Use Private.Ki over Tor
Private.Ki works in Tor Browser at Standard or Safer level. What to expect — slower loading, occasional rate limits — and what Tor does and does not add.
Tor hides your IP address and location from the sites you visit — including from our server. Private.Ki does not block Tor, and nothing in the app checks for it. You use the ordinary web address in Tor Browser and sign in as usual. This article covers the settings that matter, the two things that behave differently over Tor, and what Tor adds to the protection you already have.
Private.Ki does not currently run an onion service. Use https://app.privateki.net in Tor Browser. If you have an old bookmark to a .onion address, do not use it — we cannot vouch for where it leads.
Set up Tor Browser
- Install Tor Browser from the Tor Project's own site — not from an app store or a third-party mirror. It exists for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. On iPhone there is no Tor Browser; the Tor Project points to Onion Browser, which works with Private.Ki as long as JavaScript is on.
- Connect and wait for the browser to report it is connected to the Tor network.
- Check the security level (the shield icon next to the address bar):
- Standard — everything works.
- Safer — works. Private.Ki is served over HTTPS only, which is what Safer requires for scripts to run.
- Safest — does not work. Safest turns JavaScript off for every site, and Private.Ki does all its encryption in JavaScript. You will see a blank page. See System requirements and JavaScript.
Web & desktop screenshotTor Browser's security level: Standard or Safer works; Safest disables JavaScript and Private.Ki will not load.This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Tor Browser's security level: Standard or Safer works; Safest disables JavaScript and Private.Ki will not load.Web & desktop iPhone screenshotTor Browser's security level: Standard or Safer works; Safest disables JavaScript and Private.Ki will not load.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Tor Browser's security level: Standard or Safer works; Safest disables JavaScript and Private.Ki will not load.iPhone Android screenshotTor Browser's security level: Standard or Safer works; Safest disables JavaScript and Private.Ki will not load.Same screen as on the web, single column. This capture is produced by the screenshot pipeline and will appear here.Tor Browser's security level: Standard or Safer works; Safest disables JavaScript and Private.Ki will not load.Android - Open
https://app.privateki.netand sign in normally. Your username, password, two-factor code and passphrase work exactly as they do elsewhere.
If you use NoScript's per-site controls at a higher level, allow scripts for app.privateki.net and for api.privateki.net, which the app talks to.
What behaves differently over Tor
It is slower. Tor adds several hops. The initial load, the sign-in handshake and the burst of requests that follows unlocking all take longer. Large attachments take noticeably longer. This is the cost of the anonymity, not a fault.
You may hit a rate limit. Our server limits requests per IP address, and a Tor exit node's address is shared by everyone using it at that moment. On a busy exit node, sign-up, the live username check, password recovery, device pairing and the sign-in handshake can hit the limit even though you have made only one request. The app shows Too many requests. Wait a minute or two, or request a new circuit for the site (the circuit icon in the address bar → New Tor circuit for this site) so you arrive from a different exit node. See Rate limits.
Sign-up also asks your browser to solve a small proof-of-work puzzle. This is not Tor-specific — every browser does it — but it takes a little longer on a slow machine. There are no image CAPTCHAs. See Proof of work instead of CAPTCHA.
Real-time updates can pause. The app keeps a WebSocket open for new mail and chat. When a Tor circuit changes, that connection drops and reconnects a few seconds later. If it stays down for 15 seconds you see the Connection lost banner; if it stays down for 30 minutes the app locks itself. See Offline, reconnecting and the 30-minute auto-lock.
"New Identity" signs you out. Tor Browser's New Identity clears all site data. You will need to sign in again — and with Password only unlock, unlock again by signing in; with a passphrase, type it again.
What Tor adds — and what it does not
Your messages are end-to-end encrypted whether or not you use Tor. Tor changes what an observer can learn about the connection:
- Without Tor, our server sees your IP address for the duration of the connection — it does not log it — and your ISP or network can see that you connected to
private.ki. - With Tor, our server sees a Tor exit node's address, and your network sees only that you are using Tor.
Tor does not make a weak password strong, does not protect a passphrase you reuse, and does not hide your username from us — we need that to route your mail. If you use Private.Ki under a pseudonym, do not sign in to accounts that identify you in the same Tor Browser session.
What our server sees
Cannot see
- Your real IP address or location — only the exit node's, and that is not logged either
- Your mail or chats — same as always
Can see
- Your username, when you sign in, and what you do in the app (send, fetch, pair a device) — the same as without Tor
- That the connection came from a Tor exit node, if we chose to look it up; we do not treat it differently
Common questions
Why is there no onion service?
We do not run one today. The ordinary address over Tor still gives you the anonymity Tor provides; what an observer at the exit can see is that some Tor user connected to private.ki, not who. If that changes, this page will say so.
Can I use Tor on my phone?
Yes — Tor Browser for Android, or Onion Browser on iOS, with the web app. The native apps do not route through Tor on their own; use Orbot (Android) in VPN mode if you want them to.
Sign-in keeps failing with no error
Most often a rate-limited exit node or a circuit that changed mid-handshake. Request a new circuit for the site and try again. If you see Too many requests, wait a minute first.
Should I use Tor or a VPN?
Tor for anonymity from everyone including us; a VPN for hiding your connection from your local network at higher speed, while trusting the VPN provider. See Use Private.Ki with a VPN.