Linux Tails OS Review : Privacy Focused Linux Distro

Tails OS is a live operating system, which means you can run it straight from a USB stick or DVD without installing anything on your computer. It’s built with privacy and security in mind, keeping your identity, location, and activity completely anonymous. When you shut it down, it leaves no trace behind. All internet traffic is routed through the Tor network, encrypting your connection and hiding your IP address. It also comes loaded with tools for secure messaging, file encryption, and document editing, making it a solid pick for anyone serious about protecting their digital footprint.

Tor Browser

When you start up Tails first thing it wants to do is setup Tor connection and the tor browser with DuckDuckGo as the default search engine.

I was curious at how fast the connection would be with Tor. It was slower then normal but very usable. I wouldn’t recommend using it for steaming video though. I as able to get between 10 and 50 Mbps while testing.

Had to make sure the website loaded correctly

Menu

Activities menu

The menu bar has three different options, activities, applications, and places. Activities brings up currently open apps, applications is like a normal linux menu, and places will allow you visit typical file structure. You can setup persistence storage to retain info from boot to boot. You couldn’t install any applications without persistence storage.

I didn’t like having activities in the top left, I would rather of had applications, I didn’t see a way in the menu to change it, but didn’t look super indepth either. I am sure its something you could get use too.

Application Menu

While Tails is a full OS, the offering of default apps is functional but limited. It includes most items you need on a daily basis

Places Menu

Typical file browser menu

Conclusion

This was my first time using Tails, and I found it to be a really interesting concept. Its use case is definitely niche, but it handles that purpose extremely well. I don’t see it as a distro you’d want to use every day unless you’re heavily focused on security. That said, many of the concepts Tails uses could be adapted to other distros for a more user-friendly experience.