Bank App Does Not Play Well with Tor Browser
December 22, 2016
Bank apps are a convenient way to access and keep track of your accounts. They are mainly used on mobile devices and are advertised for the user on the go. One UK bank app, however, refuses to play nice with devices that have the Tor browser, reports the Register in the article, “Tor Torpedoed! Tesco Bank App Won’t Run With Privacy Tool Installed.”
Tesco is a popular bank present in supermarkets, but if you want to protect your online privacy by using the Tor browser on your mobile device the Tesco app will not work on said device. Marcus Davage, the mainframe database administrator, alerted Tesco patrons that in order to use the Tesco app, they needed to delete the Tor browser. Why is this happening?
The issue appears to be related to security. Tesco’s help site notes that the Android app checks for malware and other possible security risks (such as the phone being rooted) upon launching and, in this case, the Tor software triggers an alert. The Tor Project makes two apps for Android, the aforementioned Orbot and the Orfox browser, both of which allow users to encrypt their data traffic using the Tor network. According to the Play Store, Orbot has been downloaded more than five million times by Android users.
App developers need to take into account that the Tor browser is not malware. Many users are concerned with their online privacy and protecting their personal information, so Tor needs to be recognized as a safe application.
Whitney Grace, December 22, 2016
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
