Hi! Below is my November’24 report!
In November, I resolved 1569 (↑465) tickets:
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On Telegram (@TorProjectSupportBot) - 1351 (↑496);
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On RT (frontdesk@tpo) - 215 (↓33);
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On WhatsApp (+447421000612) - 3 (↑2);
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and on Signal (+17787431312) - 0 (0).
Since August 2024, I’ve noticed a significant increase in Russian-speaking user requests on our support channels:
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July: 587 tickets
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August: 928 tickets
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September: 994 tickets
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October: 1104 tickets
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November: 1569 tickets (this report)
My main focus in November was to help Russian-speaking users bypass censorship and help users to resolve any issues they are facing with Tor Browser. I also took part in Tor Forum moderation and worked reviewing Google Play Store users reviews.
In November, we had much more tickets from Russian-speaking users than usual (+42% comparing with October). It happened due to internet censorship in Russia is getting more severe, and some pluggable transports are being blocked or partially blocked [1]. So in November, we launched a WebTunnel campaign and asked the Tor community to help users in Russia by running more bridges [2], which is a pluggable transport reported to work well in Russia.
Last month we got multiple requests from Apple devices users from Russia regarding what app to use on iOS or how to download Tor Browser - macOS does not allow to install apps downloaded from Telegram [3], so users need to use website mirror.
The process of upgrading CDR.link has started in November[4], which included upgrade to a newer Zammad version, testing, bug reporting and consultation with the contractor.
## Google Play Reviews for Tor Browser (TBA) and Tor Browser Alpha for Android
Tor Browser for Android had a Google Play rating of 4.89 (↓) stars in November 2024, which is lower than in October.
Tor Browser for Android (TBA) got 672 (↓19) reviews out of 59,115 for the lifetime.
Tor Browser for Android Alpha (TBA-Alpha) app had a rating of 4.241 (↓) which is lower than in October.
In November, Tor Browser for Android (TBA-Alpha) got 38 (↓2) reviews out of 8,396 for the lifetime.
Most common issues on the Google Play store reviews:
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Tor Browser doesn’t work: mostly from Russian users, who are struggling to find a bridge that is not blocked;
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Tor speed is too slow: This issue is currently under investigation, I’ll offer users some ways to improve the speed and gather their feedback.
[1] https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/censorship-analysis/-/issues/40050
[2] https://blog.torproject.org/call-for-webtunnel-bridges/
[3] https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser-build/-/issues/41103
[4] https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/community/support/-/issues/40165