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en/torusers.wml     5) #include "head.wmi" TITLE="Who uses Tor?" CHARSET="UTF-8"

en/whousestor.wml   6) 
en/whousestor.wml   7) <div class="main-column">

en/torusers.wml     8) 
en/torusers.wml     9) <h2>Inception</h2>
en/torusers.wml    10) 
en/torusers.wml    11) <!-- BEGIN SIDEBAR -->
en/torusers.wml    12) <div class="sidebar-left">
en/torusers.wml    13) <h3>Who uses Tor?</h3>

en/torusers.wml    14) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    15) <li><a href="<page torusers>#normalusers">Normal people use Tor</a></li>

en/torusers.wml    16) <li><a href="<page torusers>#military">Militaries use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    17) <li><a href="<page torusers>#journalist">Journalists and their audience use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    18) <li><a href="<page torusers>#lawenforcement">Law enforcement officers use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    19) <li><a href="<page torusers>#activists">Activists &amp; Whistleblowers use Tor</a></li>

en/torusers.wml    20) <li><a href="<page torusers>#spotlight">High &amp; low profile people use Tor</a></li>

en/torusers.wml    21) <li><a href="<page torusers>#executives">Business executives use Tor</a></li>
en/torusers.wml    22) <li><a href="<page torusers>#bloggers">Bloggers use Tor</a></li>

en/torusers.wml    23) <li><a href="<page torusers>#itprofessionals">IT Professionals use Tor</a></li>

en/torusers.wml    24) </ul>

en/torusers.wml    25) </div>
en/torusers.wml    26) <!-- END SIDEBAR -->

en/torusers.wml    27) 

en/torusers.wml    28) <hr />

en/torusers.wml    29) <p>
en/torusers.wml    30) Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation

en/torusers.wml    31) <a href="http://www.onion-router.net/">onion routing project of the Naval Research Laboratory</a>.

en/torusers.wml    32) It was originally developed with the U.S. Navy in mind, for the primary purpose of protecting government communications.

en/torusers.wml    33) 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    34) </p>
en/torusers.wml    35) 

en/torusers.wml    36) <a name="normalusers"></a>

en/torusers.wml    37) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#normalusers">Normal people use Tor</a></h2>
en/torusers.wml    38) <hr />

en/whousestor.wml  39) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    40) <li><strong>They protect their privacy from unscrupulous marketers and identity thieves.</strong>
en/torusers.wml    41) Internet Service Providers (ISPs) <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/29449-compete-ceo-isps-sell-clickstreams-for-5-a-month">

en/torusers.wml    42) sell your Internet browsing records</a> to marketers or anyone else

en/torusers.wml    43) willing to pay for it. ISPs typically say that

en/torusers.wml    44) they anonymize the data by not providing personally identifiable information, but

en/torusers.wml    45) <a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2006/08/71579?currentPage=all">this

en/torusers.wml    46) has proven incorrect</a>.  A full record of every site you visit, the text of every search you perform, and potentially

en/torusers.wml    47) 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    48) </li>

en/torusers.wml    49) <li><strong> They protect their communications from irresponsible corporations.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    50) 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    51) private data. From <a href="http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11048">lost backup tapes</a>, to

en/torusers.wml    52) <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    53) your data is often not well protected by those you are supposed to trust to keep it safe.
en/torusers.wml    54) </li>

en/torusers.wml    55) <li><strong>They protect their children online.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    56) You've told your kids they shouldn't share personally identifying information online, but they may be sharing their location simply

en/torusers.wml    57) 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    58) In the United States, the government is pushing to make this mapping increasingly precise.

en/torusers.wml    59) </li>

en/torusers.wml    60) <li><strong>They research sensitive topics.</strong>

en/torusers.wml    61) There's a wealth of information available online. But perhaps in your country, access to information on AIDS, birth control,

en/torusers.wml    62) <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/03/tech/main531567.shtml">Tibetan culture</a>,

en/torusers.wml    63) or world religions is behind a national firewall.

en/torusers.wml    64) </li>

en/whousestor.wml  65) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml  66) 

en/torusers.wml    67) <a name="military"></a>

en/torusers.wml    68) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#military">Militaries use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml    69) <hr />

en/whousestor.wml  70) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    71) 
en/torusers.wml    72) <li>
en/torusers.wml    73) <strong>Field Agents:</strong>

en/torusers.wml    74) It is not difficult for insurgents to monitor Internet traffic and

en/torusers.wml    75) discover all the hotels and other locations from which people are
en/torusers.wml    76) connecting to known military servers.

en/torusers.wml    77) Military field agents deployed away from home use Tor to

en/torusers.wml    78) mask the sites they are visiting, protecting military interests and
en/torusers.wml    79) operations, as well as protecting themselves from physical harm.

en/torusers.wml    80) </li>

en/torusers.wml    81) 

en/torusers.wml    82) <li><strong>Hidden services:</strong>

en/torusers.wml    83) 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    84) 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    85) reveal the geographic location of any server that is reachable online.  Tor's hidden services capacity allows military command and

en/torusers.wml    86) control to be physically secure from discovery and takedown.
en/torusers.wml    87) </li>

en/torusers.wml    88) <li><strong>Intelligence gathering:</strong>

en/torusers.wml    89) 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    90) to record a military address, thereby revealing the surveillance.

en/torusers.wml    91) </li>
en/torusers.wml    92) </ul>

en/whousestor.wml  93) 

en/torusers.wml    94) <a name="journalist"></a>

en/torusers.wml    95) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#journalist">Journalists and their audience use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml    96) <hr />

en/torusers.wml    97) <ul>

en/torusers.wml    98) <li><strong><a href="http://www.rsf.org/">Reporters without Borders</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml    99) tracks Internet prisoners of conscience and jailed or harmed journalists all over the world. They advise

en/torusers.wml   100) journalists, sources, bloggers, and dissidents to use Tor to ensure their privacy and safety.

en/torusers.wml   101) </li>

en/torusers.wml   102) <li><strong>The US <a href="http://www.ibb.gov/">International Broadcasting Bureau</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml   103) (Voice of America/Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Asia) supports Tor development to help Internet users in countries without
en/torusers.wml   104) safe access to free media.  Tor preserves the ability of persons behind national firewalls or under
en/torusers.wml   105) the surveillance of repressive regimes to obtain a global perspective on controversial topics including democracy,

en/torusers.wml   106) economics and religion.
en/torusers.wml   107) </li>

en/torusers.wml   108) <li><strong>Citizen journalists in China</strong> use Tor to write about
en/torusers.wml   109) local events to encourage social change and political reform.
en/torusers.wml   110) </li>
en/torusers.wml   111) <li><strong>Citizens and journalists in <a
en/torusers.wml   112) href="http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=554">Internet black

en/torusers.wml   113) holes</a></strong> use Tor to research state propaganda and opposing

en/torusers.wml   114) viewpoints, to file stories with non-State controlled media, and to
en/torusers.wml   115) avoid risking the personal consequences of intellectual curiosity.

en/torusers.wml   116) </li>
en/torusers.wml   117) </ul>

en/whousestor.wml 118) 

en/torusers.wml   119) <a name="lawenforcement"></a>

en/torusers.wml   120) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#lawenforcement">Law enforcement officers use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   121) <hr />

en/torusers.wml   122) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   123) <li><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) government or law enforcement IP addresses in usage logs, investigations
en/torusers.wml   128) may be hampered.

en/torusers.wml   129) </li>

en/torusers.wml   130) <li><strong>Sting operations:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   131) Similarly, anonymity allows law officers to engage in online
en/torusers.wml   132) “undercover ” operations.  Regardless of how good an

en/torusers.wml   133) undercover officer's “street cred” may be, if the

en/torusers.wml   134) communications include IP ranges from police addresses, the cover is blown.

en/torusers.wml   135) </li>

en/torusers.wml   136) <li><strong>Truly anonymous tip lines:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   137) While online anonymous tip lines are popular, without anonymity
en/torusers.wml   138) software, they are far less useful.  Sophisticated sources understand that
en/torusers.wml   139) although a name or email address is not attached to information, server
en/torusers.wml   140) logs can identify them very quickly.  As a result, tip line web sites that
en/torusers.wml   141) do not encourage anonymity are limiting the sources of their tips.
en/torusers.wml   142) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 143) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 144) 

en/torusers.wml   145) <a name="activists"></a>

en/torusers.wml   146) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#activists">Activists &amp; Whistleblowers use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   147) <hr />

en/whousestor.wml 148) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   149) <li><strong>Human rights activists use Tor to anonymously report abuses from

en/torusers.wml   150) danger zones.</strong>  Internationally, labor rights workers use Tor and other
en/torusers.wml   151) forms of online and offline anonymity to organize workers in accordance
en/torusers.wml   152) with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even though they are within
en/torusers.wml   153) the law, it does not mean they are safe. Tor provides the ability to
en/torusers.wml   154) avoid persecution while still raising a voice.
en/torusers.wml   155) </li>

en/torusers.wml   156) <li>When groups such as the <strong>Friends Service Committee and environmental

en/torusers.wml   157) groups are increasingly <a href="http://www.afsc.org/news/2005/government-spying.htm">falling under surveillance</a>
en/torusers.wml   158) in the United States</strong> under laws meant to protect against terrorism, many peaceful agents of

en/torusers.wml   159) change rely on Tor for basic privacy during legitimate activities.
en/torusers.wml   160) </li>

en/torusers.wml   161) <li><strong><a href="http://hrw.org/doc/?t=internet">Human Rights Watch</a></strong>

en/torusers.wml   162) recommends Tor in their report, “

en/torusers.wml   163) <a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/">Race to the Bottom: Corporate
en/torusers.wml   164) Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship</a>.&rdquo; The study

en/whousestor.wml 165) co-author interviewed Roger Dingledine, Tor project leader,

en/whousestor.wml 166) on Tor use.  They cover Tor in the section on how to breach the <a
en/whousestor.wml 167) href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm#_Toc142395820">&ldquo;Great

en/torusers.wml   168) Firewall of China,&rdquo;</a> and recommend that human rights workers throughout

en/torusers.wml   169) the globe use Tor for “secure browsing and communications.”
en/torusers.wml   170) </li>

en/torusers.wml   171) <li> Tor has consulted with and volunteered help to <strong>Amnesty International's

en/torusers.wml   172) recent <a href="http://irrepressible.info/">corporate responsibility campaign</a></strong>.
en/torusers.wml   173) See also their <a href="http://irrepressible.info/static/pdf/FOE-in-china-2006-lores.pdf">full

en/torusers.wml   174) report</a> on China Internet issues.
en/torusers.wml   175) </li>

en/torusers.wml   176) <li><a href="http://www.globalvoicesonline.org">Global Voices</a>

en/torusers.wml   177) recommends Tor, especially for <strong>anonymous blogging</strong>,

en/torusers.wml   178) throughout their <a href="http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/projects/guide/">

en/torusers.wml   179) web site.</a>
en/torusers.wml   180) </li>

en/torusers.wml   181) <li>In the US, the Supreme Court recently stripped legal protections from

en/torusers.wml   182) government whistleblowers.  But whistleblowers working for governmental
en/torusers.wml   183) transparency or corporate accountability can use Tor to seek justice
en/torusers.wml   184) without personal repercussions.
en/torusers.wml   185) </li>

en/torusers.wml   186) <li>A contact of ours who works with a public health nonprofit in

en/torusers.wml   187) Africa reports that his nonprofit <strong>must budget 10% to cover various sorts of corruption</strong>,
en/torusers.wml   188) mostly bribes and such.  When that percentage rises steeply, not only can they not afford the money, but they can

en/whousestor.wml 189) not afford to complain — this is the point at which open objection can

en/torusers.wml   190) become dangerous.  So his nonprofit has been working to

en/torusers.wml   191) <strong>use Tor to safely whistleblow on government corruption</strong> in order to continue their work.

en/torusers.wml   192) </li>

en/torusers.wml   193) <li>At a recent conference, a Tor staffer ran into a woman who came from

en/torusers.wml   194) a “company town” in the eastern United States. She was attempting to blog anonymously to rally

en/torusers.wml   195) local residents to <strong>urge reform in the company</strong> that dominated the town's
en/torusers.wml   196) economic and government affairs. She is fully cognizant that the kind of

en/torusers.wml   197) organizing she was doing <strong>could lead to harm or &ldquo;fatal
en/torusers.wml   198) accidents.&rdquo;</strong>
en/torusers.wml   199) </li>

en/torusers.wml   200) <li>In east Asia, some labor organizers use anonymity to <strong>reveal information

en/torusers.wml   201) regarding sweatshops</strong> that produce goods for western countries and to
en/torusers.wml   202) organize local labor.
en/torusers.wml   203) </li>

en/torusers.wml   204) <li>
en/torusers.wml   205) Tor can help activists avoid government or corporate censorship that hinders organization.
en/torusers.wml   206) In one such case, a
en/torusers.wml   207) <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   208) to help organize a strike.
en/torusers.wml   209) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 210) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 211) 

en/torusers.wml   212) <a name="spotlight"></a>

en/torusers.wml   213) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#spotlight">High &amp; low profile people use Tor</a></h2>
en/torusers.wml   214) <hr />

en/torusers.wml   215) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   216) <li>Does being in the public spotlight shut you off from having a private

en/torusers.wml   217) life, forever, online?  A rural lawyer in a New England state keeps

en/whousestor.wml 218) an anonymous blog because, with the diverse clientele at his prestigious

en/torusers.wml   219) law firm, <strong>his political beliefs are bound to offend someone</strong>.  Yet, he

en/whousestor.wml 220) doesn't want to remain silent on issues he cares about.  Tor helps him
en/whousestor.wml 221) feel secure that he can express his opinion without consequences to his

en/torusers.wml   222) public role.
en/torusers.wml   223) </li>
en/torusers.wml   224) <li>People living in poverty often don't participate fully in civil society

en/whousestor.wml 225) -- not out of ignorance or apathy, but out of fear.  If something you
en/whousestor.wml 226) write were to get back to your boss, would you lose your job?  If your
en/whousestor.wml 227) social worker read about your opinion of the system, would she treat

en/torusers.wml   228) you differently?  Anonymity gives a voice to the voiceless.

en/torusers.wml   229) To support this, <strong>Tor currently has an open Americorps/VISTA position</strong> pending.  This

en/whousestor.wml 230) government grant will cover a full time stipend for a volunteer to create

en/torusers.wml   231) curricula to <strong>show low-income populations how to use anonymity online for
en/torusers.wml   232) safer civic engagement</strong>.  Although it's often said that the poor do not use

en/torusers.wml   233) online access for civic engagement, failing to act in their self-interests,

en/whousestor.wml 234) it is our hypothesis (based on personal conversations and anecdotal
en/whousestor.wml 235) information) that it is precisely the “permanent record ”
en/whousestor.wml 236) left online that keeps many of the poor from speaking out on the Internet.

en/torusers.wml   237) We hope to show people how to engage more safely online, and then at

en/whousestor.wml 238) the end of the year, evaluate how online and offline civic engagement has

en/torusers.wml   239) changed, and how the population sees this continuing into the future.
en/torusers.wml   240) </li>

en/whousestor.wml 241) </ul>
en/whousestor.wml 242) 

en/torusers.wml   243) <a name="executives"></a>

en/torusers.wml   244) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#executives">Business executives use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   245) <hr />

en/whousestor.wml 246) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   247) <li><strong>Security breach information clearinghouses:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   248) Say a financial institution participates in a security clearinghouse

en/whousestor.wml 249) of information on Internet attacks.  Such a repository requires members
en/whousestor.wml 250) to report breaches to a central group, who correlates attacks to detect

en/torusers.wml   251) 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 252) traffic to such a repository to be able to track where information is

en/torusers.wml   253) coming from.  Even though every packet were encrypted, the IP

en/whousestor.wml 254) address would betray the location of a compromised system.  Tor allows

en/torusers.wml   255) such repositories of sensitive information to resist compromises.
en/torusers.wml   256) </li>

en/torusers.wml   257) <li><strong>Seeing your competition as your market does:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   258) If you try to check out a competitor's pricing, you may find no

en/whousestor.wml 259) information or misleading information on their web site.  This is because
en/whousestor.wml 260) their web server may be keyed to detect connections from competitors,
en/whousestor.wml 261) and block or spread disinformation to your staff.  Tor allows a business

en/torusers.wml   262) to view their sector as the general public would view it.
en/torusers.wml   263) </li>

en/torusers.wml   264) <li><strong>Keeping strategies confidential:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   265) An investment bank, for example, might not want industry snoopers to be

en/whousestor.wml 266) able to track what web sites their analysts are watching.  The strategic
en/whousestor.wml 267) importance of traffic patterns, and the vulnerability of the surveillance
en/whousestor.wml 268) of such data, is starting to be more widely recognized in several areas

en/torusers.wml   269) of the business world.
en/torusers.wml   270) </li>

en/torusers.wml   271) <li><strong>Accountability:</strong>

en/torusers.wml   272) In an age when irresponsible and unreported corporate activity has

en/whousestor.wml 273) undermined multi-billion dollar businesses, an executive exercising true
en/whousestor.wml 274) stewardship wants the whole staff to feel free to disclose internal
en/whousestor.wml 275) malfeasance.  Tor facilitates internal accountability before it turns

en/torusers.wml   276) into whistleblowing.
en/torusers.wml   277) </li>
en/torusers.wml   278) </ul>
en/torusers.wml   279) 

en/torusers.wml   280) <a name="bloggers"></a>

en/torusers.wml   281) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#bloggers">Bloggers use Tor</a></h2>

en/torusers.wml   282) <hr />

en/torusers.wml   283) <ul>

en/torusers.wml   284) <li>Frequently we hear about bloggers who are

en/torusers.wml   285) <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB112541909221726743-Kl4kLxv0wSbjqrkXg_DieY3c8lg_20050930.html">sued</a> or
en/torusers.wml   286) <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-06-14-worker-blogs-usat_x.htm">fired</a>

en/torusers.wml   287) for saying perfectly legal things online, in their blog.</li>
en/torusers.wml   288) <li>We recommend the <a href="http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal">EFF Legal Guide for Bloggers</a>.</li>
en/torusers.wml   289) <li>Global Voices maintains a <a href="http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/projects/guide/">guide to anonymous blogging with Wordpress and Tor</a>.</li>
en/torusers.wml   290) </ul>
en/torusers.wml   291) 
en/torusers.wml   292) <a name="itprofessionals"></a>
en/torusers.wml   293) <h2><a class="anchor" href="#itprofessionals">IT Professionals use Tor</a></h2>
en/torusers.wml   294) <hr />
en/torusers.wml   295) <ul>
en/torusers.wml   296) <li>To verify IP based firewall rules: A firewall may have some policies that only allow certain IP addresses or ranges. Tor can be used to verify those configurations by using an IP number outside of the company's alloted IP block.</li>
en/torusers.wml   297) <li>To bypass their own security systems for sensitive professional activities: For instance, a company may have a strict policy regarding the material employees can view on the internet. A log review reveals a possible violation. Tor can be used to verify the information without an exception being put into corporate security systems.</li>
en/torusers.wml   298) <li>To connect back to deployed services: A network engineer can use Tor to remotely connect back to services, without the need for an external machine and user account, as part of operational testing.</li>
en/torusers.wml   299) <li>To access internet resources: Acceptable use policy for IT Staff and normal employees is usually different. Tor can allow unfettered access to the internet while leaving standard security policies in place.</li>
en/torusers.wml   300) <li>To work around ISP network outages: Sometimes when an ISP is having routing or DNS problems, Tor can make internet resources available, when the actual ISP is malfunctioning. This can be invaluable is crisis situations. </li>

en/whousestor.wml 301) </ul>

en/torusers.wml   302) 

en/torusers.wml   303) <p>
en/torusers.wml   304) Please do send us your success stories. They are very important because

en/torusers.wml   305) Tor provides anonymity. While it is thrilling to speculate about <a

en/torusers.wml   306) href="<page faq-abuse>">undesired effects of Tor</a>, when it succeeds, nobody notices.  This is

en/torusers.wml   307) great for users, but not so good for us, since publishing success
en/torusers.wml   308) stories about how people or organizations are staying anonymous could be

en/torusers.wml   309) counterproductive.  For example, we talked to an FBI officer who
en/torusers.wml   310) explained that he uses Tor every day for his work — but he quickly followed up with a request not to provide
en/torusers.wml   311) details or mention his name.</p>

en/torusers.wml   312) 

en/torusers.wml   313) <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   314) debate (<a href="http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2006/01/70000">pro</a>,
en/torusers.wml   315) <a href="http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_4.html#kelly">con</a>, and <a
en/torusers.wml   316) 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   317) 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   318) <a href="https://www.crimeline.co.za/default.asp">police tip lines</a>,
en/torusers.wml   319) <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   320) <a href="http://writ.news.findlaw.com/aronson/20020827.html">police officer identities</a>,
en/torusers.wml   321) 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   322) 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   323) 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   324) 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   325) <a href="http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/12/computer_crime_1.html">Four Horsemen of the Information Apocalypse</a>,
en/torusers.wml   326) you have better options than Tor. While not dismissing the potential abuses of Tor,

en/torusers.wml   327) this page shows a few of the many important ways anonymity is used online today.</p>

en/torusers.wml   328) </div>