1 00:00:00,704 --> 00:00:07,189 In this video we will talk about bridges, what they are and why they might be useful for different Tor users in highly censored regions. 2 00:00:07,189 --> 00:00:13,034 Governments and internet providers in countries around the world are extending their repressive practices to the virtual world 3 00:00:13,034 --> 00:00:16,362 and thus block access to the internet and, often, Tor. 4 00:00:16,362 --> 00:00:22,559 That makes it difficult for people who use Tor-powered applications like Tor Browser to connect to the Tor network directly. 5 00:00:22,559 --> 00:00:29,690 The good news is that all Tor-powered applications are packed with censorship defence features that help users bypass the blocking of Tor. 6 00:00:29,690 --> 00:00:32,282 Let’s look at these features inside Tor Browser. 7 00:00:32,282 --> 00:00:36,554 If you navigate to Settings and select the 'Connection' option from the sidebar, 8 00:00:36,554 --> 00:00:40,378 you’ll see a range of options to configure your connection to the Tor network. 9 00:00:40,378 --> 00:00:43,541 If you scroll down, you’ll spot the 'Bridges' section. 10 00:00:43,541 --> 00:00:50,170 For transparency purposes, Tor servers (called “relays”) are publicly listed on the Tor metrics portal. 11 00:00:50,170 --> 00:00:58,133 Internet Service Providers or governments can therefore block direct access to Tor by blocking access to the relay addresses listed on the portal. 12 00:00:58,133 --> 00:01:02,949 Bridges are relays that are private (i.e. not publicly listed) and harder to block. 13 00:01:02,949 --> 00:01:09,786 Today the Tor network counts around 7,000 relays and 2,500 bridges; all run by volunteers. 14 00:01:09,786 --> 00:01:15,429 Bridges help you avoid getting noticed by Internet censors by disguising your Internet activity. 15 00:01:15,429 --> 00:01:19,871 That means to an onlooker, your internet activity will appear as something else 16 00:01:19,871 --> 00:01:26,101 like a video call for instance - and not as though you’re connecting through Tor: A “bridge” to the Internet. 17 00:01:26,101 --> 00:01:28,117 There are different kinds of bridges… 18 00:01:28,117 --> 00:01:37,157 Some come bundled with Tor Browser and help you stay connected to Tor by fooling internet censors into believing that you’re using the internet for something that they don’t censor. 19 00:01:37,157 --> 00:01:43,061 These kinds of bridges are automated in the browser, which means with a click, you can automatically connect to them. 20 00:01:43,061 --> 00:01:48,960 Then there is the case where the built-in bridges won’t work because censors in your country discover them. 21 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:54,480 If that is the case, you can request a Bridge address from us by clicking on ‘Request a Bridge’. 22 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:59,482 Fill in the characters from the image and upon pressing ‘Enter’, new bridges will be activated. 23 00:01:59,482 --> 00:02:02,117 We want to make it as easy as possible. 24 00:02:02,117 --> 00:02:10,901 You can also request Bridge addresses from our Telegram bot: https://t.me/getbridgesbot and paste them onto Tor Browser, when selecting ‘Add a Bridge Manually’. 25 00:02:10,901 --> 00:02:21,013 You can request Bridge addresses via email too (which works best from a Gmail or Riseup address): bridges@torproject.org and paste them in the same place. 26 00:02:22,047 --> 00:02:23,525 Phew! That was a lot. 27 00:02:23,525 --> 00:02:32,090 But if there is one thing to take away, remember that Bridges help you bypass censorship or access Tor services, when they are seemingly blocked in your region. 28 00:02:32,090 --> 00:02:36,549 Our team works hard to make sure you can reach the open and unrestricted internet. 29 00:02:37,402 --> 00:02:45,621 Now, if you’re curious to learn more about what these jargon-y words mean – obsf4 and Snowflake – do continue watching this video. 30 00:02:45,621 --> 00:02:48,703 If you’re done for today, thank you for watching up to this point! 31 00:02:48,703 --> 00:02:54,117 Don’t hesitate to reach our team if you face any issues, our contact info is pasted below. 32 00:02:54,117 --> 00:03:01,354 Alright, so now you know that Bridges help you bypass censorship or the blockage of Tor by “disguising” your Internet traffic. 33 00:03:01,354 --> 00:03:04,354 But what exactly do we mean by “disguising”? 34 00:03:04,354 --> 00:03:09,090 obfs4: makes Tor traffic look random; this works in many countries. 35 00:03:09,090 --> 00:03:15,069 And Snowflake makes your Internet activity appear as though you're using the Internet for a regular video or voice call. 36 00:03:15,069 --> 00:03:17,575 That’s it! Not too complicated, right? 37 00:03:17,575 --> 00:03:21,602 To recap, if you want to use a Tor-powered application such as Tor Browser 38 00:03:21,602 --> 00:03:24,770 and find yourself stuck and unable to connect to the Tor network 39 00:03:24,770 --> 00:03:28,029 it could be because your Internet service provider is blocking Tor. 40 00:03:28,029 --> 00:03:30,583 If that is the case, or in case you are unsure... 41 00:03:30,583 --> 00:03:37,239 we recommend enabling “Bridges” to circumvent this block and access Tor and the Internet openly and privately.