Design an error to respond to websites blocking Tor
Problem:
Users may not be able to access a website while using Tor Browser. This is not something new, as it's explained here, here and here.
Why is it important:
Users are not sure as to why the connection failed. They might think is their internet connection. Or something weird happened.
In 2019 Tor Browser Design document, states how crucial is to "Preserve existing user model". And although I question the limits of what should be the user's mental model in accessing the internet with Tor Browser in the -Make Tor Circuit more visible issue-, at the end of the day they are using a Browser. We must find a way to explain the user why they can't access some websites while using our design. Just as we explain why they can't access a made up url [screenshot].
Recommendations:
- Although this is something we can't change, perhaps we can display a message to users as to why they have this error.
- We could find a way to tag the error and create an error message specific to it.
Research associated:
Screenshots
