# Bug found in Tor Browser for android

**URL:** https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540
**Category:** Tor Browser Feedback
**Tags:** tor-browser, tor
**Created:** [May 1, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540 "2024-05-01T19:18:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![TorOps](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/torops/32/3540_2.png) [@TorOps](https://forum.torproject.org/u/TorOps)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/1 "2024-05-01T19:18:30Z")

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Hello,

I think that I’ve found a bug within Tor Browser for android. When I visited disroots SearXNG instance, I noticed that the language was automatically set to en-IN(english-India), and that SearXNG automatically showed me Indian websites(I live in India). This was strange considering that I had not set any such preference earlier or provided any information that I was from India.

I initially assumed this must’ve happened because the exit relay for my connection might have been based in india, so I decided to check the location of the exit node I was using on various IP-checking websites. Interestingly, it showed that my exit relay was based in Luxembourg, not India. So I then forgot about this issue and later remembered it when I was messing around with my phones system language settings.

I then thought it might have something to do with my device language. So, I tested this by changing my device language to various other languages, and sure enough, the SearXNG instance was able to detect it. I think(I’m not sure) that this might potentially be a bug that could expose the country of the user in question. Please correct me if I’m wrong or if I’m being an idiot here, as I’m a noob when it comes to things like this.

I’ll provide some details regarding my OS, device, tor version, etc., below:

OS:Android 14, close to stock android(Stock ROM)  
Device: Moto g34  
Tor version: 13.0.14  
Steps to reproduce: Go to a SearXNG instance, click on settings, and see if the device language matches the language shown by the engine  
Tor Browser security level: Standard  
Region I’m connecting from: India  
Is tor censored in my country: no

I’m only reporting this issue because I’m concerned about search engines like Google and Bing using this info to partially fingerprint users.

Again, please tell me if I’m wrong or being an idiot here.

Thank you.

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### Author: ![thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/thorin/32/2984_2.png) [@thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/thorin)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/2 "2024-05-01T21:27:11Z")

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Hi

So the first thing to do is check what you are reporting via JS (which will match what you are requesting in headers)

- visit [TZP](https://arkenfox.github.io/TZP/tzp.html)
- scroll down to the fourth section named `region`
- you will see something like this
- apologies that its so tiny on a phone … just pinch to zoom, and ignore any and all red warning notations on the entire test (my Tor Browser JS detection has been broken on Android since TB13, so it’s not applying TB specific checks)

 ![example](https://forum.torproject.org/uploads/default/original/2X/a/ad98631652f41fcf753689a526977f959f16762e.png)

So there are two things here

- language(s) which are also reflected in accept headers
- locale

What do you report as?

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### Author: ![PieroV](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/pierov/32/756_2.png) [@PieroV](https://forum.torproject.org/u/PieroV)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2024, 8:03am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/3 "2024-05-02T08:03:50Z")

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> [@TorOps](#):
>
> I think(I’m not sure) that this might potentially be a bug that could expose the country of the user in question.

Hi!  
Yes, we have a patch to remove the regional part from locales, but it might be broken.

In addition to what @thorin already said, could you please check in a site like [myhttpheader.com](http://myhttpheader.com) what’s the value of `Accept-Language` for you? (It should match what you see in TZP, and possibly not contain en-IN, but en, or en-US).

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### Author: ![thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/thorin/32/2984_2.png) [@thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/thorin)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2024, 8:37am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/4 "2024-05-02T08:37:28Z")

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> it should match what you see in TZP

it should always matches languages and order but with q=0.x weightings. It certainly does on desktops - I tested them all because I am thorough 👾

So my phone language is `en-US`. Going into settings and changing app language to `fr` (without a forced or prompted restart) this is what I get - so that’s definitely one problem

> **click me for pic**
>
> ![Screenshot_Tor Browser](https://forum.torproject.org/uploads/default/original/2X/9/9bf028c878fb2d5c08183cb4ca82b751547a35cd.jpeg)

I’ll test later on with a restart

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### Author: ![thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/thorin/32/2984_2.png) [@thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/thorin)
#### Post date: [May 2, 2024, 10:47am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/5 "2024-05-02T10:47:30Z")

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a quit and even a force stop didn’t do anything

> **[TBA: locale doesn't change when you change app language (#42552) · Issues ·...](https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/issues/42552)**
>
> issue 1 see https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540 tested using TB 13.5a6 (up-to-date according to the playstore)

@TorOps in one of your bad results on searX … what is your language in Settings \> Language

- 
  1. is the `Request English versions ... ` on (circle slide to right) or off (circle slid to left)

- 
  1. what in the list of languages has a check mark - both lines (i.e does it say `Follow device language`)

- test on TZP and tell us the results

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### Author: ![TorOps](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/torops/32/3540_2.png) [@TorOps](https://forum.torproject.org/u/TorOps)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/6 "2024-05-06T13:34:38Z")

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Hi,

Apologies for the late response, I was busy from the last few days.

Anyways, I’ve tested on TZP and here are the results:

 ![Screenshot_20240506-185212](https://forum.torproject.org/uploads/default/original/2X/7/7db36b78c51713de2afbae542d8c2de2571e835e.png)  
And Thorin, the request English versions slider is off, i.e., circle slid to the left, and in the list of languages, it says follow device language. Also, none of the languages in the list have a check mark next to them.

I hope this can be fixed soon! 🙂

Thanking you,

TorOps

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### Author: ![thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/thorin/32/2984_2.png) [@thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/thorin)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/7 "2024-05-06T18:02:37Z")

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> [@TorOps](#):
>
> Also, none of the languages in the list have a check mark next to them

that’s weird

Unfortunately I do not have a non en-US phone. And there are several things going on, which may differ a little on mobile. `Request English` doesn’t behave the same when the original locale/language starts with `en` (such as en-IN, en-CA, en-GB). But the fact that the locale says en-US tells me things. Second is that this is not changing the languages to match the “request english” locale - i.e the bug I filed

One thing you could do is open about:config, search for `intl` and reset `intl.accept_languages` - but I don’t know exactly what state it is in (modified) - it probably thinks `en-IN, en-US, en` is correct, which is at least one of the issues

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### Author: ![TorOps](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/torops/32/3540_2.png) [@TorOps](https://forum.torproject.org/u/TorOps)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/8 "2024-05-07T14:04:24Z")

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Hi,

I wanted to try this:

> [@thorin](#):
>
> ne thing you could do is open about:config, search for `intl` and reset `intl.accept_languages` - but I don’t know exactly what state it is in (modified) - it probably thinks `en-IN, en-US, en` is correct, which is at least one of the issues

So I tried going to about:config and yeah… It didn’t load. It just shows a blank screen.

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### Author: ![PieroV](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/pierov/32/756_2.png) [@PieroV](https://forum.torproject.org/u/PieroV)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/9 "2024-05-07T16:50:42Z")

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@TorOps I created [Restrict the accepted languages to the ones whose localization is available (#42562) · Issues · The Tor Project / Applications / Tor Browser · GitLab](https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/issues/42562). We’re going to solve it ASAP.  
Thanks for your report.

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### Author: ![thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/user_avatar/forum.torproject.org/thorin/32/2984_2.png) [@thorin](https://forum.torproject.org/u/thorin)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://forum.torproject.org/t/bug-found-in-tor-browser-for-android/12540/10 "2024-05-08T02:02:49Z")

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> So I tried going to about:config and yeah… It didn’t load. It just shows a blank screen

Hmm, you’re right - I thought we bypassed that lock - so for followup I opened [TBA stable doesn't allow about:config (#42564) · Issues · The Tor Project / Applications / Tor Browser · GitLab](https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/issues/42564)
