Tor Project's flagship anonymizing browser has been upgraded to make it simpler for users to avoid government attempts to prohibit its usage in various locations. According to the non-profit organisation that controls the open source software, Tor Browser 11.5 would change the user experience of connecting to Tor from strongly censored locations. 

It replaces a "manual and confusing procedure" in which users have to maintain their own Tor Network settings to figure out how to utilise a bridge to unblock Tor in their location. Because various bridge settings may be required in different countries, the Tor Project stated that the manual effort placed an undue hardship on restricted users. 

Connection Assist is its answer, and it will automatically apply the bridge configuration that should perform best in a user's exact location. China, Russia, Belarus, and Turkmenistan are among the countries that have blocked the Tor Network. Volunteers from these and other impacted nations are encouraged to apply to be alpha testers so that their feedback may be shared with the community. 

The Tor Project has revised its Tor Network settings to improve the user experience for people who still want to manually configure their software. There is also a new HTTPS-only default option for users, which protects consumers by encrypting communication between their system and the web servers it communicates with. 

“This change will help protect our users from SSL stripping attacks by malicious exit relays, and strongly reduces the incentive to spin up exit relays for man-in-the-middle attacks in the first place,” it stated. 

Although the Tor Browser is often linked with illicit black web browsing, it is also a useful tool for activists, journalists, dissidents, and NGO workers working under harsh government regimes.