Hi! Below is my December’24 report!
In December, I resolved 1679 (↑110) tickets:
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On Telegram (@TorProjectSupportBot) - 1459 (↑108);
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On RT (frontdesk@tpo) - 219 (↑4);
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On WhatsApp (+447421000612) - 1 (↓2);
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and on Signal (+17787431312) - 0 (0).
My main focus in December (and always) was to provide support for Russian-speaking users in bypassing censorship. I help users to resolve any issues they are facing with Tor Browser and collect their feedback on what worked for them and what didn’t. I also took part in Tor Forum moderation, took part in Relay Operators Meetup, and worked reviewing Google Play Store users reviews.
Last months were especially challenging with number of tickets drastically growing since August’24. In December, when Roskomnadzor blocked Viber messaging app [1] and finalised the YouTube blocking [2], the number of user support tickets continued its growth.
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July 2024: 587 tickets
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August 2024: 928 tickets
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September 2024: 994 tickets
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October 2024: 1104 tickets
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November 2024: 1569 tickets
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December 2024: 1679 tickets ← this report
I created a template for to help mobile users in using WebTunnel bridges as in some mobile ISPs obfs4 protocol seems to be blocked[3].
## Google Play Reviews for Tor Browser (TBA) and Tor Browser Alpha for Android
- Tor Browser for Android had a Google Play rating of 4.382 (↓) stars in December 2024, which is lower than in November.
- Tor Browser for Android (TBA) got 757 (↑85) reviews out of 59,828 for the lifetime.
- Tor Browser for Android Alpha (TBA-Alpha) app had a rating of 4.228 (↓) which is lower than in November.
- In December, Tor Browser for Android (TBA-Alpha) got 37 (↓1) reviews out of 8,424 for the lifetime.
Most common issues on the Google Play store reviews remain the same:
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“Tor Browser doesn’t work”: - often from Russian users, who are struggling to find a way to connect to tor;
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“Tor speed is too slow”: This issue is currently under investigation.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/russian-watchdog-blocks-viber-messaging-app-2024-12-13/
[2] https://www.rferl.org/a/youtube-practically-blocked-in-russia-expert-says/33251568.html
[3] https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/censorship-analysis/-/issues/40050