The Tor onion router is a web browser primarily used for anonymous internet surfing and protection against traffic analysis. Incidentally, the U.S. Navy originally designed Tor as a means to protect sensitive U.S. government information.
Today, Tor Browser is synonymous with the dark web (also known as darknet browser), illicit activity, and free internet activists seeking to escape surveillance.
There is a contingent of netizens using Tor to hide their illegal activity. However, a substantial component uses Tor for security reasons and has the purest intentions in usage.
In this article, we’ll learn what is Tor browser, how does Tor work, and what its role is in the blockchain world.
How Does Tor Work?
To understand how Tor works you need to understand how onion routing works, as it is the core technology on which this browser is built. This form of routing is a peer-to-peer overlay network that allows users to surf anonymously. The technology deploys multiple layers of encryption to secure network users. Accordingly, users can bypass surveillance and censorship.
When using Tor, the browser sends data via Tor servers to an exit node. The exit node is the point where data leaves the network. The data then undergoes several layers of encryption before going to the next node. This process ensures that it is difficult to trace the origin of the data, which is the essence of browsing using Tor. Additionally, this browser does not track browser history or store cookies.
Websites on the dark web that use the “.onion” top-level domain rather than “.com,” “.net,” “.gov,” etc. are known as onion sites. The Onion Router (Tor) software is used by onion links (sites) to encrypt their connections and allow anonymous communication. Additionally, they conceal their ownership, location, and other indicators.
Tor has a default level of security and two additional levels. The lowest level provides more user-friendliness but lesser security. At the highest level, the browser even disables some fonts and images. These restrictions ensure that your browsing is as anonymous as possible. Therefore, you may have to contend with slow internet and clumsy surfing for the prize of complete anonymity.
Tor’s proof-of-work mechanism
To maintain a smooth user experience, Tor’s proof-of-work (same as used in Bitcoin) defense system was introduced on Aug. 23, 2023, which is a dynamic and reactive mechanism that, when a Tor onion service is under stress, will cause incoming client connections to carry out a series of progressively more difficult tasks. The onion service will then rank these connections according to the client’s level of effort. By making large-scale attacks expensive and impracticable and prioritizing legal traffic, we think the implementation of a proof-of-work system will deter attackers.
Proof of work functions as a ticket system that is by default disabled but adjusts by establishing a priority queue in response to network load. A tiny challenge that requires the client to prove that they have done some “work” must be solved before they may access an onion service. The more difficult the puzzle, the more effort is put forward, demonstrating that the user is real and not a bot attempting to abuse the system. In the end, the proof-of-work approach allows legitimate users to go to their destination while blocking attackers.
Although proof of work technology is now used by both Bitcoin (BTC) and Tor, the privacy network’s implementation differs significantly because its creators created it especially to protect Tor from attacks.
While there are some significant differences, there are algorithmic commonalities as well. The Tor Project’s director of strategic communications, Pavel Zoneff, stated “The Tor proof-of-work system is dynamic: rather than requiring clients to pursue a static target, we ask clients to ‘bid’ using their proof-of-work effort.”
What is Tor’s use in the blockchain world?
Anonymity is a big part on which decentralized networks are built, as it is the core of every blockchain. Tor contributes significantly to the blockchain environment, mostly through improving security and anonymity. To keep their transactions secret and stop third parties from tracking their activities, many blockchain users use Tor.
Even though cryptocurrency transactions are frequently pseudonymous, users can still be identified by their IP addresses. Users can hide their true IP addresses by using Tor to route their internet traffic, which makes it far more difficult for others to connect transactions to their identities.
For example, users of Monero can privately connect their wallets to distant nodes by utilizing the Tor network. Users can retrieve transaction data while maintaining the privacy of their IP addresses by installing a Monero daemon (monerod) on a home server or virtual private server and gaining access to it via a Tor hidden service.
Is It Illegal To Use The Tor Browser?
Tor usage is not illegal. It is only a tool to access the internet anonymously. What you do with that anonymity determines whether you engage in illegality or not. Anonymity is an attraction for criminals who wish to communicate or surf without detection. That said, there is nothing inherently illegal about using the Tor browser.
Can Tor Browser Be Detected?
Tor offers significantly higher anonymity than your regular browser. However, it is not 100% secure. Certain people can still see your browsing activity, even just part of it.
For the record, your original location and IP address will be impossible to track for the most part. However, Node operators for the exit node can view some of your activity if you visit an unsecured website. Therefore, even on Tor, be careful about providing your location voluntarily.
Can The Police Track Tor?
The answer is that it depends on their resources and level of training. Tor offers protection from your Internet Service Provider monitoring your activity through its onion links. Staying anonymous on the internet is mostly about how you use the browser.
Authorities can still monitor data from exit nodes, and if sufficiently connected, they can put two and two together to track individual users. It takes more time to track someone than the standard internet. Without a doubt, it requires sophisticated law enforcement like the FBI to uncover someone behind the specific activity. Therefore, one should not believe they are inherently undetectable on Tor.
How to download Tor browser?
You can download the Tor browser from its official website. Click here to visit the official download page. Select the appropriate setup file based on your operating system—Windows, macOS, Linux, or Android—and follow the installation instructions.
Why is the Tor browser so slow?
It can occasionally take longer to use the Tor browser than other browsers. With more than a million users every day and just over 6000 relays to handle all of their traffic, the Tor network occasionally experiences slowness due to server strain.
Additionally, there will always be some bottlenecks and network latency because your traffic is intentionally bouncing around volunteers’ servers located all over the world.
By operating your own relay or encouraging others to do so, you can contribute to increasing the network’s speed. You can read the official Tor browser blog that details how you can make your Tor browser faster.
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