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A point-by-point look of your source is a bit much for these comments (and they raise some great points that I either agree with or can't thoroughly rebut), but

A point-by-point look of your source is a bit much for these comments (and they raise some great points that I either agree with or can't thoroughly rebut), but there's some interesting things in there that make me question the poster. They exclaim against being accused of spreading FUD, but use extremely emotional language and talk in absolutes when the reality is much less clear. For example, they say "2017 court case proves FBI can de-anonymize Tor users", but immediately handwave the how away, because it's classified. Well then, that's not really a strong proof of Tor being compromised -- there are several ways the FBI could de-anonymize Tor users that have nothing to do with Tor itself (people being compromised by javascript, people posting pictures with metadata, people linking back to real-life accounts, people inadvertently posting identifiable information, people posting quasi-identifiable information that is correlated over time, people downloading XYZ that has a beacon in it, etc.) I also can't help but wonder, if Tor is so thoroughly compromised and just a glowstick, why would the author finish with: >For those who still want to access the Tor network, doing so through a reliable VPN service will add an extra layer of protection while hiding your real IP address. If it's compromised to the core, a glowstick for LEA, enables the US government to "do spooky stuff", why bother giving a half-ass endorsement at the end of a hit piece?

danuker 5y ago
VPNs are great at centralizing paper trails, whether the VPNs themselves keep logs, or the ISPs.
unethical_ban 5y ago
"For those who still want to access the Tor network, doing so through a reliable VPN service will add an extra layer of protection while hiding your real IP address." You Tor to your VPN, you don't VPN to Tor.
- ziddoap 5y ago
  It is unclear to me if you meant to reply to me or someone else, because this is wholly unrelated to the criticisms I raised against the author of the source in the parent's post. However, I will say, using Tor to access your VPN strips away much of the benefit of using Tor, to the point that you might as well just use a VPN (sans Tor). I suppose if you want a single-circuit Tor connection that appears to be a static non-Tor IP address, sure. But blindly recommending one way or the other without knowing someone's use case, threat analysis, and risk tolerance is foolish.

danuker 5y ago

VPNs are great at centralizing paper trails, whether the VPNs themselves keep logs, or the ISPs.

unethical_ban 5y ago

"For those who still want to access the Tor network, doing so through a reliable VPN service will add an extra layer of protection while hiding your real IP address." You Tor to your VPN, you don't VPN to Tor.

ziddoap 5y ago
It is unclear to me if you meant to reply to me or someone else, because this is wholly unrelated to the criticisms I raised against the author of the source in the parent's post. However, I will say, using Tor to access your VPN strips away much of the benefit of using Tor, to the point that you might as well just use a VPN (sans Tor). I suppose if you want a single-circuit Tor connection that appears to be a static non-Tor IP address, sure. But blindly recommending one way or the other without knowing someone's use case, threat analysis, and risk tolerance is foolish.