Tor

What is Tor?
Tor browser is worldwide network of servers initially developed by the US Navy to enable users to browse the internet anonymously. It’s currently being run by a non-profit organization with the aim to research and develop tools for online privacy. Tor provides an anonymous internet connection by directing a user’s internet traffic across many different Tor servers while also encrypting that traffic so it becomes nearly impossible to trace. [1]

The name Tor was derived from the original project name “The Onion Router”, and that is essentially what Tor does; route. The browser uses a technique known as “onion routing” to route traffic across randomly selected nodes that are known as relays. These Tor relays represent other computers connected to the Tor network, which means the more people that use Tor the more secure the connection could possibly be. Tor relays come in three types: middle relays, end relays, and bridges. Anyone who uses Tor can become a relay, though some consideration should be taken when considering which to act as. A middle relay is generally safe considering that they only convey the traffic onto the next relay, as are bridge relays which are just relays that are not publicly listed, but end relays are a lot more vulnerable as they are subject to possible targeting by law enforcement. [1] Although it is not necessary to be a relay in order to use Tor, it is very helpful to support the Tor network.

Drawbacks
Even though Tor can make a user almost completely untraceable, it is not without its limitations. Because the traffic is being directed through many different randomly selected relays which may be in completely different parts of the world, the connection speed suffers in favor of anonymity. This becomes especially evident when streaming audio or video or download large files, as these activities are bandwidth consuming even when not using Tor. Thankfully, the organization that makes Tor possible is well aware of their project’s performance issues and provides a troubleshooting guide.

Other drawbacks to Tor are more complicated and involve possible intervention by law enforcement. Because the Tor project was initially created by the US Navy, you can imagine the US government is aware of its existence and that means so are its security agencies. And as a leaked document signed by Attorney General Eric Holder explains; Tor users “will not be treated as a United States person, unless such person can be positively identified as such, or the nature or circumstances of the person’s communications give rise to a reasonable belief that such person is a United States person.” [2] This means that agencies like the NSA will automatically assume people using anonymity software like Tor are not American citizens, and treat them as such in prosecution unless it can be proved otherwise.

Also of note, Tor will make a user nearly untraceable but it is not impossible to track a user’s traffic back far enough to figure out their identity. Users hosting an end relay will be the most vulnerable as they are the most easily tracked down and hit with copyright notices or other punishments. But while Tor users running end relays are the most vulnerable, it is still not impossible to figure out the identity of users not hosting any relay at all.

Alternatives
Tor is not bulletproof and may not be the fastest way to browse anonymously, but it is one of the easiest ways to browse the internet with the best chance of being completely anonymous. But Tor has experienced a significant increase in popularity over the past couple years which may affect how law enforcement deals with it, so it is never a bad idea to have alternatives.

Resources
[1] "Tor: The Anonymous Internet, and If It's Right for You". Gizmodo.com Retrieved 2017-4-11.

[2] "The top secret rules that allow NSA to use US data without a warrant". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2017-4-13.