Tor Project and Tails Join Forces

The Merger Announcement

The Tor Project, a non-profit entity, and the Tails developers have announced their decision to join forces. These organizations aim to pool their resources, streamline operations, and foster closer collaboration in advancing the cause of internet freedom, with a focus on shielding users from surveillance and censorship.

Origins of the Merger

The proposal for this merger originated from the Tails team late last year. The Tails organization had outgrown its existing framework and sought to alleviate the additional stress on its staff associated with expanding its infrastructure.

Benefits of the Collaboration

“By combining our efforts, the Tails team will be able to concentrate on its core mission – maintaining and enhancing the Tails operating system, exploring new and additional use cases, while benefiting from the larger organizational structure of The Tor Project,” Tails representatives stated.

Understanding Tails OS

It’s worth noting that Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) is a Debian-based distribution designed to maximize privacy and anonymity online. Tails can be booted from removable media and employs the Tor browser to forcibly route all communications between the local machine and the internet.

A History of Cooperation

These organizations have been working closely together for nine years, and this merger will enable them to utilize their resources more efficiently, expanding their efforts to improve their tools. In other words, the unification will be mutually beneficial.

Expanding the Fight Against Digital Threats

“Incorporating Tails into the Tor Project structure will streamline our collaboration, enhance stability, reduce overhead, and allow us to expand educational and informational programs to counter a greater number of digital threats,” the joint statement reads.

Growth and Support

Tails representatives explain that they require an operational structure more suited to their project’s growth, and integration with Tor will provide this support. This move is also expected to broaden the reach of Tails OS users, which has been slightly behind the more popular Tor Project in terms of adoption.

A Personal Perspective

“Running Tails as an independent project for 15 years has been a monumental task, but not for the reasons you might think. The most challenging aspect wasn’t the technology, but addressing crucial issues such as fundraising, finances, and personnel management. After attempting to tackle these tasks in various ways, I feel immense relief that Tails is now under the wing of the Tor Project. In a sense, it feels like coming home,” writes Intrigeri, the team lead for Tails OS.