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Tor is an anonymizer. It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make

Tor is an anonymizer. It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. It does this by routing all(1) of your traffic through a series of constantly shifting peers that don't keep records or logs and don't use standard http ports. Instead of YOU->ISP->Yahoo your traffic looks like YOU(encryption)->BOB->ALICE->STEVE(decryption)->Yahoo. Your ISP (and therefore your rotten government) only sees you make an encrypted connection to Bob, not a web request to yahoo. The chain is long enough that its really tough for anyone in the chain to figure out who you are and what your final destination is. (1) Tor can be tricky to set up and know its working properly for the uninitiated. It can... leak if set up wrong, and certain protocols (like all UDP) are not well supported.

dschobel 15y ago
Is there any precedent for legal prosecution against STEVE in case the originator is browsing something more nefarious than Yahoo? I know the "unsecured wireless AP" defense has been used with varying success but I'm wondering if any Tor peers have ever been prosecuted...
- andrewflnr 15y ago
  The Tor Project website has a pretty good legal FAQ. https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en They say they're not aware of anyone being prosecuted for running a TOR relay, but can't make any guarantees about the future.
- pyre 15y ago
  Blog post that quotes most of the original article (since the blog itself is no longer online): http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/passion-and-dalliance-blog-why-you-need-balls-of-steel-to-operate-a-tor-exit-nod.html http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/pass... HN Discussion here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140
redthrowaway 15y ago
>It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. Well, yes and no. It was developed by US Naval Intelligence to provide a way for agents to get information to their handlers without compromising themselves. Yes, it performs the roles you specify, but that's not why it exists.

dschobel 15y ago

Is there any precedent for legal prosecution against STEVE in case the originator is browsing something more nefarious than Yahoo? I know the "unsecured wireless AP" defense has been used with varying success but I'm wondering if any Tor peers have ever been prosecuted...

andrewflnr 15y ago
The Tor Project website has a pretty good legal FAQ. https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html.en They say they're not aware of anyone being prosecuted for running a TOR relay, but can't make any guarantees about the future.
pyre 15y ago
Blog post that quotes most of the original article (since the blog itself is no longer online): http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/passion-and-dalliance-blog-why-you-need-balls-of-steel-to-operate-a-tor-exit-nod.html http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2009/03/pass... HN Discussion here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526140

redthrowaway 15y ago

>It exists to prevent authorities, isps, or other snoops from being able to see what web-sites you visit. Its VPN-like qualities also make it good for circumventing blocklists that work via banned destination site lists. Well, yes and no. It was developed by US Naval Intelligence to provide a way for agents to get information to their handlers without compromising themselves. Yes, it performs the roles you specify, but that's not why it exists.