What is Tor Browser ? – Definition, Functionalities & Disadvantages

It is very important to protect our personal identity and personal information when we browse on internet as it may increase risk and threats online. people often face many security and privacy issues when they browse on the internet. Many companies buy user data and misuse it in different ways. They collect all the browsing data and use it to show multiple ads based on the interest of the user.

The ads are personalized so that the user may find it interesting and purchase the product. To help people solve this problem the Tor browser was introduced so that people can anonymously browse on the internet without revealing their identity. Tor directs internet traffic worldwide via an overlay network which consists of multiple relays. That means your traffic is routed through multiple relays and the relay encrypt the traffic and send it between several thousands of relay which make it difficult for the trackers to breach your browsing data, identity, IP address, and location. Tor browser completely isolates you from the outside world and protects your privacy from third-party websites, advertisers, or even government agencies.

History of Tor Browser

• Tor was developed by the US Navy in a naval research laboratory in the mid-1990s for the US Navy intelligence agents to protect their privacy and identity.
• Tor was open-sourced for the public in the year 2002. People can now see the core function of the Tor.
• The onion pouting project was formed by computer scientists to develop a publicly available version of Tor.
• The Tor was officially released in the year 2004 and now anyone can browse carefree on it without any risk of security.
• In the year 2006, a Massachusetts-based research education organization took the responsibility of managing the Tor browser under ‘The Tor project’.
• Over several years the Tor has managed to decrease security risks and improve the privacy of the user.

What is Onion Routing?

Onion routing is a technique used to increase online privacy by routing internet traffic. Tor browser is routed through a network of several servers. Onion routing offers layered encryption of data just like different layers of onion which are covered by layers one over the other. The multiple layers of entries ensure that your data is secure. The data passes through multiple entry relay which which is routed through multiple middle relays. The entry relay encrypts your traffic and sends it to the next relay in the circuit. These relays do not store any data of the user they only forward encrypted data to the next relay in the chain. The process continues until the final relay is called which is known as exit relay. The destination server only sees the IP address of the exit relay which makes it almost impossible to trace back the data of the user. The exit relay exits the Tor network and connects to the regular internet.

Features and Functions in Tor Browser

1. Easy to use: The Tor browser is easy to use. It has some very interesting features that increase people’s trust in Tor browser to consider it as the default browser.
2. Free and open source is a free browser that can be operated easily by even a non-technical person. It is open source which means anyone can inspect the code and verify the Credence on Tor.
3. Security and anonymity-Tor provides many layers of security which is not easy to break. Tor directs the traffic between several relays which increases the security.
4. Targeted advertising: browser restricts the websites to show ads and websites can not track the web activity to show personalized ads.
5. Access to restricted sites: we can access restricted sites through Tor. Those sites can also be accessed which are banned by government agencies.
6. Protection against trackers: Trackers often attack the data when we browse on the internet which can increase many social risks and threats.
7. Tor relay– it is a computer server that routes the internet traffic. It relays Tor traffic. It also helps to increase security and protect user location and IP address.
8. Onion routing: It makes it difficult for the government and organizations to block or track the visit on the restricted sites by the user. It also increases privacy and security.
9. A new identity: You can easily create multiple identities on the Tor browser. A new identity helps to create a new identity like a fresh user ID where your previous history is not saved and you can use the Tor browser as you have never visited the site previously. you can enable this feature from the browser menu.
10. Scripts in Tor: It allows to to choose the script you want to show on different sites. No other script will be shown on the site. You can also block scripts you don’t want.
11. Tor Directory Server: The Tor Directory Server is a server that provides information about the Tor network.

Tor Developer Tools

1. Stem: It is a Python library that is used to interact with the Tor network.
2. Onionoo: is a service that provides a ‘REST API’ for querying Tor network data and Tor relays
3. console codes in the Java scripts that are used to debug and run pages. Developers can use Java script to test and check the efficiency of the webpages.
4. Storage inspector: developers can see which websites store data in users’ devices. It also allows the developer to manage cookies on the sites, and test and debug the web pages and sites.
5. Collector: Collector is a service that collects and publishes Tor network data.

Things to Remember while using Tor

• For secure browsing use sites which use HTTPS encryption and while using Tor do not click on unnecessary links as it may lead to compromise in security.
• When you use Tor Browser, your traffic is routed through many relays which means you can access different sites without compromising your security and privacy.
• Do not access Banned or illegal sites as it may increase doubt by government agencies about your activity.
• You can use the New Identity feature so that your previous data will be automatically deleted. It keeps you anonymous whenever you return to the browser.
• Do not download unnecessary files from any site in the Tor browser it may harm your PC and inject harmful viruses or it may lead to a data breach. Data breach is very common so do not download untrusted document or files

Disadvantage of Tor

1. Tor also allows illegal sites accessible so it is not safe to access those sites.
2. Some sites do not have age restrictions so it makes it a little unsafe for children.
3. Government agencies see it as a suspicious activity to overuse it.
4. People misuse Tor to sell illegal trade, cybercrime, and hacking.
5. Slow speed of the Tor browser as the connection in the Tor browser is routed through multiple relays.

We have seen the importance of the Tor browser in providing privacy to our browsing sites and data. It comes with many security features which ensure privacy. After knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the tor browser use it accordingly. Be aware of the vulnerabilities in the Tor and use it well.