Tails
Sign in to saveAlso known as TailsOS, Tails OS, The Amnesic Incognito Live System
Linux distribution for anonymity and privacy
Key facts
- Developer
- The Tails Project
- Os family
- Linux ( Unix-like )
- Working state
- Active
- Source model
- Open source
- Initial release
- June 23, 2009 ; 16 years ago ( 2009-06-23 )
- Latest release
- 7.8.1 / 4 June 2026 ; 7 days ago ( 4 June 2026 )
- Repository
- gitlab .tails .boum .org /tails /tails
- Marketing target
- Personal computers
- Available in
- 33 languages
- Update method
- Tails Upgrader
- Package manager
- APT (front-end), dpkg
- Supported platforms
- x86-64
- Kernel type
- Monolithic
- Userland
- GNU
- Default user interface
- GNOME 43
- License
- GNU GPLv3
- Preceded by
- Incognito
- Official website
- tails .net
via Wikipedia infobox
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Tails, or "The Amnesic Incognito Live System", is a security-focused Debian based Linux distribution running on a computer, aimed at preserving privacy and anonymity against surveillance. It connects to the Internet exclusively through the anonymity overlay network Tor. The system is designed to be booted as a live DVD or live USB and never writes to the hard drive or SSD, leaving no digital footprint on the machine unless explicitly told to do so. Though the system can also run as a virtual machine, running Tails in a virtual machine is potentially insecure.
The Tor Project provided financial support for Tails' development in the beginnings of the project, and continues to do so alongside numerous corporate and anonymous sponsors.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Tails” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.