tor-webwml.git

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en/torusers.wml     4) #include "head.wmi" TITLE="Who uses Tor?" CHARSET="UTF-8"

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en/torusers.wml     6) # Note to translators: this file is still under construction, and
en/torusers.wml     7) # will probably change a whole lot before we link to it. So it's
en/torusers.wml     8) # probably best to not translate it yet.
en/torusers.wml     9) 

en/whousestor.wml  10) <div class="main-column">
en/whousestor.wml  11) <h1>Who uses Tor?</h1>

en/torusers.wml    12) <ul>
en/torusers.wml    13) <li><a href="<page torusers>#normalusers">Everyday, ordinary Internet users use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    14) <li><a href="<page torusers>#military">Militaries use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    15) <li><a href="<page torusers>#journalist">Journalists and their audience use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    16) <li><a href="<page torusers>#lawenforcement">Law enforcement officers use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    17) <li><a href="<page torusers>#activists">Activists &amp; Whistleblowers use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    18) <li><a href="<page torusers>#spotlight">Both high and low profile people use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    19) <li><a href="<page torusers>#executives">Business executives use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    20) <li><a href="<page torusers>#bloggers">Bloggers use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    21) </ul>
en/torusers.wml    22) <p>

en/torusers.wml    23) 

en/torusers.wml    24) <h2>Inception</h2>

en/torusers.wml    25) <p>
en/torusers.wml    26) Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation

en/torusers.wml    27) <a href="http://www.onion-router.net/">onion routing project of the Naval Research Laboratory</a>.
en/torusers.wml    28) It was originally developed by, and for, the U.S. Navy for the primary purpose of protecting government communications.

en/torusers.wml    29) Today, it is used every day for a wide variety of purposes by the military, journalists, law enforcement officers, activists, and many others. Here are some of the specific uses we've seen or recommend.
en/torusers.wml    30) </p>
en/torusers.wml    31) 

en/torusers.wml    32) <a name="normalusers"></a>

en/torusers.wml    33) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#normalusers">Everyday, ordinary Internet users use Tor</a></h2>

en/whousestor.wml  34) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    35) <li><strong>They protect their privacy from unscrupulous marketers and identity thieves.</strong>
en/torusers.wml    36) Internet Service Providers (ISPs) <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/29449-compete-ceo-isps-sell-clickstreams-for-5-a-month">

en/torusers.wml    37) sell your Internet browsing records</a> to marketers or anyone else

en/torusers.wml    38) willing to pay for it. ISPs typically say that

en/torusers.wml    39) they anonymize the data by not providing personally identifiable information, but

en/torusers.wml    40) <a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2006/08/71579?currentPage=all">this

en/torusers.wml    41) has proven incorrect</a>.  A full record of every site you visit, the text of every search you perform, and potentially

en/torusers.wml    42) userid and even password information can still be part of this data.  In addition to your ISP, the websites (<a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_faq.html">and search engines</a>) you visit have their own logs, containing the same or more information.

en/torusers.wml    43) </li>

en/torusers.wml    44) <li><strong> They protect their communications from irresponsible corporations.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    45) All over the Internet, Tor is being recommended to people newly concerned about their privacy in the face of increasing breaches and betrayals of

en/torusers.wml    46) private data. From <a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11048">lost backup tapes</a>, to

en/torusers.wml    47) <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html?ex=1312776000&amp;en=f6f61949c6da4d38&amp;ei=5090">giving away the data to researchers</a>,

en/torusers.wml    48) your data is often not well protected by those you are supposed to trust to keep it safe.
en/torusers.wml    49) </li>

en/torusers.wml    50) <li><strong>They protect their children online.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    51) You've told your kids they shouldn't share personally identifying information online, but they may be sharing their location simply

en/torusers.wml    52) by not concealing their IP address. Increasingly, IP addresses can be <a href="http://whatismyipaddress.com/">literally mapped to a city or even street location</a>, and can <a href="http://whatsmyip.org/more/">reveal other information</a> about how you are connecting to the Internet.

en/torusers.wml    53) In the United States, the government is pushing to make this mapping increasingly precise.

en/torusers.wml    54) </li>

en/torusers.wml    55) <li><strong>They research sensitive topics.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    56) There's a wealth of information available online. But perhaps in your country, access to information on AIDS, birth control,

en/torusers.wml    57) <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/03/tech/main531567.shtml">Tibetan culture</a>,

en/torusers.wml    58) or world religions is behind a national firewall.

en/torusers.wml    59) </li>

en/whousestor.wml  60) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml  61) 

en/torusers.wml    62) <a name="military"></a>

en/torusers.wml    63) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#military">Militaries use Tor</a></h2>

en/whousestor.wml  64) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    65) 
en/torusers.wml    66) <li>
en/torusers.wml    67) <strong>Field Agents:</strong>

en/torusers.wml    68) It is not difficult for insurgents to monitor Internet traffic and

en/torusers.wml    69) discover all the hotels and other locations from which people are
en/torusers.wml    70) connecting to known military servers.

en/torusers.wml    71) Military field agents deployed away from home use Tor to

en/torusers.wml    72) mask the sites they are visiting, protecting military interests and
en/torusers.wml    73) operations, as well as protecting themselves from physical harm.

en/torusers.wml    74) </li>

en/torusers.wml    75) 

en/torusers.wml    76) <li><strong>Hidden services:</strong>

en/torusers.wml    77) When the Internet was designed by DARPA, its primary purpose was to be able to facilitate distributed, robust communications in case of
en/torusers.wml    78) local strikes.  However, some functions must be centralized, such as command and control sites.  It's the nature of the Internet protocols to
en/torusers.wml    79) reveal the geographic location of any server that is reachable online.  Tor's hidden services capacity allows military command and

en/torusers.wml    80) control to be physically secure from discovery and takedown.
en/torusers.wml    81) </li>

en/torusers.wml    82) <li><strong>Intelligence gathering:</strong>

en/torusers.wml    83) Military personnel need to use electronic resources run and monitored by insurgents. They do not want the webserver logs on an insurgent website

en/torusers.wml    84) to record a military address, thereby revealing the surveillance.

en/torusers.wml    85) </li>
en/torusers.wml    86) </ul>

en/whousestor.wml  87) 

en/torusers.wml    88) <a name="journalist"></a>

en/torusers.wml    89) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#journalist">Journalists and their audience use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml    90) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    91) <li><strong><a href="http://www.rsf.org/">Reporters without Borders</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml    92) tracks Internet prisoners of conscience and jailed or harmed journalists all over the world. They advise

en/torusers.wml    93) journalists, sources, bloggers, and dissidents to use Tor to ensure their privacy and safety.

en/torusers.wml    94) </li>

en/torusers.wml    95) <li><strong>The US <a href="http://www.ibb.gov/">International Broadcasting Bureau</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml    96) (Voice of America/Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Asia) supports Tor development to help Internet users in countries without
en/torusers.wml    97) safe access to free media.  Tor preserves the ability of persons behind national firewalls or under
en/torusers.wml    98) the surveillance of repressive regimes to obtain a global perspective on controversial topics including democracy,

en/torusers.wml    99) economics and religion.
en/torusers.wml   100) </li>

en/torusers.wml   101) <li><strong>Citizen journalists in China</strong> use Tor to write about
en/torusers.wml   102) local events to encourage social change and political reform.
en/torusers.wml   103) </li>
en/torusers.wml   104) <li><strong>Citizens and journalists in <a
en/torusers.wml   105) href="http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=554">Internet black

en/torusers.wml   106) holes</a></strong> use Tor to research state propaganda and opposing

en/torusers.wml   107) viewpoints, to file stories with non-State controlled media, and to
en/torusers.wml   108) avoid risking the personal consequences of intellectual curiosity.

en/torusers.wml   109) </li>
en/torusers.wml   110) </ul>

en/whousestor.wml 111) 

en/torusers.wml   112) <a name="lawenforcement"></a>

en/torusers.wml   113) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#lawenforcement">Law enforcement officers use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   114) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   115) <li><strong>Online surveillance:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   116) Tor allows officials to surf questionable web sites and services
en/torusers.wml   117) without leaving tell-tale tracks.  If the system administrator of an
en/torusers.wml   118) illegal gambling site, for example, were to see multiple connections from

en/torusers.wml   119) government or law enforcement IP addresses in usage logs, investigations
en/torusers.wml   120) may be hampered.

en/torusers.wml   121) </li>

en/torusers.wml   122) <li><strong>Sting operations:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   123) Similarly, anonymity allows law officers to engage in online
en/torusers.wml   124) “undercover ” operations.  Regardless of how good an

en/torusers.wml   125) undercover officer's “street cred” may be, if the

en/torusers.wml   126) communications include IP ranges from police addresses, the cover is blown.

en/torusers.wml   127) </li>

en/torusers.wml   128) <li><strong>Truly anonymous tip lines:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   129) While online anonymous tip lines are popular, without anonymity
en/torusers.wml   130) software, they are far less useful.  Sophisticated sources understand that
en/torusers.wml   131) although a name or email address is not attached to information, server
en/torusers.wml   132) logs can identify them very quickly.  As a result, tip line web sites that
en/torusers.wml   133) do not encourage anonymity are limiting the sources of their tips.
en/torusers.wml   134) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 135) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 136) 

en/torusers.wml   137) <a name="activists"></a>

en/torusers.wml   138) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#activists">Activists &amp; Whistleblowers use Tor</a></h2>

en/whousestor.wml 139) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   140) <li><strong>Human rights activists use Tor to anonymously report abuses from

en/torusers.wml   141) danger zones.</strong>  Internationally, labor rights workers use Tor and other
en/torusers.wml   142) forms of online and offline anonymity to organize workers in accordance
en/torusers.wml   143) with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even though they are within
en/torusers.wml   144) the law, it does not mean they are safe. Tor provides the ability to
en/torusers.wml   145) avoid persecution while still raising a voice.
en/torusers.wml   146) </li>

en/torusers.wml   147) <li>When groups such as the <strong>Friends Service Committee and environmental

en/torusers.wml   148) groups are increasingly <a href="http://www.afsc.org/news/2005/government-spying.htm">falling under surveillance</a>
en/torusers.wml   149) in the United States</strong> under laws meant to protect against terrorism, many peaceful agents of

en/torusers.wml   150) change rely on Tor for basic privacy during legitimate activities.
en/torusers.wml   151) </li>

en/torusers.wml   152) <li><strong><a href="http://hrw.org/doc/?t=internet">Human Rights Watch</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml   153) recommends Tor in their report, “

en/torusers.wml   154) <a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/">Race to the Bottom: Corporate
en/torusers.wml   155) Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship</a>.&rdquo; The study

en/whousestor.wml 156) co-author interviewed Roger Dingledine, Tor project leader,

en/whousestor.wml 157) on Tor use.  They cover Tor in the section on how to breach the <a
en/whousestor.wml 158) href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm#_Toc142395820">&ldquo;Great

en/torusers.wml   159) Firewall of China,&rdquo;</a> and recommend that human rights workers throughout

en/torusers.wml   160) the globe use Tor for “secure browsing and communications.”
en/torusers.wml   161) </li>

en/torusers.wml   162) <li> Tor has consulted with and volunteered help to <strong>Amnesty International's

en/torusers.wml   163) recent <a href="http://irrepressible.info/">corporate responsibility campaign</a></strong>.
en/torusers.wml   164) See also their <a href="http://irrepressible.info/static/pdf/FOE-in-china-2006-lores.pdf">full

en/torusers.wml   165) report</a> on China Internet issues.
en/torusers.wml   166) </li>

en/torusers.wml   167) <li><a href="http://www.globalvoicesonline.org">Global Voices</a>

en/torusers.wml   168) recommends Tor, especially for <strong>anonymous blogging</strong>,

en/torusers.wml   169) throughout their <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=site:www.globalvoicesonline.org+tor">

en/torusers.wml   170) web site.</a>
en/torusers.wml   171) </li>

en/torusers.wml   172) <li>In the US, the Supreme Court recently stripped legal protections from

en/torusers.wml   173) government whistleblowers.  But whistleblowers working for governmental
en/torusers.wml   174) transparency or corporate accountability can use Tor to seek justice
en/torusers.wml   175) without personal repercussions.
en/torusers.wml   176) </li>

en/torusers.wml   177) <li>A contact of ours who works with a public health nonprofit in

en/torusers.wml   178) Africa reports that his nonprofit <strong>must budget 10% to cover various sorts of corruption</strong>,
en/torusers.wml   179) mostly bribes and such.  When that percentage rises steeply, not only can they not afford the money, but they can

en/whousestor.wml 180) not afford to complain — this is the point at which open objection can

en/torusers.wml   181) become dangerous.  So his nonprofit has been working to

en/torusers.wml   182) <strong>use Tor to safely whistleblow on government corruption</strong> in order to continue their work.

en/torusers.wml   183) </li>

en/torusers.wml   184) <li>At a recent conference, a Tor staffer ran into a woman who came from

en/torusers.wml   185) a “company town” in the eastern United States. She was attempting to blog anonymously to rally

en/torusers.wml   186) local residents to <strong>urge reform in the company</strong> that dominated the town's
en/torusers.wml   187) economic and government affairs. She is fully cognizant that the kind of

en/torusers.wml   188) organizing she was doing <strong>could lead to harm or &ldquo;fatal
en/torusers.wml   189) accidents.&rdquo;</strong>
en/torusers.wml   190) </li>

en/torusers.wml   191) <li>In east Asia, some labor organizers use anonymity to <strong>reveal information

en/torusers.wml   192) regarding sweatshops</strong> that produce goods for western countries and to
en/torusers.wml   193) organize local labor.
en/torusers.wml   194) </li>

en/torusers.wml   195) <li>
en/torusers.wml   196) Tor can help activists avoid government or corporate censorship that hinders organization.
en/torusers.wml   197) In one such case, a
en/torusers.wml   198) <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/07/24/telus-sites050724.html">Canadian ISP blocked access to a union website used by their own employees</a>
en/torusers.wml   199) to help organize a strike.
en/torusers.wml   200) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 201) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 202) 

en/torusers.wml   203) <a name="spotlight"></a>

en/torusers.wml   204) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#spotlight">Both high and low profile people use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   205) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   206) <li>Does being in the public spotlight shut you off from having a private

en/torusers.wml   207) life, forever, online?  A rural lawyer in a New England state keeps

en/whousestor.wml 208) an anonymous blog because, with the diverse clientele at his prestigious

en/torusers.wml   209) law firm, <strong>his political beliefs are bound to offend someone</strong>.  Yet, he

en/whousestor.wml 210) doesn't want to remain silent on issues he cares about.  Tor helps him
en/whousestor.wml 211) feel secure that he can express his opinion without consequences to his

en/torusers.wml   212) public role.
en/torusers.wml   213) </li>
en/torusers.wml   214) <li>People living in poverty often don't participate fully in civil society

en/whousestor.wml 215) -- not out of ignorance or apathy, but out of fear.  If something you
en/whousestor.wml 216) write were to get back to your boss, would you lose your job?  If your
en/whousestor.wml 217) social worker read about your opinion of the system, would she treat

en/torusers.wml   218) you differently?  Anonymity gives a voice to the voiceless.

en/torusers.wml   219) To support this, <strong>Tor currently has an open Americorps/VISTA position</strong> pending.  This

en/whousestor.wml 220) government grant will cover a full time stipend for a volunteer to create

en/torusers.wml   221) curricula to <strong>show low-income populations how to use anonymity online for
en/torusers.wml   222) safer civic engagement</strong>.  Although it's often said that the poor do not use

en/torusers.wml   223) online access for civic engagement, failing to act in their self-interests,

en/whousestor.wml 224) it is our hypothesis (based on personal conversations and anecdotal
en/whousestor.wml 225) information) that it is precisely the “permanent record ”
en/whousestor.wml 226) left online that keeps many of the poor from speaking out on the Internet.

en/torusers.wml   227) We hope to show people how to engage more safely online, and then at

en/whousestor.wml 228) the end of the year, evaluate how online and offline civic engagement has

en/torusers.wml   229) changed, and how the population sees this continuing into the future.
en/torusers.wml   230) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 231) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 232) 

en/torusers.wml   233) <a name="executives"></a>

en/torusers.wml   234) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#executives">Business executives use Tor</a></h2>

en/whousestor.wml 235) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   236) <li><strong>Security breach information clearinghouses:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   237) Say a financial institution participates in a security clearinghouse

en/whousestor.wml 238) of information on Internet attacks.  Such a repository requires members
en/whousestor.wml 239) to report breaches to a central group, who correlates attacks to detect

en/torusers.wml   240) coordinated patterns and send out alerts.  But if a specific bank in St. Louis is breached, they don't want an attacker watching the incoming

en/whousestor.wml 241) traffic to such a repository to be able to track where information is

en/torusers.wml   242) coming from.  Even though every packet were encrypted, the IP

en/whousestor.wml 243) address would betray the location of a compromised system.  Tor allows

en/torusers.wml   244) such repositories of sensitive information to resist compromises.
en/torusers.wml   245) </li>

en/torusers.wml   246) <li><strong>Seeing your competition as your market does:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   247) If you try to check out a competitor's pricing, you may find no

en/whousestor.wml 248) information or misleading information on their web site.  This is because
en/whousestor.wml 249) their web server may be keyed to detect connections from competitors,
en/whousestor.wml 250) and block or spread disinformation to your staff.  Tor allows a business

en/torusers.wml   251) to view their sector as the general public would view it.
en/torusers.wml   252) </li>

en/torusers.wml   253) <li><strong>Keeping strategies confidential:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   254) An investment bank, for example, might not want industry snoopers to be

en/whousestor.wml 255) able to track what web sites their analysts are watching.  The strategic
en/whousestor.wml 256) importance of traffic patterns, and the vulnerability of the surveillance
en/whousestor.wml 257) of such data, is starting to be more widely recognized in several areas

en/torusers.wml   258) of the business world.
en/torusers.wml   259) </li>

en/torusers.wml   260) <li><strong>Accountability:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   261) In an age when irresponsible and unreported corporate activity has

en/whousestor.wml 262) undermined multi-billion dollar businesses, an executive exercising true
en/whousestor.wml 263) stewardship wants the whole staff to feel free to disclose internal
en/whousestor.wml 264) malfeasance.  Tor facilitates internal accountability before it turns

en/torusers.wml   265) into whistleblowing.
en/torusers.wml   266) </li>
en/torusers.wml   267) </ul>
en/torusers.wml   268) 

en/torusers.wml   269) <a name="bloggers"></a>

en/torusers.wml   270) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#bloggers">Bloggers use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   271) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   272) <li>Every day we hear about bloggers who are

en/torusers.wml   273) <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB112541909221726743-Kl4kLxv0wSbjqrkXg_DieY3c8lg_20050930.html">sued</a> or
en/torusers.wml   274) <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-06-14-worker-blogs-usat_x.htm">fired</a>
en/torusers.wml   275) for saying perfectly legal things online, in their blog.  In addition to following

en/torusers.wml   276) the advice in the <a href="http://w2.eff.org/bloggers/lg/">EFF Legal Guide for Bloggers</a>
en/torusers.wml   277) and Reporters Without Borders' <a href="http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542">Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents</a>,

en/torusers.wml   278) we recommend using Tor.
en/torusers.wml   279) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 280) </ul>

en/torusers.wml   281) <p>
en/torusers.wml   282) Please do send us your success stories. They are very important because

en/torusers.wml   283) Tor provides anonymity. While it is thrilling speculate about <a

en/torusers.wml   284) href="<page contact>">undesired effects of Tor</a>, when it succeeds, nobody notices.  This is
en/torusers.wml   285) great for users, but not so good for us, since publishing success
en/torusers.wml   286) stories about how people or organizations are staying anonymous could be

en/torusers.wml   287) counterproductive.  For example, we talked to an FBI officer who
en/torusers.wml   288) explained that he uses Tor every day for his work — but he quickly followed up with a request not to provide
en/torusers.wml   289) details or mention his name.</p>

en/torusers.wml   290) 

en/torusers.wml   291) <p> Like any technology, from pencils to cellphones, anonymity can be used for both good and bad.  You have probably seen some of the vigorous
en/torusers.wml   292) debate (<a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/01/70000">pro</a>,
en/torusers.wml   293) <a href="http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_4.html#kelly">con</a>, and <a
en/torusers.wml   294) href="http://web.mit.edu/gtmarx/www/anon.html">academic</a>) over anonymity. The Tor project is based on the belief that anonymity is not
en/torusers.wml   295) just a good idea some of the time - it is a requirement for a free and functioning society.  The <a href="http://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity">EFF maintains a good overview</a> of how anonymity was crucial to the founding of the United States.  Anonymity is recognized by US courts as a fundamental and important right. In fact, governments mandate anonymity in many cases themselves:
en/torusers.wml   296) <a href="https://www.crimeline.co.za/default.asp">police tip lines</a>,
en/torusers.wml   297) <a href="http://www.texasbar.com/Content/ContentGroups/Public_Information1/Legal_Resources_Consumer_Information/Family_Law1/Adoption_Options.htm#sect2">adoption services</a>,
en/torusers.wml   298) <a href="http://writ.news.findlaw.com/aronson/20020827.html">police officer identities</a>,
en/torusers.wml   299) and so forth. It would be impossible to rehash the entire anonymity debate here - it is too large an issue with too many nuances, and there
en/torusers.wml   300) are plenty of other places where this information can be found. We do have a <a href="page faq-abuse">Tor abuse</a> page describing some of
en/torusers.wml   301) the possible abuse cases for Tor, but suffice it to say that if you want to abuse the system, you'll either find it mostly closed for your

en/torusers.wml   302) purposes (e.g. the majority of Tor relays do not support SMTP in order to prevent anonymous email spamming), or if you're one of the

en/torusers.wml   303) <a href="http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/12/computer_crime_1.html">Four Horsemen of the Information Apocalypse</a>,
en/torusers.wml   304) you have better options than Tor. While not dismissing the potential abuses of Tor,

en/torusers.wml   305) this page shows a few of the many important ways anonymity is used online today.</p>

en/torusers.wml   306) </div>