[tbb-bugs] #29800 [Applications/Tor Browser]: Using Tor in the UAE

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#29800: Using Tor in the UAE
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 Reporter:  mwolfe                    |          Owner:  tbb-team
     Type:  defect                    |         Status:  needs_information
 Priority:  Medium                    |      Milestone:
Component:  Applications/Tor Browser  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal                    |     Resolution:
 Keywords:  tbb-mobile                |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                            |         Points:
 Reviewer:                            |        Sponsor:
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Comment (by mwolfe):

 Replying to [comment:4 sysrqb]:
 > mwolfe, do you have any more information for this? Can you provide any
 logs from Tor showing where the error/failure occurs? Do you have Tor
 Browser on a desktop or laptop (and does that work)?
 >
 > In addition, can you provide more information about which apps you used
 on the Android phone? You said you installed Tor for Android. Did you
 install Orbot or Tor Browser? Which configurations did you try?

 Basically, WeChat (what the Chinese use instead of Skype) is blocked in
 the UAE. Skype is also blocked. On my Windows computer, I use a VPN to
 Skype, since Tor does not support Skype.

 I tried Orbot, which is supposed to route everything around the blocks,
 but it didn't work. WeChat just didn't connect. No error message, I just
 could not connect.

 I tried to log in to the WeChat site (which must be accessed by Android,
 though they prefer iOS)  on my Windows or Mac computer using Tor, I can
 try to log in, but it just gives me a QR code (that says it only works
 with an iPhone).

 So I tried to log in to WeChat from Android with Tor, but could not
 connect. It might be that WeChat blocks all Tor exit nodes (I've found
 many sites that use a Firewall that has all or almost all Tor exit nodes
 blocked, and many with a Captcha that only happens with Tor and is set to
 be very hard to get past.

 So sorry, no error logs, I just could not connect to WeChat and create an
 account on my Nokia 6.1 Plus phone.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/29800#comment:5>
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