The Tor Project and Tails have joined forces to fight censorship and surveillance on the Internet

The Tor Project and Tails have announced their merger to jointly combat the growing threats of digital surveillance and censorship on the internet. With a long history of collaboration, the two projects coming together will enhance user protection, make the anonymous internet more accessible, and further develop educational programs. Tails is the continuation of the Incognito OS, with the first distribution release taking place in June 2009. Both Tor Project and Tails have been working in the realm of internet privacy and anonymity for quite some time. Tor Project provides tools for anonymity protection online, while Tails is a distribution that helps users remain invisible on the network by blocking non-anonymous connections and encrypting user data. Together, they form a powerful suite for those in need of secure communication methods and data protection, whether they be journalists, activists, or everyday users.

The collaboration between the projects began back in 2015 when their developers started working closely together to enhance anonymous services. Now, the merger of the two initiatives will allow them to focus on their main task of ensuring user security, minimizing overhead costs, and administrative tasks. As a representative of the Tails team noted, "This decision feels like coming home after years of working independently." In a time when digital threats are becoming increasingly serious, pooling the resources of Tor and Tails will help create stronger and more reliable tools for protecting online activity. This will enable users to feel more confident, especially those operating in non-free states.

Through integration with Tor Project, the Tails operating system will garner more attention from users. Previously, many Tor users may have been unaware of Tails' existence, but now the project will become more prominent. This is particularly important for those in need of maximum protection not only for browsing activity but for the entire system as a whole.

The collaboration between Tor Project and Tails aims to achieve several key objectives:
- Strengthening protection against surveillance and censorship on the internet.
- Streamlining collaboration between projects and reducing costs.
- Improving educational programs for users.
- Expanding opportunities for activists, journalists, and anyone in need of online security.
- Integrating resources and increasing Tails' visibility through the Tor platform.

Leading the combined team will be the directors of both projects: Isabelle Raffalski from Tor Project and Ruth Steinberger from Tails. Both leaders will jointly manage the projects to focus efforts on further development and integration of their technologies, ensuring user anonymity and security on the internet.