What is Tor?

Released on 20th September 2002, Tor or The Onion Router is a piece of software used to enable anonymous communications over the internet. Tor directs the users internet activity through an overlay network which consists of over 7 thousand relays.

It conceals both the users physical location and internet usage.

The following is an explanation of what Tor is taken from https://www.torproject.org:

"Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security"

Image from https://www.torproject.org/index.html.en

Tor has many legitimate uses, such as in countries like China where big brother is well and truly watching 24 hours a day 7 days a week, Tor can be used to access basic information which we take for granted.

It is also used by activists, the media, military and law enforcement.

As with anything, just like the internet itself it can be used for both good and bad. It has always be linked with the dark web and websites such as The Silk Road and Alphabay.

According to the BBC in a recent story on Tor:

"To some, Tor is a menace: a (largely) impenetrable system that enables some of the most depraved crimes to take place on the internet.

To others, it is a lifeline, the only way to safely access the online services that most of us take for granted."

It goes onto talk about Alphabay which has recently been shutdown, saying:

"Alphabay, was said to boast more than 200,000 users and $1bn (£0.7bn) a year in revenue"

Both the Silk Road and Alphabay were open markets, selling anything from drugs and weapons. Which of course you could get off the street if you really wanted to.

The BBC article (linked below) does state how Tor is mainly used for positive reasons, it says:

"In 2014, Facebook's London team announced it had set up a way for users to access Facebook through Tor. More than a million people use the site in this way every month."

"About 97% of Tor traffic has to do with people going to Facebook, and Wikipedia, and BBC, and ordinary websites on the internet, and they want to go there more safely,"

I would like to know peoples opinions on the use of Tor and the dark web. In a world where everything you do is being monitored is this a welcome break? Or do the dangers outweigh the benefits of it's use?

BBC article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40810771

As usual thanks for listening

Happy Steeming Steemers and Steemettes.

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