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Tor and Tails Merger: A New Era of the Private Internet
2026 marks a significant milestone in the fight for privacy, anonymity, and free access to information. This year, the Tor Project merged with Tails, strengthening their long-standing partnership. Now, the two organizations operate as a single entity, combining resources and efforts to achieve a shared mission.
The merger of Tor and Tails creates a suite of solutions that help users worldwide stay safe online. It will now be easier to provide tools that protect everyone's right to free expression, anonymous information searches, and private browsing.
In addition to the merger, the Tor Project has grown significantly in recent years, increasing its staff, budget, and technology reach. The team has grown with talented specialists working on complex censorship circumvention and privacy protection solutions that will soon be available to users.
A key part of this growth has been not only the team but also the community. New programs, such as Tor training grants and regular relay operator meetups, have enabled more people to participate in the project's development. Unity and solidarity have become key principles.
2026 begins with a focus on collaborative action. In a world of increasing surveillance and digital control, protecting privacy is key to the future of freedom. Tor plans to strengthen collaboration with the community, organize meetups for operators, trainers, and localizers, and support partners in digital security training around the world. Particular attention will be paid to integrating Tor into other applications to create an ecosystem of privacy technologies.
Another significant achievement in 2025 was the progress of the Arti project—a rewrite of the Tor codebase in Rust. Arti is already simplifying Tor use, making it more secure, and opening up new opportunities for integration. Development is expected to be complete by 2027, creating a diverse ecosystem of Tor-enabled applications.
The Tor Project will continue its mission of providing technologies for secure and private internet access, supporting digital and human rights defenders around the world. Progress is only possible through community unity, and Tor is counting on this support in the coming year.
2026 marks a significant milestone in the fight for privacy, anonymity, and free access to information. This year, the Tor Project merged with Tails, strengthening their long-standing partnership. Now, the two organizations operate as a single entity, combining resources and efforts to achieve a shared mission.
The merger of Tor and Tails creates a suite of solutions that help users worldwide stay safe online. It will now be easier to provide tools that protect everyone's right to free expression, anonymous information searches, and private browsing.
In addition to the merger, the Tor Project has grown significantly in recent years, increasing its staff, budget, and technology reach. The team has grown with talented specialists working on complex censorship circumvention and privacy protection solutions that will soon be available to users.
A key part of this growth has been not only the team but also the community. New programs, such as Tor training grants and regular relay operator meetups, have enabled more people to participate in the project's development. Unity and solidarity have become key principles.
2026 begins with a focus on collaborative action. In a world of increasing surveillance and digital control, protecting privacy is key to the future of freedom. Tor plans to strengthen collaboration with the community, organize meetups for operators, trainers, and localizers, and support partners in digital security training around the world. Particular attention will be paid to integrating Tor into other applications to create an ecosystem of privacy technologies.
Another significant achievement in 2025 was the progress of the Arti project—a rewrite of the Tor codebase in Rust. Arti is already simplifying Tor use, making it more secure, and opening up new opportunities for integration. Development is expected to be complete by 2027, creating a diverse ecosystem of Tor-enabled applications.
The Tor Project will continue its mission of providing technologies for secure and private internet access, supporting digital and human rights defenders around the world. Progress is only possible through community unity, and Tor is counting on this support in the coming year.