The Tor Project has recently released Tor Browser v15.0a4, an update that introduces numerous routine bug fixes and improvements. However, the most significant change is the removal of Mozilla Firefox’s built-in artificial intelligence and machine learning components.
Built upon the open-source foundation of Mozilla Firefox, the Tor Browser has long undergone extensive security audits by the Tor development team. Given its mission to safeguard privacy and anonymity, the project places the utmost emphasis on privacy-focused code integrity and security assurance.
While tech giants such as Google and Microsoft continue to embed AI-powered features into their browsers, the Tor Project is taking the opposite approach—stripping away all artificial intelligence elements. According to project contributor Henry, the team has not yet conducted a full code audit and therefore cannot properly evaluate the black-box behavior of Mozilla’s AI and machine learning models—specifically, the opaque nature of their training processes and prompt data.
Tor developers acknowledged that some users might be willing to accept the risks of running Mozilla’s locally integrated black-box AI for the sake of convenience. Nevertheless, the team has opted to exclude all AI-related modules in the interest of security. Removed features include the AI chat sidebar and the page summary preview links.
In addition to supporting sites that use the .onion protocol, the Tor Browser also functions as a regular web browser. In this latest version, the desktop edition now displays full HTTP and HTTPS protocol names in the address bar, while the Android version continues to keep them hidden.
The update also eliminates Mozilla-related branding elements, such as the Firefox logo, the default homepage, and the newly introduced History Sidebar. The Tor Browser has reverted to its classic history panel, replacing Firefox’s updated version.
Lastly, the release improves CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) character rendering for East Asian languages through a newly adopted font named Jigmo, offering clearer and more refined text display for multilingual users.