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#include "head.wmi" TITLE="Tor: Overview"
<div class="main-column">
<h2>Tor: Overview</h2>
<hr />
<p>
Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to
improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables
software developers to create new communication tools
with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for
a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals
to share information over public networks without compromising their
privacy.
</p>
<p>
Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family
members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the
like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's <a
href="<page docs/tor-hidden-service>">hidden services</a>
let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal
the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive
communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors,
or people with illnesses.
</p>
<p>
Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and
dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their
workers to connect to their home website while they're in a foreign
country, without notifying everybody nearby that they're working with
that organization.
</p>
<p>
Groups such as Indymedia recommend Tor for safeguarding their members'
online privacy and security. Activist groups like the Electronic Frontier
Foundation (EFF) recommend Tor as a mechanism for
maintaining civil liberties online. Corporations use Tor as a safe way
to conduct competitive analysis, and to protect sensitive procurement
patterns from eavesdroppers. They also use it to replace traditional
VPNs, which reveal the exact amount and timing of communication. Which
locations have employees working late? Which locations have employees
consulting job-hunting websites? Which research divisions are communicating
with the company's patent lawyers?
