
And it’s not as vast as some people have made it out to be. onion sites appear to host illegal activity. notes: īut despite the reputation of the dark web as being a haven for criminal activity, a recent survey concluded that only 45% of.

onion sites) - many media announcements regarding the scale of hidden services and the potential for criminality are overstated. Notably, only around three per cent of all Tor traffic is on the 'dark web' (. It also assists censored users to access information freely, journalists to protect their sources, and limits the risks of corporate espionage. Tor is predominantly designed for strong anonymity and helping those who do not want to share their browsing history, communications and other online activities with corporations and government entities who perform detailed surveillance of all Internet traffic. Tor is for criminals who want to disguise illegal transactions from law enforcement! On the flipside, Tor/Tor Browser and any other software in existence is imperfect, meaning the 'absolute anonymity' some seek is a mirage.įor a basic understanding of the Tor protocol and how it helps to protect anonymity, see: How HTTPS and Tor Work Together to Protect Your Anonymity and Privacy by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.Ĭommon Tor Myths and Misconceptions When analyzed dispassionately, it is evident Tor is used predominantly for good - enforcing our inalienable right to privacy, increasing security, and helping to protect vulnerable groups like whistleblowers, dissidents and activists. All over the world, Tor users have very diverse and practical reasons for deploying online anonymity. This chapter is intended to dispel some of the more common Tor myths, while highlighting that misinformation poses a great disservice to a technologically neutral tool and the millions using it daily. For instance, the media consistently overhypes the existence of markets for illicit services/goods and various criminal activities launched from the network. Myths and misconceptions are perpetuated by a range of factors, including: a lack of understanding, government propaganda, and a heavy media focus on the potential negative applications of Tor.


In modern society a number of untruths persist regarding the Tor network ('dark net'), Tor Browser, and platforms or software that utilize Tor, like Whonix ™.
