Then the final relay decrypts the innermost layer of encryption, sending the original data to its destination while keeping the IP address of the source hidden.

Tor applies encryption to different user data multiple times while sending it through a circuit of successive, randomly selected Tor relays.Įach relay decrypts a layer of encryption to reveal the next relay in the circuit to pass the remaining encrypted data onto it. Encryption is used at every level of the application layer in Tor Browser’s communication protocol stack (just like the layers of an onion). Now let’s get into some more granular detail. Thanks to the onion routing technique, it’s considerably more difficult for a third party to trace individual user activity. This allows Tor to direct internet traffic through a massive global overlay network, thereby hiding its users’ location and other information about their activity - on the dark or surface web. Short for “The Onion Router,” Tor is based on a technique called onion routing. (We trust you’re no criminal, so this shouldn’t matter!) How Does Tor Browser Work? So while Tor is legal for the most part - except in China, where it’s forbidden, and in Venezuela, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, and Egypt, where it’s restricted - it can be used to perpetrate illegal activity. Of course, criminals infiltrating the dark web - to exchange information, sell services, or run illegal marketplaces - could theoretically form another user category. military organizations, including the US navy, use Tor. These are issues often faced by journalists and human rights activists working in regions of the world with repressive regimes.

Users trying to avoid being spied on and censored.

This group makes up the majority of users.

Users who want to surf the web privately, without internet service providers (ISPs), advertisers, and businesses mining their data.

There are several main categories of Tor Browser users: Tor Browser - The Basics Who Uses Tor, and Why?

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