Tor Browser – A Complete Overview

Tor Browser is an open-source and free web browser that enables the users to browse through the internet anonymously. It is difficult to track the online activity of users because it routes traffic through a network of servers. This browser is often used by the people who want to protect their privacy online, such as journalists, activists, etc.

Getting started with Tor Browser

Presented below are the important topics that come under the Tor Web Browser. After navigating all the important topics, you’ll have a basic understanding about using the Tor Browser.

Download and Install Tor

If you want to begin surfing internet using this browser and don’t know how to begin, refer to the articles given below depending on your Operating System

• Downloading & Installing tor in Windows
• Downloading & Installing tor in Ubuntu
• Downloading & Installing tor in Kali Linux
• Downloading & Installing tor in MacOS

Recent Articles on Tor Browser:

• Tor Browser
• Tor Browser For Android
• Onion Routing
• Circumvention in Tor Browser
• How to Access the Dark Web Using the TOR Browser in Kali Linux
• Difference between Tor and VPN
• How to Access Dark Web Safely?

Features of Tor Browser

• Encrypted Traffic: Tor encrypts your traffic multiple times, making it very difficult for anyone to intercept or read it.
• Hidden IP address: Tor hides your IP address by routing your traffic through a network of volunteer servers. This makes tracking online activity difficult.
• Bypasses censorship: Tor can bypass censorship firewalls and other restrictions to allow you to access blocked websites and content.
• Protects against surveillance: Tor helps protect your privacy from surveillance by making it difficult for anyone to track your online activity.
• Free and open-source: Tor is free to use and open-source software. This means that anyone can audit the code and verify that it is secure.
• Easy to use: Tor is relatively easy to use, even for non-technical users.

Functions of Tor Browser

• Anonymizes traffic: Tor anonymizes your internet traffic by routing it through a network of volunteer servers.
• Protects against eavesdropping: Tor encrypts your traffic multiple times, making it very difficult for anyone to intercept or read it.
• Circumvents censorship: Tor can bypass censorship firewalls and other restrictions to allow you to access blocked websites and content.
• Prevents tracking: Tor hides your IP address and makes it difficult for anyone to track your online activity.
• Protects against surveillance: Tor helps protect your privacy from surveillance by making it difficult for anyone to identify you or your location.
• Provides access to the dark web: Tor provides access to the dark web, a hidden network of websites and services that are not accessible through traditional search engines.

History of Tor Browser

• Developed by the US Navy: Tor was originally developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory in the mid-1990s to protect the identity of US Navy intelligence agents.
• Open-sourced in 2002: The code for Tor was open-sourced in 2002, making it available to the public.
• The Onion Routing Project: In 2003, the Onion Routing project was launched to develop a publicly available version of Tor.
• Tor Browser released in 2004: The Tor Browser was released in 2004, making it easy for anyone to use Tor to protect their online privacy and anonymity.
• Tor Project founded in 2006: The Tor Project was founded in 2006 to support the development and maintenance of Tor.
• Tor continues to grow today: Tor continues to be used by millions of people around the world to protect their online privacy and anonymity.

Components of Tor

• Tor Browser: Tor Browser is a web browser that uses Tor to encrypt and anonymize the traffic.
• Tor Relay: Tor Relay is a server that relays Tor traffic.
• Tor Exit Node: Tor Exit Node is a server that exists the Tor network and connects to the regular internet.
• Tor Bridge: Tor Bridge is a server that helps users in censored countries access Tor.
• Tor Directory Server: Tor Directory Server is a server that provides information about the Tor network.
• Tor Metrics: Tor Metrics is a project that collects data on Tor usage and performance.

Working of Tor Browser

• Onion Routing: Tor uses a technique called onion routing to anonymize the traffic. This technique encrypts traffic multiple times and routes it through a network of volunteer servers called relays.
• Entry Relay: When you use Tor, your traffic is first routed through any entry relay. The entry relay encrypts your traffic and sends it to the next relay in the circuit.
• Circuit: A Tor circuit is a chain of three relays. Each relay in the circuit decrypts one layer of encryption and forwards the traffic to the next relay in the circuit.
• Exit Relay: The exit relay is the last relay in the Tor circuit. Your traffic is sent to its final destination after the exit relay decrypts the last layer of encryption.
• Hidden IP address: Because your traffic is routed through a circuit of relays, your IP address is hidden from the websites you visit. The websites you visit will only see the IP address of the exit relay.
• Free and open-source: Tor is free to use and open-source software. This means that anyone can audit the code and verify that it is secure.

Tor Browser Developer Tools

• Tor Browser Developer Tools: The Tor Browser Developer Tools allow developers to inspect and modify websites, debug code, and optimize performance, all while preserving the anonymity and privacy that Tor Browser provides.
• Tor Metrics: Tor Metrics provides a variety of tools for developers to analyse Tor network data, such as the Tor Metrics Library and the Onionoo API.
• Stem: Stem is a Python library that provides a high-level interface to Tor network data.
• Zoossh: Zoossh is a Go library that provides a low-level parser for Tor-specific data formats.
• CollecTor: CollecTor is a service that collects and publishes Tor network data.
• Onionoo: Onionoo is a service that provides a REST API for querying Tor network data.

FAQs

Q1. What is Tor?
Ans: Tor is a free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication over the Internet. It directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network consisting of more than seven thousand relays to conceal a user’s location and usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis.

Q2. How does Tor work?
Ans: Tor works by encrypting your traffic multiple times and routing it through a network of volunteer servers called relays. Each relay in the circuit decrypts one layer of encryption and forwards the traffic to the next relay in the circuit. The final relay decrypts the traffic and sends it to its destination.

Q3. What are the benefits of using Tor?
Ans: Tor provides a number of benefits, including:

• Anonymity: Tor makes it difficult for anyone to track your online activity or identify you.
• Privacy: Tor hides your IP address and other personal information from the websites you visit.
• Security: Tor encrypts your traffic, making it difficult for anyone to intercept or read it.
• Censorship resistance: Tor can bypass censorship firewalls and other restrictions to allow you to access blocked websites and content.

Q4. How can I use Tor?
Ans: To use the Tor Browser, simply download and install it, and then open it and start browsing the web. The Tor Browser will automatically route your traffic through the Tor network.