Tor Project - What is the Tor browser?
Tor is a free and open source web-browser software which help users to communicate anonymously. The word Tor is derived from the original product of the manufacturing company named as “The Onion Router”. Tor basically lays a layer of multiple proxy converting into a dynamic proxychain to hide the user’s location and other important data which is displayed while surfing the internet from anyone who is analyzing traffic or is surveilling over a particular network. Tor provides a great comfort to people who want to surf the web anonymously like, visiting random websites, exploring new things, surveilling over a particular network, carrying out hacking attacks. So we can also say that Tor Browser or the onion browser is used to maintain users privacy by providing them additional support of end to end protection.
Tor Browser – A Quick Overview
- Codename: Tor project. Name is the acronym on the original software project ‘onion router’.
- Software License: Free and open source software for anonymous communication.
- Initial release: September 20, 2002.
- Developed By: The Tor Browser
- Support: Supports Android, Windows, Linux, MacOS, ios.
- Awards: Free software award for project benefited.
- Written in: C, Python, Ruby.
Tor Browser – How to use?
To use Tor Browser, downloading and installing Tor Browser is very simple from the torproject.org website into systems such as Linux, Mac, Windows, Android. To use Tor Browser you first need to download it into your system from the official website of tor browser and for users who wish to use tor browser in their android device need to install OrBot from the google play store. Similarly, ios users need to install F-Droid in their ios device.
Tor Browser – History
The first development of the onion routing based concept was in the mid-1990s by the united States Naval Research Laboratory employees. With major efforts of mathematician’s Paul Syverson and computer scientists Michel D. Reed and David Goldschlag started this project with the soul aim of protecting the U.S intelligence communications online. Further this project was developed by DARPA in 1997.
The first release of this version browser named as alpha version was launched on 20 September, 2002. While this release was first made for the U.S Agencies, a year later it had its first public release.
Later in December 2006, a group of five people founded the Tor project, a Massachusetts based research based education non-profit organization which aimed and worked for maintaining and developing the Tor Browser. While the time of the launching of the onion browser there were a couple of its sponsors, by the term of 2006 many organizations and companies started sponsoring the tor Project in which the U.S Government had a very high sponsoring ratio over the others.
Tor Browser – Usage and Searches
While the main of the Tor Project was for helping the U.S based organizations, but after the public release it just became a source of illegal work. Tor was now being used as a source of illegal work mainly selling of Drugs which is also a very testing story named ‘The Silk Road’ how the agencies mixed together closed down the online business of selling drugs. Till now the maximum percentage of searches and activities are based on Drugs related topics of 14.5% of the entire search. Headed by topics such as marketplaces and frauds which an equal share of 9%. Bitcoins also had a rise during the early periods of the release of the tor browser. However anonymity, hacking, Searches, hosting’s are a way back in the 4% category.
Tor Browser – Why to use? Knowing the Deep and Dark Web
The first fact why people use Tor Browser is that the Tor Browser allows people to visit the entire world of internet. Must be sounding ridiculously but the entire internet is divided into 3 parts. These 3 parts are the Surface Web, Deep Web, Dark Web. What we visit from our regular Internet browsers are actually the Surface web and that the normal browser cannot provide us the comfort to visit the other part of the internet which is the Deep Web and the Dark Web.
Tor Browser – Targeted Audience
There are a variety of reasons why people use the Tor Browser of which some of the common ones are :
Businesses: Businesses are a part of Tor Browser because as the Tor Browser allows anonymous encrypted communication it is used by businesses to research their competition, keeping their business strategies confidential and facilitate secure money transfer.
Activists: Activists are people who are the main source of any movement in any country. They are termed as whistleblowers and they report improper thing s to other common masses about the danger, corrupted government, etc.
Media: Journalists and Media use Tor to communicate so that their research and upcoming topics and information does not get leaked.
Military & Law Enforcements: Many companies such as intelligence agencies all over the globe and military services use Tor Browser to protect their communications, investigation and intelligence related work. Moreover The U.S Army even funds The Tor Browser project officially so that the tor browser provides them a special channel to communicate anonymously.
Hackers and Cyber Security Experts: For day to day attacks that happen through the world or the check whether a system is secure is not hiding one’s personal identity is a must which is why Hackers as well as Cyber Security experts use Tor Browser.
The TorProject Company – Other Projects
Have The Tor Browser a grand success, the tor project company decided to start in the fields of other projects such as Orbot, Tails, Nyx, Relay Search, Pluggable Transports, etc.
Orbot: The dedicated version of Tor Browser for android devices whi9ch is easily available for download in the Google Play Store for free.
Tails: To add advanced layer of security this project named ‘Tails’ is a live preconfigured CD/USB based operating system preconfigured to use The tor network with much more safety.
Nyx: based on Unix command Line, the ‘Nyx’ is a terminal based application for configuring as well as monitoring the tor for better and enhanced usage.
Relay Search: Using Tor for the very first time is like finding a grain of rice in the whole field. Realizing this the Tor project company introduced The Relay Search which helps everyone, even the advanced users of the Tor by providing an overview of the Tor Browser.
Pluggable Transports: This project which was introduced remains a quiet dignified till date because this project named ‘pluggable transports’ helps circumvent censorship.
Stem: it is a library for writing scripts and applications and interact with Tor, mainly used for automation purposes.
Ooni: It is a global observatory which monitors network censorship.
Tor Browser – My Opinions and Views
Adding to the mentioned reports above, I would NOT suggest people who are below 16 years of age to visit the Deep or Dark Web using the tor browser because nowadays violence, arms, illicit Social, Hacking, Illicit pornography, Extremism and drugs are on a very high rise in the Tor Browser. This can be very dangerous because what people will visit and see in the deep and dark web will be very violating and has a high chance of 60% which can lead to illness and mental pressure on the people.