Facebook has announced last Tuesday that Android users can now acces the social media site through Tor.
The Guardian reports that Facebook officially announced last Tuesday that users' of Android can now privately browse its site through the anonymity service Tor. This is a welcome addition to the 2014 feature which allowed users to connect to Facebook on their personal computers via the Tor browser.
Kate Krauss, spokeswoman for the Tor Project, a group of developers that aims to provide anonymity on the internet, said that with Facebook's more 1.5 billion active users, its support could help increase Tor's visibility to the public.
Ms. Krauss added that as they are focusing their efforts on Android, they have no plans to support Facebook's mobile app for Apple's iPhone as of the moment
To be able to use Facebook and Tor on Android, users need to download an app called 'Orbot', this is used to connect your device to Tor and also to update Facebook's app settings.
Reuters explains that Tor is used to hide computer IP addresses by concealing the identity of the user. It was initially funded by the US government as a communications tool to be used by dissidents in oppresive countries.
It has gained great notoriety in recent times through whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and his allegations of the US government spying on the Internet.
A report at TechCrunch asks the question on why would Facebook, which thrives on user data for advertising, would want users to connect anonymously.
The Tor Project defended this by saying that the users may be in a country where Facebook is banned or they may want to prevent their ISP from knowing they are accessing Facebook or they simply do not want Facebook to broadcast their actual location.
All in all it's a win-win situation for all concerned. Facebook gets to keep or even increase its 1.5 billion user base, Tor gets its much needed exposure, and the common user gets a much needed peace of mind from knowing they can browse Facebook without losing their privacy.
