This suggests most users access the network to retain their online privacy, rather than use anonymous onion services. Of the estimated 2.6 million users that use the Tor network daily, one study reported only 2% (52,000) of users accessed onion services. Among the visited services, child sex abuse material is common. The architecture of the network allows partial monitoring of the network traffic and a summary of which services are visited. The number of onion services active on the Tor network is unknown, although the Tor Project estimates about 170,000 active addresses. Image via Wikimedia Commons Child sex abuse material and abuse porn is prevalent Service dictionaries such as “The Hidden Wiki” list addresses on the network, allowing users to discover other (often illicit) services. The BBC, New York Times, ProPublica, Facebook, the CIA and Pornhub all have a verified presence on Tor, to name a few. And while search engine options are limited (there’s no Google), discovering onion services is simple, too. While the Tor browser is needed to access onion services, it can also be used to browse the “surface” internet.Īccessing the Tor network is simple. It enables users to browse the internet anonymously by hiding their identity and location. The second is Tor’s privacy-maximizing browser.
These sites require an onion address and their servers’ physical locations are hidden from users. These are the websites, or “onion services”, hosted on the Tor network. Tor is an overlay network that exists “on top” of the internet and merges two technologies. The Tor Project’s developers have acknowledged the potential to misuse the service which, when combined with technologies such as untraceable cryptocurrency, can help hide criminals.
The Tor Project was initially developed by the US Navy to protect online intelligence communications, before its code was publicly released in 2002. Online privacy advocates including Edward Snowden have championed the benefits of such platforms, claiming they protect free speech, freedom of thought and civil rights.
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