor browsing.  It's good because it allows you to turn tor on and off with the push of a button, but is bad because it doesn't hide your cookie data.

To configure, visit the Proxy Switchy! extension page and install to chrome.  After install, open the extension's settings page and configure to speak with tor/polipo.

Create a profile and name it tor.  Configure this profile to use proxy 127.0.0.1 port 8118 for all protocols.  Your settings should look like the image above when finished.  Now move to the General tab and enable Quick Switch and Binary Switch.  I have my default settings as Profile 1 and my Tor settings as Profile 2.  Just hit the extension image in your toolbar to switch back and forth.

Make sure you visit check.torproject.org to ensure it's working!

Method 3 - Proxy Location (worst)

This is another easy method but not my favourite, as it requires a manual switch from non-tor to tor (each time) and it doesn't protect your cookie information.  For this method, we will create two profiles (or "locations" as chrome calls them) and tell one to use tor, and the other to use a direct connection.

Tools > Preferences > Under the Hood  will get you to the Network settings.  Open Change Proxy Settings and select New Location from the Location drop-down menu.

Select Manual proxy and add proxy 127.0.0.1 and port 8118. Select the checkbox asking if you want to use the proxy for all protocols, and you're finished (screen should look like above image).  Now you must switch from default to tor profile whenever you wish to browse the net over the tor network. This is a good option for someone who wants to use tor all the time and doesn't keep saved cookie data.

Happy anonymous browsing!

How to Install Tor in Ubuntu

(This article shows you how to install tor in ubuntu.  If you're trying to use tor with Google Chrome, see How to Configure Google Chrome for Tor)

This morning I read an article about a German judge who recently awarded a Subpoena to Sony for hacker geohot's website.  This means that Sony will soon have in its hands a list of IPs who have visited (and downloaded) geohot's PS3 hack.  Sony may even be able to link web traffic IPs with PS3 IPs and take action against PS3 online gamers.  Of course, this is a very bad move by Sony since it attacks users who haven't broken any laws.  But I digress.... this got me thinking about the need for internet privacy.  If you're thinking the same thing, Tor may be for you.

Simply put, the tor project allows users to mask their identity and internet habits by bouncing their web traffic over a number of random nodes located all over the planet.  These nodes are sustained by tor volunteers who donate their spare cpu and bandwidth to the network.  You can read more about it here.  This guide will show you how to install the tor client (not server) on your Ubuntu linux machine.  If you're using another OS, check out these other installation guides. 

Step 1 - Download tor

Add the tor repository to your sources list:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

And add the following code to the file.  Save and exit.

#### Tor project - http://www.torproject.org
deb     http://deb.torproject.org/torproject.org maverick main

(You may substitute lucid, karmic, jaunty, etc. for maverick if you're running a different version).  Add the necessary keys:

gpg --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv 886DDD89
gpg --export A3C4F0F979CAA22CDBA8F512EE8CBC9E886DDD89 | sudo apt-key add -

Install tor via terminal:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install tor tor-geoipdb

Step 2 - Configure Polipo

If downloading tor didn't also download polipo (it likely did), you must get it manually as it is required for proper proxy:

sudo apt-get install polipo

Now get rid of the default polipo settings and configure for use with tor.  Open the polipo config file:

sudo gedit /etc/polipo/config

 and replace its entire contents with this substitute configuration.  Save, exit, and restart polipo:

/etc/init.d/polipo restart

Step 3 - Use Tor

Now you can configure any application to route its internet traffic through tor.  Just go to proxy settings, and configure HTTP/HTTPS/SOCKS to point to localhost port 8118 (127.0.0.1:8118).  Remember that you can visit http://check.torproject.org anytime to see if you've configured correctly.

Some applications allow proxy on/proxy off configuration.  Some require you to manually set the proxy each time you wish to use it.  Have a look at Torbutton for Firefox.  It's probably the easiest turn-key solution.  But I use Google Chrome and torbutton doesn't work.  For great detail on this, see my guide on How to Configure Google Chrome for Tor.

What Google Chrome needs before I give up FireFox

I spent some time this afternoon thinking about migrating my browser experience from FireFox to Google's Chrome.  Why?  Chrome is lightning fast, and always has been.  But previous releases of Chrome have been unstable, and in my own beta testing I found numerous websites that were not formatted properly.

It seems that Chrome has come a long way and I'd like to switch...  However, I have my FireFox exactly the way I want it.  If there were a way to speed up FF I wouldn't even consider switching.  Here's what I'd like to be able to do in Chrome:

1. Use custom search operators from the omnibar *SOLVED* (e.g. "youtube STRING" is equivalent to typing http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=STRING&search_type=&aq=f)
2. Allow me to change my bookmark icons (similar to the FireFox Favicon Picker extension). Apparently there is a way to do this, but it's long and complicated.  I have about 20 bookmarks in my toolbar and do not have room to give each a name.  I distinguish between them by their icon.
3. Search the page automatically (i.e. as soon as I start typing, similar to the feature in FF via Tools > Options > Advanced > General).  Chrome allows you to search the page, but you need to press CTRL + F or F3 first.  As simple as it sounds, this is a great feature to have when quickly browsing pages with lots of text.
4. Customizable proxy settings.  My workplace is fairly strict in filtering our web content.  I use the FireFox extension FoxyProxy to route certain webpages through a company-approved proxy.  FoxyProxy allows me to specify which domains go through the proxy (e.g. *youtube.com*) and which do not.  So far I haven't seen anything like this in Chrome.
5. Another workplace necessity: a mechanism that allows me to view my current web page in IE.  In FireFox, I use the IE Tab extension which reloads the current tab in IE (within the current FF tab) with the click of a button.  No one likes IE, but unfortunately we still need to test in it.
6. Show current weather in the browser.  This isn't as important as items 1-5, but would still be nice.  My FF version is the Forecast Fox extension
7. Another one for the would-be-nice category: the ability to shorten a URL directly from the right-click context menu.  My FF version, the Shorten URL extension, creates a short URL and saves it to my clipboard with one click of the mouse.  It is configurable and can use many services - from bit.ly to ping.fm.  *SOLVED* There is a chrome extension called bit.ly shorten URL that basically does the same thing.  Not from the context menu... available here.

If you have answers to any of these questions PLEASE don't keep them to yourself.  I'm hoping to switch soon :-)

Firefox 3.5 Released! Download now

You've probably heard the news. Firefox 3.5, Mozilla's fastest and coolest browser has now shipped and is available to download. So what are you waiting for? Upon opening the new browser I was immediately drawn to the new "open a new tab" button conveniently placed in the tab bar. Now I can get rid of an add-on I had doing the same thing! Also, any bookmarks you're holding in the toolbar have become noticeably smaller...

Mozilla has even set up a website to track the number of live downloads. Here's a sample photo of the stats (as of 2009-06-30 14:33)

I'll bet this version of Firefox will go a long way in promoting the use of the Mozilla browser worldwide (which currently holds about 22.5% of the worldwide market share)

firefox won't delete cookies

This morning I could not log into my Gmail account. I would type my username, password, and be returned to the very same page with NO error message. Soon, I discovered that I couldn't log into anything Google - blogger, docs, groups, calendar, picasa, reader... you get the point. After doing some quasi-research I was frustrated that I couldn't fix the Google error. Fortunately, I could access my Gmail account using IE. I started to wonder if perhaps it was a Firefox error...

Turns out that there was a cookie problem with Firefox. I tried to wipe clean all my cookies from the Delete Private Data option, but they re-appeared again on restart. I manually deleted all the cookies from the Tools > Options > Privacy menu, but those sneaky little guys appeared yet again on restart. I've had some cookie problems in Firefox in the past, but I'm using the latest version (3.0.8), and I thought this wouldn't be an issue anymore. It's always surprising, but it turns out I was wrong.

The solution? Get rid of cookies.sqlite:

1. Start > Run
2. Type "%APPDATA%"
3. Open Mozilla > Firefox > Profiles > (your profile)
4. Delete cookies.sqlite.
5. ** Note that this will permanently delete ALL your hard-earned cookies! **

Ah, basking in sweet success...

Songbird sings a different tune

Songbird is at it again. The 1.1 beta 2 release has hit the market and nightly builds are available for your testing pleasure.

Songbird is funky audio player with classic mozilla look and feel. If you're a Firefox or Thunderbird user, my bet is you'll love Songbird.

the good: plug and play support for USB media players (incl. ipod), automatic album art downloads, great support community and thus great add-ons.

the bad: still quite slow loading (takes over 30 seconds on my dual core 1.6 MHz laptop), I'm having trouble playing Vorbis .ogg files, and most of my favourite add-ons don't work (notably LyricsMaster, MinTrayR, and Song Notifier). Oh, and the application crashes uncontrollably :-)

Still a work in progress...