To protect against time zone leaks, the system clock inside Whonix is set to UTC. This means it may be a few hours before or ahead of your host system clock. Do not change this setting!
Whonix specific part: To prevent package anon-apps-config from changing the timezone to UTC during upgrades, a status file must be created as documented in the next step. [1]
Incomplete: This wiki page is incomplete by design. It only includes details specific to Whonix. For full understanding, please follow the link below to the Kicksecure wiki, which provides more complete background and instructions.
Whonix is based on Kicksecure™: Whonix is built on top of Kicksecure. This means it uses many of the same security tools, design concepts, and configurations.
Kicksecure is based on Debian: Kicksecure is developed using Debian as its base. Debian is a widely used, stable, and free Linux operating system.
Debian is GNU/Linux-based: Debian is built using the GNU/Linux operating system. GNU provides essential tools and Linux is the system’s kernel (core).
Shared documentation benefits: Since each system is based on the one below it, a lot of documentation and guides are shared. This reduces the need to duplicate information.
Inherited documentation: Most instructions and explanations are inherited from Kicksecure or Debian, unless otherwise specified.
Shared principles: The systems share similar security goals and setup instructions. In most cases, users can follow Kicksecure documentation when using Whonix.
Keep using Whonix: This does not mean users should switch to Kicksecure. This page only points to related, helpful information.
Where to apply the instructions: Follow the instructions inside Whonix unless specifically stated otherwise.
Documentation compatibility: Because Whonix is based on Kicksecure, you can often follow Kicksecure’s instructions as long as you apply them in the right place.
Summary: Whonix is built on top of Kicksecure, which itself is based on Debian. Debian is a GNU/Linux operating system. This layered design means Whonix inherits many features, tools, and documentation from both Kicksecure and Debian.
Click here: Visit the related page in the Kicksecure wiki for full documentation and background:
sdwdate is mostly unrelated. It can operate independently of system timezone setting. It is a time synchronization daemon. It does not alter the system timezone.
Tor Browser has its own independent development team and independent implementation of timezone change. This is unspecific to Whonix. Tor Browser does the same on non-Whonix systems. In other words, Tor Browser does the same on Debian hosts. Changing the system timezone will not affect Tor Browser.
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