tor-webwml.git

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en/whousestor.wml   2) # Revision: $Revision$
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en/torusers.wml     4) #include "head.wmi" TITLE="Who uses Tor?" CHARSET="UTF-8"

en/whousestor.wml   5) 

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) <p>If you have a success story with Tor, especially one we
en/torusers.wml    13) can link to, please <a href="<page contact>">send us</a> a note!</p>
en/torusers.wml    14) <p>Tor provides anonymity: when it succeeds, nobody notices.  This is

en/whousestor.wml  15) great for users, but not so good for us, since publishing success
en/whousestor.wml  16) stories about how people or organizations are staying anonymous could be

en/torusers.wml    17) counterproductive.  As an example, we talked to an FBI officer who explained that he uses Tor every day for his
en/torusers.wml    18) work &mdash; but he quickly followed up with a request not to provide details or mention his name.</p>
en/torusers.wml    19) <p> Like any technology, from pencils to cellphones, anonymity can be used for both good and evil.  You have probably seen at least some of the vigorous debate

en/torusers.wml    20) (<a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/01/70000">pro</a>,
en/torusers.wml    21) <a href="http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_4.html#kelly">con</a>,

en/torusers.wml    22) and <a href="http://web.mit.edu/gtmarx/www/anon.html">academic</a>)

en/torusers.wml    23) over anonymity. The Tor project is based on the belief that anonymity is not 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 has a good overview</a> of how anonymity was crucial to the founding of the United States and has been recognized by US courts as a fundamental and important right. In fact, governments mandate anonymity in many cases themselves:
en/torusers.wml    24) <a href="https://www.crimeline.co.za/default.asp">police tip lines</a>,
en/torusers.wml    25) <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    26) <a href="http://writ.news.findlaw.com/aronson/20020827.html">police officer identities</a>,
en/torusers.wml    27) 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 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 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 purposes (e.g. the majority of Tor relays do not support port 25 to prevent anonymous email spamming), or if you're one of the

en/torusers.wml    28) <a
en/torusers.wml    29) href="http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/12/computer_crime_1.html">Four Horsemen of the Information Apocalypse</a>,
en/torusers.wml    30) you have better options than Tor. While not dismissing the potential abuses of Tor, here are just a few of the many important ways anonymity is used today:</p>

en/whousestor.wml  31) 

en/torusers.wml    32) <h2>Everyday, ordinary Internet surfers use Tor</h2>

en/whousestor.wml  33) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    34) <li>

en/torusers.wml    35) <strong>They protect their privacy from unscrupulous marketers and identity thieves.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    36) Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
en/torusers.wml    37) <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/29449-compete-ceo-isps-sell-clickstreams-for-5-a-month">

en/torusers.wml    38) sell your Internet browsing records</a> to marketers or anyone else willing to pay for it. They typically say that 

en/torusers.wml    39) they anonymize it by not providing your username or personally 
en/torusers.wml    40) identifiable information, but
en/torusers.wml    41) <a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2006/08/71579?currentPage=all">this is a farce</a>.

en/torusers.wml    42) A full record of every site you visit, the text of every search you perform, and potentially 

en/torusers.wml    43) userid and even password information can still be part of this data.

en/torusers.wml    44) In addition to your ISP, the websites (<a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_faq.html">and search engines</a>)

en/torusers.wml    45) you visit have their own logs,
en/torusers.wml    46) containing the same or more information.
en/torusers.wml    47) </li>
en/torusers.wml    48) <li>
en/torusers.wml    49) <strong> They protect their communications from irresponsible corporations.</strong>
en/torusers.wml    50) All over the net, Tor is being recommended to people newly concerned
en/torusers.wml    51) about their privacy in the face of increasing breaches and betrayals of

en/torusers.wml    52) private data. From <a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11048">lost backup tapes</a>, to

en/torusers.wml    53) <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html?ex=1312776000&en=f6f61949c6da4d38&ei=5090">giving away the data to researchers</a>,
en/torusers.wml    54) your data is often not well protected by those you are supposed to trust to keep it safe.
en/torusers.wml    55) </li>
en/torusers.wml    56) <li>
en/torusers.wml    57) <strong>They protect their children online.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    58) You've told your kids they shouldn't share personally identifying information online, but they may be sharing their location simply
en/torusers.wml    59) by not concealing their IP address. Increasingly, IP addresses can be

en/torusers.wml    60) <a href="http://whatismyipaddress.com/">literally mapped to a city or even street location</a>,

en/torusers.wml    61) and can <a href="http://whatsmyip.org/more/">reveal other information</a> about how you are connecting to the Internet.
en/torusers.wml    62) In the United States the government is pushing to make this mapping increasingly precise.

en/torusers.wml    63) </li>
en/torusers.wml    64) <li>
en/torusers.wml    65) <strong>They research sensitive topics.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    66) There's a wealth of information available online. But perhaps in your country, access to information on AIDS, birth control,

en/torusers.wml    67) <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/03/tech/main531567.shtml">Tibetan culture</a>,

en/torusers.wml    68) or world religions is behind a national firewall.  Or perhaps you are worried that if you research a particular set of
en/torusers.wml    69) symptoms, at some later date an insurance company might buy the logs of the websites you visited and establish that

en/whousestor.wml  70) you had suspicions of a pre-existing condition.

en/torusers.wml    71) </li>

en/whousestor.wml  72) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml  73) 

en/torusers.wml    74) <h2>Militaries use Tor</h2>

en/whousestor.wml  75) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    76) <li>

en/torusers.wml    77) <strong>Field agents:</strong>
en/torusers.wml    78) Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation onion routing project of the Naval Research
en/torusers.wml    79) Laboratory, and was originally developed by and for the U.S. Navy for the primary purpose of protecting government communications.

en/torusers.wml    80) </li>
en/torusers.wml    81) <li>
en/torusers.wml    82) <strong>Hidden services:</strong>
en/torusers.wml    83) When the Internet was designed by DARPA, its primary purpose was to
en/torusers.wml    84) be able to facilitate distributed, robust communications in case of
en/torusers.wml    85) local strikes.  However, some functions must be centralized, such as
en/torusers.wml    86) command and control sites.  It's the nature of the Internet protocols to
en/torusers.wml    87) reveal the geographic location of any server that is reachable online.
en/torusers.wml    88) Tor's hidden services capacity allows military command and
en/torusers.wml    89) control to be physically secure from discovery and takedown.
en/torusers.wml    90) </li>
en/torusers.wml    91) <li>
en/torusers.wml    92) <strong>Intelligence gathering:</strong>
en/torusers.wml    93) Military personnel need to use electronic resources run and monitored
en/torusers.wml    94) by insurgents. Obviously, they do not want the server logs on an insurgent
en/torusers.wml    95) website to show a military address, revealing their surveillance.
en/torusers.wml    96) </li>
en/torusers.wml    97) </ul>

en/whousestor.wml  98) 

en/torusers.wml    99) <h2>Journalists and their audience use Tor</h2>
en/torusers.wml   100) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   101) <li><strong><a href="http://www.rsf.org/">Reporters without Borders</a></strong>
en/torusers.wml   102) tracks internet prisoners of conscience and jailed or harmed journalists all over the world. They advise
en/torusers.wml   103) journalists, sources, bloggers, and dissidents to use Tor to ensure their privacy and safety.

en/torusers.wml   104) </li>
en/torusers.wml   105) <li>

en/torusers.wml   106) <strong>The US <a href="http://www.ibb.gov/">International Broadcasting Bureau</a></strong> 
en/torusers.wml   107) (Voice of America/Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Asia) supports Tor development to help Internet users in countries without
en/torusers.wml   108) safe access to free media.  Tor preserves the ability of persons behind national firewalls or under
en/torusers.wml   109) the surveillance of repressive regimes to obtain a global perspective on controversial topics including democracy,

en/torusers.wml   110) economics and religion.
en/torusers.wml   111) </li>
en/torusers.wml   112) <li>
en/torusers.wml   113) Although we often think of foreign journalists working in far off lands,

en/torusers.wml   114) <strong>citizen journalists in China and other <a href="http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=554">Internet black holes</a>
en/torusers.wml   115) use Tor to write about local events</strong> and to encourage social change and political reform, more secure that there will not be a knock

en/torusers.wml   116) on the door at midnight.
en/torusers.wml   117) </li>
en/torusers.wml   118) </ul>

en/whousestor.wml 119) 

en/torusers.wml   120) <h2>Law enforcement officers use Tor</h2>
en/torusers.wml   121) <ul>
en/torusers.wml   122) <li>
en/torusers.wml   123) <strong>Online surveillance:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   124) Tor allows officials to surf questionable web sites and services
en/torusers.wml   125) without leaving tell-tale tracks.  If the system administrator of an
en/torusers.wml   126) illegal gambling site, for example, were to see multiple connections from
en/torusers.wml   127) governmental or law enforcement computers in usage logs, investigations
en/torusers.wml   128) would be hampered.

en/torusers.wml   129) </li>

en/torusers.wml   130) <li>
en/torusers.wml   131) <strong>Sting operations:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   132) Similarly, anonymity allows law officers to engage in online
en/torusers.wml   133) &ldquo;undercover &rdquo; operations.  Regardless of how good an
en/torusers.wml   134) undercover officer's &ldquo;street cred&rdquo; may be, if his or her
en/torusers.wml   135) email headers include nypd.nyc.ny.state.us, his or her cover is blown.
en/torusers.wml   136) </li>
en/torusers.wml   137) <li>
en/torusers.wml   138) <strong>Truly anonymous tip lines:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   139) While online anonymous tip lines are popular, without anonymity
en/torusers.wml   140) software, they are far less useful.  Sophisticated sources understand that
en/torusers.wml   141) although a name or email address is not attached to information, server
en/torusers.wml   142) logs can identify them very quickly.  As a result, tip line web sites that
en/torusers.wml   143) do not encourage anonymity are limiting the sources of their tips.
en/torusers.wml   144) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 145) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 146) 

en/torusers.wml   147) <h2>Activists &amp; whistleblowers use Tor</h2>

en/whousestor.wml 148) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   149) <li>
en/torusers.wml   150) <strong>Human rights activists use Tor to anonymously report abuses from
en/torusers.wml   151) danger zones.</strong>  Internationally, labor rights workers use Tor and other
en/torusers.wml   152) forms of online and offline anonymity to organize workers in accordance
en/torusers.wml   153) with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even though they are within
en/torusers.wml   154) the law, it does not mean they are safe. Tor provides the ability to
en/torusers.wml   155) avoid persecution while still raising a voice.
en/torusers.wml   156) </li>
en/torusers.wml   157) <li>
en/torusers.wml   158) When groups such as the <strong>Friends Service Committee and environmental

en/torusers.wml   159) groups are increasingly <a href="http://www.afsc.org/news/2005/government-spying.htm">falling under surveillance</a>
en/torusers.wml   160) in the United States</strong> under laws meant to protect against terrorism, many peaceful agents of

en/torusers.wml   161) change rely on Tor for basic privacy during legitimate activities.
en/torusers.wml   162) </li>
en/torusers.wml   163) <li>
en/torusers.wml   164) <strong><a href="http://hrw.org/doc/?t=internet">Human Rights Watch</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml   165) recommends Tor in their report, “

en/torusers.wml   166) <a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/">Race to the Bottom: Corporate
en/torusers.wml   167) Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship</a>.&rdquo; The study

en/whousestor.wml 168) co-author interviewed Roger Dingledine, Tor project leader,

en/whousestor.wml 169) on Tor use.  They cover Tor in the section on how to breach the <a
en/whousestor.wml 170) href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm#_Toc142395820">&ldquo;Great

en/torusers.wml   171) Firewall of China,&rdquo;</a> and recommend that human rights workers throughout

en/torusers.wml   172) the globe use Tor for “secure browsing and communications.”
en/torusers.wml   173) </li>
en/torusers.wml   174) <li>
en/torusers.wml   175) Tor has consulted with and volunteered help to <strong>Amnesty International's

en/torusers.wml   176) recent <a href="http://irrepressible.info/">corporate responsibility campaign</a></strong>.
en/torusers.wml   177) See also their <a href="http://irrepressible.info/static/pdf/FOE-in-china-2006-lores.pdf">full

en/torusers.wml   178) report</a> on China Internet issues.
en/torusers.wml   179) </li>
en/torusers.wml   180) <li>
en/torusers.wml   181) <a href="http://www.globalvoicesonline.org">Global Voices</a>
en/torusers.wml   182) can't stop recommending Tor, especially for <strong>anonynomous blogging</strong>,

en/torusers.wml   183) throughout their <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=site:www.globalvoicesonline.org+tor">

en/torusers.wml   184) web site.</a>
en/torusers.wml   185) </li>
en/torusers.wml   186) <li>
en/torusers.wml   187) In the US, the Supreme Court recently stripped legal protections from
en/torusers.wml   188) government whistleblowers.  But whistleblowers working for governmental
en/torusers.wml   189) transparency or corporate accountability can use Tor to seek justice
en/torusers.wml   190) without personal repercussions.
en/torusers.wml   191) </li>
en/torusers.wml   192) <li>
en/torusers.wml   193) A contact of ours who works with a public health nonprofit in

en/torusers.wml   194) Africa reports that his nonprofit <strong>must budget 10% to cover various sorts of corruption</strong>,
en/torusers.wml   195) mostly bribes and such.  When that percentage rises steeply, not only can they not afford the money, but they can

en/whousestor.wml 196) not afford to complain — this is the point at which open objection can

en/torusers.wml   197) become dangerous.  So his nonprofit has been working to

en/torusers.wml   198) <strong>use Tor to safely whistleblow on governmental corruption</strong> in order to continue their work.

en/torusers.wml   199) </li>
en/torusers.wml   200) <li>

en/torusers.wml   201) At a recent conference, a Tor staffer ran into a woman who came from
en/torusers.wml   202) a “company town” in the eastern United States. She was attempting to blog anonymously to rally
en/torusers.wml   203) local residents to <strong>urge reform on the company</strong> that dominated the town's

en/whousestor.wml 204) economic and governmental affairs, fully cognizant that the kind of

en/torusers.wml   205) organizing she was doing <strong>could lead to harm or &ldquo;fatal
en/torusers.wml   206) accidents.&rdquo;</strong>
en/torusers.wml   207) </li>
en/torusers.wml   208) <li>
en/torusers.wml   209) In east Asia, some labor organizers use anonymity to <strong>reveal information
en/torusers.wml   210) regarding sweatshops</strong> that produce goods for western countries and to
en/torusers.wml   211) organize local labor.
en/torusers.wml   212) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 213) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 214) 
en/whousestor.wml 215) 

en/torusers.wml   216) <h2>Both high and low profile people use Tor</h2>
en/torusers.wml   217) <ul>
en/torusers.wml   218) <li>
en/torusers.wml   219) Does being in the public spotlight shut you off from having a private

en/whousestor.wml 220) life, forever, online?  A rural lawyer in a small New England state keeps
en/whousestor.wml 221) an anonymous blog because, with the diverse clientele at his prestigious

en/torusers.wml   222) law firm, <strong>his political beliefs are bound to offend someone</strong>.  Yet, he

en/whousestor.wml 223) doesn't want to remain silent on issues he cares about.  Tor helps him
en/whousestor.wml 224) feel secure that he can express his opinion without consequences to his

en/torusers.wml   225) public role.
en/torusers.wml   226) </li>
en/torusers.wml   227) <li>People living in poverty often don't participate fully in civil society

en/whousestor.wml 228) -- not out of ignorance or apathy, but out of fear.  If something you
en/whousestor.wml 229) write were to get back to your boss, would you lose your job?  If your
en/whousestor.wml 230) social worker read about your opinion of the system, would she treat

en/torusers.wml   231) you differently?  Anonymity gives a voice to the voiceless.
en/torusers.wml   232) To support this,
en/torusers.wml   233) <strong>Tor currently has an open Americorps/VISTA position</strong> pending.  This

en/whousestor.wml 234) government grant will cover a full time stipend for a volunteer to create

en/torusers.wml   235) curricula to <strong>show low-income populations how to use anonymity online for
en/torusers.wml   236) safer civic engagement</strong>.  Although it's often said that the poor do not use

en/whousestor.wml 237) online access for civic engagment, failing to act in their self-interests,
en/whousestor.wml 238) it is our hypothesis (based on personal conversations and anecdotal
en/whousestor.wml 239) information) that it is precisely the “permanent record ”
en/whousestor.wml 240) left online that keeps many of the poor from speaking out on the Internet.

en/torusers.wml   241) We hope to show people how to engage more safely online, and then at

en/whousestor.wml 242) the end of the year, evaluate how online and offline civic engagement has

en/torusers.wml   243) changed, and how the population sees this continuing into the future.
en/torusers.wml   244) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 245) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 246) 

en/whousestor.wml 247) <h2>Business executives use Tor</h2>
en/whousestor.wml 248) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   249) <li>
en/torusers.wml   250) <strong>Security breach information clearinghouses:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   251) Say a financial institution participates in a security clearinghouse

en/whousestor.wml 252) of information on Internet attacks.  Such a repository requires members
en/whousestor.wml 253) to report breaches to a central group, who correlates attacks to detect
en/whousestor.wml 254) coordinated patterns and send out alerts.  But if a specific bank in
en/whousestor.wml 255) St. Louis is breached, they don't want an attacker watching the incoming
en/whousestor.wml 256) traffic to such a repository to be able to track where information is
en/whousestor.wml 257) coming from.  Even though every packet were encrypted, the Internet
en/whousestor.wml 258) address would betray the location of a compromised system.  Tor allows

en/torusers.wml   259) such repositories of sensitive information to resist compromises.
en/torusers.wml   260) </li>
en/torusers.wml   261) <li>
en/torusers.wml   262) <strong>Seeing your competition as your market does:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   263) If you try to check out a competitor's pricing, you may find no

en/whousestor.wml 264) information or misleading information on their web site.  This is because
en/whousestor.wml 265) their web server may be keyed to detect connections from competitors,
en/whousestor.wml 266) and block or spread disinformation to your staff.  Tor allows a business

en/torusers.wml   267) to view their sector as the general public would view it.
en/torusers.wml   268) </li>
en/torusers.wml   269) <li>
en/torusers.wml   270) <strong>Keeping strategies confidential:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   271) An investment bank, for example, might not want industry snoopers to be

en/whousestor.wml 272) able to track what web sites their analysts are watching.  The strategic
en/whousestor.wml 273) importance of traffic patterns, and the vulnerability of the surveillance
en/whousestor.wml 274) of such data, is starting to be more widely recognized in several areas

en/torusers.wml   275) of the business world.
en/torusers.wml   276) </li>
en/torusers.wml   277) <li>
en/torusers.wml   278) <strong>Accountability:</strong>
en/torusers.wml   279) In an age when irresponsible and unreported corporate activity has

en/whousestor.wml 280) undermined multi-billion dollar businesses, an executive exercising true
en/whousestor.wml 281) stewardship wants the whole staff to feel free to disclose internal
en/whousestor.wml 282) malfeasance.  Tor facilitates internal accountability before it turns

en/torusers.wml   283) into whistleblowing.
en/torusers.wml   284) </li>
en/torusers.wml   285) </ul>
en/torusers.wml   286) 
en/torusers.wml   287) 
en/torusers.wml   288) <h2>Bloggers use Tor</h2>
en/torusers.wml   289) <ul>
en/torusers.wml   290) <li>
en/torusers.wml   291) Every day we hear about bloggers who are
en/torusers.wml   292) <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB112541909221726743-Kl4kLxv0wSbjqrkXg_DieY3c8lg_20050930.html">sued</a> or
en/torusers.wml   293) <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-06-14-worker-blogs-usat_x.htm">fired</a>
en/torusers.wml   294) for saying perfectly legal things online, in their blog.  In addition to following

en/torusers.wml   295) the advice in the <a href="http://w2.eff.org/bloggers/lg/">EFF Legal Guide for Bloggers</a>
en/torusers.wml   296) 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   297) we recommend using Tor.
en/torusers.wml   298) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 299) </ul>

en/torusers.wml   300) </div><!-- #main -->