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Today's question is a question we are often asked. It is also a question to which it is really difficult for anyone to give a generic and global answer. We will try to explain in a very simple way what it is Tor, who should use it and what is the risk of using it. We will therefore try to answer the question: I should use Tor Browsers? Before continuing we also recommend reading the article Guide to using Tor Browsers edited by DebianMan. This one in fact it will not be a guide for use of Tor.
As we said, it is impossible to give a definitive answer, in the meantime let's try to briefly explain what it is Tor Browsers. Tor Browsers it's a simple one Browsers, a modified version of Mozilla Firefox, with several pre-configured settings to protect your privacy. It automatically connects to the onion routing network protocol. In fact, you have to imagine it onion network like a real one onion: made in layers. Data transmitted over the network is protected by three successive layers of encryption 1.
Explained even more simply: to reach a website instead of going directly to the website you will try to lose any stalkers by sorting the cards a little.
Tor, internet and onions
Then there are .onion sites, the so-called hidden services. Anonymous websites where communications are protected both incoming and outgoing. Be careful not to be fooled by urban legends: they don't exist Alone illegal .onion sites (although they are perhaps the majority). For example, there are .onion versions of ProtonMail, Of DuckDuckGo, of the New York Times, Riseup, Archive.today and even of Facebook.
Do you know the famous iceberg where the tip is the surface web, and underneath is the huge Dark Web? It's wrong and needs to be overturned.
Carola Frediani on Twitter
Then there is another legend to dismantle. And to do so we quote a tweet of the excellent Carola Frediani: “one search @RecordedFuture 2 says something that I myself had underlined several times. The so-called #DarkWeb is a limited and circumscribed reality. Do you know the famous iceberg where the tip is the surface web, and underneath is the huge Dark Web? It's wrong and needs to be overturned.“
That is: the Dark Web it is a very small reality and it is not true that it is bigger than the internet we all know. In fact, according to research, .onion sites are just that 0.005% from the WWW.
Speaking of Carola Frediani: absolutely follow his newsletter called Network Wars.
I should use Tor Browsers?
You therefore understand that answering the question in this article is not simple and probably not even possible. Many people believe that Tor it serves only evildoers and those who commit illegal things. But the concept of legal and illegal is not immutable over time and what is considered legal here today in another part of the world is not. Tor is therefore a fundamental project for protection activists, journalists, whistleblower And political dissidents.
Because let's remember it: in some parts of the world, and often unfortunately also in Italy 3, being a journalist can be very dangerous indeed.
Let's try to simplify everything for those who are a little confused: with Tor Browsers you can view all sites in the world anonymously, not just .onions.
The domains .onion, however, you can see them only and exclusively using the Tor network.
Tor obviously it's not perfect, but it's the closest thing to online anonymity. As we know though Tor alone it cannot guarantee total anonymity and often a human error (or any bugs not yet discovered) can lead to being recognized. One of the problems of Tor it is in fact, according to a paper written by the researcher "Nusenu" that the 23% dei knots (i.e. Tor's output servers) is compromised 4.
As he concludes Nicola Vanin on Cyber Security 360: “Governments and corporations have immense resources to protect their interests and certainly enough to violate Tor. The website of Tor Project, which advertises itself as a solution for dissenters, irresponsibly fails to explain the risks to its intended users.”
Governments and corporations have immense resources to protect their interests and certainly enough to crack Tor. The Tor Project website, which advertises itself as a solution for dissidents, irresponsibly does not explain the risks to its intended users.
Nicola Vanin For Cyber Security 360
I should use Tor Browsers?
For example, if you are a journalist looking for sensitive materials and you cannot and do not want to risk being tracked then use Tor it might be a good idea, always remembering the limitations of the platform. To minimize risks you must always remember not to add or remove extensions of any kind. Do not log into your account Google, Of Mozilla or to any other site attributable to you. Do not resize the window Browsers (yes, this can also help you recognize someone). And unless you know exactly what you're doing, also stay away from .onion sites, unless they're the official versions like this one. ProtonMail or unless you know Really What are you doing.
The Tor network with Brave
As many of you may already know using the Browsers Brave you can also use the Tor network with extreme simplicity. Included in Browsers there is in fact one incognito mode with Tor network. It is very useful for quickly viewing some .onion sites and is also very useful if you want to have more private incognito browsing compared to the classic one (which we know isn't really private).
Just be a little careful because using a Browsers different from Tor Browsers you are more recognizable for the reasons above. Furthermore, bugs not present on Tor are possible Browsers, for example a very dangerous one was discovered and fixed in February 2021 5. So if you use it just to have greater security for personal research it is fine with the necessary precautions. If you have the NSA or the Government on your tail it's probably best not to use it.
“The darkweb is like the dimly lit squares of our suburbs where drug dealers attract customers but on the darkweb there are also dissidents, artists, journalists persecuted in authoritarian countries”.
Arthur of Corinth on Twitter
Tor to escape Google?
If you are just looking to run away from Google or from advertising therefore online Tor it is perhaps really excessive for you and any one will be enough alternative to Google Search oh Google Chrome. At most you can think about exploiting even one VPN (Do I need a VPN to avoid being tracked?).
There is no harm in using Tor as Browsers daily, however, keep in mind that your browsing can be very slow and many sites may not want to open correctly. Avoid .onion sites unless you know exactly what you're doing and avoid dangerous and illegal places. You are not. Invisible.
Furthermore, the risk of accidentally stumbling upon (perhaps using .onion search engines) literally horrible and indescribable places with child pornography material is really high because unfortunately they really exist even if fortunately they are constantly dismantled Also thanks to Anonymous.
I should use Tor Browsers? Last doubts
We leave you with a doubt for last.
As we have seen, no one can easily know what you are looking at Tor. But you can instead discover with extreme simplicity that you you are connected to Tor in that moment. So if Tor Nobody uses it other than political dissidents and journalists and therefore risks being useless.
Because if there are 10 of us in a room but only I connect to Tor and someone in that area is wanted for using Tor it's easy to get to me. If instead we all use that room Tor but only one is looking sensitive material against the Government then it will be more complex to achieve it.
How did it happen to this student of Harvard who thought he could get away with it just because he had used Tor: Harvard student Eldo Kim charged in final-exam bomb hoax. Or, to return to Italy, to the one who rejoiced on social media for the death of Willy Monteiro: Racism against Willy on Facebook, so the police may have found the culprit.
Some links for further information
- Guide to using Tor Browsers edited by DebianMan
- La Repubblica: What is Tor Project and what is it for[↩]
- Who's Afraid of the Dark? Hype Versus Reality on the Dark Web[↩]
- Who is Paolo Borrometi, the journalist threatened with death by the mafia[↩]
- How Malicious Tor Relays are Exploiting Users in 2020[↩]
- Brave Browsers Tor Mode Leaked .Onion Addresses To ISP – Glitch Fixed/[↩]
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