Tor in two minutes.
As you probably know, Tor is an anonymity network which utilizes a unique system of Onion Routing (explained later) to keep users of the network anonymous. In this article, i’m going to touch on some of the fundamental principals used by Tor, and how you might find it useful. Started in the mid-1990’s at the U.S Naval Research Laboratory, the project was developed to foster secure communications between spies and other government agents involved in covert investigations. In 2002 the software was released under a free public-use license. Control was handed to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who in turn handed control to The Tor Project. In 2008, the Tor Browser, built on top of Firefox, was released.
Why would the government release control of the software? Well, a anonymous network of spies sending communications over the internet is not very anonymous. In order to maintain control of the system and safeguard it’s intended use, it was necessary to open the technology to the public. Marketing it as a tool for liberation, fighting oppression, and free speech, the Tor network is now open for all to use.
Onion Routing.
The core technology that enables the anonymity Tor is famous for is called Onion Routing. Normally on the surface web, you send requests for information to servers. The servers receive the requests, and send you the information you…
