I am hesitant to write this because I don't have objective evidence. I didn't think to get a screen grab.

I am troubled. The following is offered here tentatively. I don't know if anyone one else has seen something like this.

I have a user profile for only Tor browsing via cellular data. Location, wifi are disabled. I have only been using it for a few days.

Today, I searched reddit. No account login on this browser/profile/device ever.
Steps:

  • go to reddit.com in Tor Browser for Android
  • search for [search term]
  • click on a resulting subreddit.
  • click on link in the subreddit.
  • try to swipe back, observe swipe action doesn't seem to work.
  • use Browser menu to call up arrow buttons to navigate back
  • get redirected to reddit front page
  • observe 'promoted' post from my home country
  • quickly click on something else, without really registering the above. (I was preoccupied with my search.)
  • realize what I just saw, navigate back, but 'promoted' post is now in 3rd party language

So, there are three possibilities as I see it:

  1. Dumb luck - Tor moved to an exit node in my country for a brief time. Reddit then offered relevant 'promoted' material. A new exit node was used by the time I navigated back.
  2. something leaked and something inferred my country location, passing it to reddit.
  3. I got it completely wrong, I misread something.

If its 1, I've never seen that before, a node in my country - we are relatively small.

I understand this won't be a welcome post for most people. Its a bit like seeing UFOs - something you aren't supposed to see. (I don't have much belief in UFOs, btw).

Has anyone else seen something like this?

I believe the general public can choose to be generous and allow their resources to be used as an exit node. Were that the case then perhaps you came across the one person in your country doing it.

@rocky-planet Have you made sure Request English versions of web pages for enhanced privacy is turned on in the Tor browser language settings? If not, then websites can see your actual home language instead of 'US English' and could possibly infer your location from that

    roamer4223 Have you made sure Request English versions of web pages for enhanced privacy is turned on in the Tor browser language settings?

    That's a very relevant question. I just installed Tor Browser for Android, and observed that that option was turned off by default.

      roamer4223 Thanks for this. I had not understood that option existed.

      Switched to the "Request English" version, will see what happens.

          rocky-planet Thanks for this. I had not understood that option existed.

          No, it is unfortunate Tor Browser for Android does not alert the user about this setting on first launch, like it does for the desktop version. Tor Browser developers have been a bit conflicted about whether to leak your system language or not leak your system language by default. On the one hand it reveals your approximate geographical position, so is an anonymity leak, on the other hand, a big part of the Tor Browser users who really need the anonymity Tor Browser provides are not English speaking, and really need to get websites in their native language.

          But yes, you need to make sure the request English version setting is enabled, or you will leak your current configured system language, which may leak you approximate geographical position, especially if it is a language primarily spoken only in a single small country.

          And arguably, requesting only English language versions should be the default behavior. The users who do not speak English should be the ones that disable it. At least that is my opinion.

            Thanks, I see the dilemma. Tend to agree with you, but then I am not a monolingual e.g. Mandarin speaker - I might feel differently.

            A first-run dialog that uses the system language to alert the user to the setting seems a no-brainer.