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--- en:howto:signal_on_tails [2022/11/29 19:06] – gelöscht - Externe Bearbeitung (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1
+++ en:howto:signal_on_tails [2025/12/17 14:49] (current) – [3.1) Install Signal] y
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+====== How To: Installing and running the Signal Messenger on Tails ======
+<note>A different how to is available [[https://0xacab.org/about.privacy/messengers-on-tails-os/-/wikis/Signal/Install-Signal-desktop|here]] or via Tor Onion Service [[http://wmj5kiic7b6kjplpbvwadnht2nh2qnkbnqtcv3dyvpqtz7ssbssftxid.onion/about.privacy/messengers-on-tails-os/-/wikis/Signal/Install-Signal-desktop|here]]</note>
+<note>This how to is heavily based on [[https://bisco.org/notes/installing-and-running-signal-on-tails/|bisco.org]]</note>
+Tested with:
+  * Tails versions 4, 5 and 6
+  * Signal version 7.4.0
+===== 1) Install and configure Tails =====
+==== 1.1) Install Tails ====
+See howto: [[https://tails.boum.org/|Tails]].
+==== 1.2) Boot Tails ====
+Start Tails. Before logging in, make sure to enable the following option:
+  - ☑️ Set an Administration Password.
+  - ☑️ Enable the persistent storage
+==== 1.3) Configure Persistent Storage ====
+After the first start, you will be asked to create and [[https://tails.net/doc/persistent_storage/configure/|configure]] the Persistent Storage. Make sure to check check the following boxes:
+  * ☑️ Enable persisting additionaly installed software
+  * ☑️ Enable Dotfiles feature
+===== 2) Install and configure Flatpak =====
+The approach used to run Signal on Tails is using Flatpak. Flatpak is a utility for software deployment and package management for Linux (Tails is a Linux).
+<note important>Since you download (and update) Signal from flatpak source you now depend on Flatpaks integrity!</note>
+==== 2.1) Install Flatpak ====
+Open Terminal and run the following command:
+<code>
+sudo apt update && sudo apt install flatpak --yes
+</code>
+Tails then asks if you want to add flatpak to your additional software. Choose: "Install every Time".
+==== 2.2) Configure Setup script for Flatpak ====
+In order to persist the configuration for Flatpak, some additional steps are required. Because they will be required after each boot, you will create a script to automate this.
+=== Create script ===
+The following terminal command will open a text editor to create a script in the directory ''/home/amnesia/Persistent/'':
+<code>
+gnome-text-editor /home/amnesia/Persistent/flatpak-setup.sh
+</code>
+Content of the file:
+<code>
+#!/bin/sh
+mkdir -p /home/amnesia/Persistent/flatpak
+mkdir -p /home/amnesia/.local/share
+if ! file /home/amnesia/.local/share/flatpak | grep -q 'symbolic link'; then
+        rm -rf --one-file-system /home/amnesia/.local/share/flatpak
+        ln -s /home/amnesia/Persistent/flatpak /home/amnesia/.local/share/flatpak
+fi
+mkdir -p /home/amnesia/Persistent/app
+mkdir -p /home/amnesia/.var
+ln -s /home/amnesia/Persistent/app /home/amnesia/.var/app
+</code>
+=== Make script executable ===
+This is required so that the text file can be executed as a program:
+<code>
+chmod +x /home/amnesia/Persistent/flatpak-setup.sh
+</code>
+=== Run the script ===
+Run the set up script:
+<code>
+bash /home/amnesia/Persistent/flatpak-setup.sh
+</code>
+=== Add script to autostart ===
+Now you create an entry in the autostart folder at ''/live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles/.config/autostart''
+Create the directory if it doesn't already exists:
+<code>
+mkdir -p /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles/.config/autostart/
+</code>
+Open the file with the text editor:
+<code>
+gnome-text-editor /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles/.config/autostart/FlatpakSetup.desktop
+</code>
+Content of the file:
+<code>
+[Desktop Entry]
+Name=FlatpakSetup
+GenericName=Setup Flatpak on Tails
+Comment=This script runs the flatpak-setup.sh script on start of the user session
+Exec=/live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/Persistent/flatpak-setup.sh
+Terminal=false
+Type=Application
+</code>
+==== 2.3) Configure package repository for Flatpak ====
+You will need to tell Flatpak from which URL to fetch the software packages:
+<code>
+torsocks flatpak remote-add --user --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
+</code>
+===== 3) Install and configure Signal  =====
+==== 3.1) Install Signal ====
+Install Signal. This command will take quite a couple of minutes:
+<code>
+torsocks flatpak --user install flathub org.signal.Signal
+</code>
+==== 3.2) Configure Signal ====
+Configure Signal to use Tor for connecting to the internet:
+<code>
+flatpak override --user --env=HTTP_PROXY=socks://127.0.0.1:9050 org.signal.Signal
+flatpak override --user --env=HTTPS_PROXY=socks://127.0.0.1:9050 org.signal.Signal
+</code>
+==== 3.3) Create menu entry for Signal updates ====
+<note important>In this step, you will create a menu entry called "Update Flatpak apps", which will invoke the update command in a terminal to check for updates for Signal and other apps installed via Flatpak.
+Note that you will still need to run it manually by opening the menu entry!</note>
+Create the directory for menu custom menu entries:
+<code>
+mkdir -p /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles/.local/share/applications
+</code>
+Create the menu entry:
+<code>
+gnome-text-editor /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles/.local/share/applications/update-flatpak.desktop
+</code>
+Content of the file:
+<code>
+[Desktop Entry]
+Name=Update Flatpak apps
+GenericName=Update Flatpak apps
+Exec=/usr/bin/torsocks /usr/bin/flatpak update --user -y
+Terminal=true
+Type=Application
+</code>
+This file will now show up in your menu (when you hit the windows button) as "Update Flatpak apps"
+===== 4) Done =====
+You're all set. On subsequent reboots will only need to unlock the persistent volume.
+Setting an administrator password will not be necessary, except you wish to do any changes to the setup.