Tails
/ osTails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) is a portable operating system designed to run from a USB stick, protecting against surveillance and censorship. Its defining feature is “amnesia”—it completely wipes the computer’s RAM upon shutdown, leaving zero forensic evidence that the OS was ever used. By default, Tails forces all internet connections through the Tor network, blocking any non-anonymous traffic to ensure your location and identity remain hidden.
Ideal for high-risk scenarios, Tails comes pre-loaded with a suite of privacy-preserving tools including the Tor Browser, Thunderbird (with PGP support), KeePassXC, and OnionShare. It requires no installation or modification of the host computer’s hard drive, allowing you to turn any untrusted public computer into a secure workstation instantly. For whistleblowers and anyone needing a “burner” computer environment, Tails is the gold standard.