Tails is a portable operating system that protects against surveillance and censorship.
Leave no trace on the computer
Avoid surveillance, censorship, advertising, and viruses Tails uses the Tor network to protect your privacy online and help you avoid censorship. Enjoy the Internet like it should be.
You can temporarily turn your own computer into a secure machine. You can also stay safe while using the computer of somebody else.
Tails always starts from the same clean state and everything you do disappears automatically when you shut down Tails.
You can save some of your files and configuration in an encrypted Persistent Storage on the USB stick: your documents, your browser bookmarks, your emails, and even some additional software.
Tails is designed to hide your identity.
But some of your activities could reveal your identity:
Sharing files with metadata, such as date, time, location, and device information Using Tails for more than one purpose at a time.
Tails uses the Tor network because it is the strongest and most popular network to protect from surveillance and censorship.
But Tor has limitations if you are concerned about:
Hiding that you are using Tor and Tails Protecting your online communications from determined, skilled attackers.
Tails can safely run on a computer that has a virus.
But Tails cannot always protect you when:
Installing from an infected computer Running Tails on a computer with a compromised BIOS, firmware, or hardware.