The free Tor Browser Bundle contains a modified version of Firefox and when the browser (currently on version 4.5) is used, web traffic is directed through thousands of relays, making internet tracking nearly impossible. After all, there are many, many reasons that legit internet travelers would like to work behind the cloak of anonymity – journalists, whistleblowers, anyone wanting to avoid unwarranted surveillance.Īt its core, Tor is an anonymity network designed to defend users against network surveillance and traffic analysis.

As Tor advocates try to legitimize the browser quite possibly the biggest obstacle to mainstreaming Tor is the perception within the general populations that it's a tool used only by criminals, says Runa Sandvik, an independent privacy and security researcher focusing on technology, law and policy a core contributor to the Tor Project and a technical adviser to the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the TrueCrypt Audit project.

Quick! When someone mentions Tor, what are the first impressions that come to mind? If you say drug dealers and criminals traveling the dark, seedy underbelly of the internet, anonymously and up to no good, then you wouldn't be alone.

Nsa rootkit from the tor browser