As a rule, some Internet users, for various reasons, try to ensure their privacy, so they regularly consider the main ways to anonymize traffic from the Internet, which are available for use by an ordinary user. In principle, the daily use of a VPN can help solve this problem, but this method will not seem convenient to everyone. Therefore, in this article we will talk about TOR - an anonymous distributed network.
So what is the Tor network
Today, in RuNet, with the advent of state control and a tougher position in relation to ordinary users, we are talking about the future fate of TOR and similar anonymizers. Law enforcement agencies have long been trying to ban the Tor network, reviews of which are extremely positive. Information about the “ban on TOR” is already appearing in the media at the suggestion of the Russian security forces. Thus, the Izvestia newspaper contains a direct indication that today there is a proposal from the security forces to ban programs that hide users on the network.
Council of the public atThe Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation considers it necessary to legally regulate the activities of legal entities and individuals on the Internet. Therefore, he formed proposals on the need to ban anonymizers - programs that mask data and an IP address.
If users are denied access to a certain site by a court decision, users will still be able to access the site using an anonymizer (for example, using a search on the Tor network). For example, users from China and Belarus visit sites that are blocked by local authorities without any problems.
The proposal of the security forces involves a ban on software or browsers that have built-in anonymizers (the Tor Internet network, for example). In addition, web servers are also referred to as masking tools. These are offline sites that allow users to navigate with a different IP address to a blocked site. There is also an indication that such amendments will be made to the federal law.
To date, the state's position on this matter has not yet been fully determined.
Why is this network needed?
Why is the Tor network needed for an ordinary and ordinary user?Logically, every citizen who does not break the law should think: “Why should I hide myself on the Internet using an anonymizer? I'm not planning illegal actions - hacking sites, spreading malware, cracking passwords, etc.? In a general sense, this question can be answered as follows: some sites containing content for free download,are blocked very quickly and thus become inaccessible to most users. In addition, some employers restrict access to social networks and entertainment sites, and the Tor network resources make it easy to bypass these restrictions.
At the same time, you can also quote the original opinion of one developer of the free software TOR, which he voiced in an interview.
Expert Opinion
Why is anonymity required for ordinary Internet users who, by definition, have nothing to hide?
The thing is that "there is nothing to hide" is not a reason for government agencies to completely control all user activities on the Internet. The most ordinary citizens work in these structures, guided in their work by laws written illiterately by other incompetent citizens. If such people do not like something, they will have to spend money, time and he alth to prove their innocence with an unpredictable result. Why is such a risk needed if there is a simple technical tool supported by other, smarter people.
Among other things, along with anonymity, the user receives protection from censorship on the network at the state level. Is it worth it for an ordinary citizen to think what site can be banned today at the initiative of Deputy Ivanov? This is not the business of this deputy, especially if he is never informed which sites the citizen visited today at his own request. So we can fully assume that the question"why TOR is needed" has already received a complete answer. Now you can consider practical issues on the device of the TOR network and how it is installed and configured on your computer.
Tor network: how to use
TOR is a network of virtual tunnels that will allow the user to best protect privacy and security on the Internet.
The principle of operation of TOR: the program connects the user's computer to the network not directly, but through a chain of several randomly selected computers (relays) that also belong to the TOR network.
All data sent to the Internet using TOR becomes anonymous (the source is hidden) and remains encrypted throughout the entire length between the user's computer and the last relay. After the data is sent from the last relay and sent to the final destination site, this data is already in clear, normal form.
When transferring important data, such as the Username or password to enter the site, you need to make sure that the HTTPS protocol is working.
It is worth noting that we owe the emergence of this anonymous network precisely to the American intelligence services. Once upon a time, the implementation of a spy project took place, which later became infamous. It was called "Open Skies" and for some reason was closed in a short period of time. After that, all the data of the closed network, in particular the source codes, were in the open.access. Based on the information received, the initiative group created a community whose members were experts in the field of the Internet and completely free of charge began to create their own network, not controlled from the outside. This private network is called The Onion Router, which means "Onion Router" in Russian. That is why the symbol of the network "Thor" has an image of an onion on the logo. This name explains the principle of the anonymizer - a chain of nodes and connections leading to complete privacy can be associated with the layers of the onion. The network works in such a way that the endpoints of the connection cannot be established.
Download and install TOR
Various programs from the TOR-package are available for download from the official website of the project. Speaking about the Tor network, how to use it, it should be noted that there is a TOR browser software package. It does not require installation and contains a browser. Most often it is Mozilla Firefox. The browser is preconfigured for safe access to the Internet using TOR. You just need to download the package, unpack the archive and run the TOR program.
Using the TOR Browser Bundle
After downloading the TOR Brouser Bundle software assembly, you need to save the package to the "Desktop" or USB. Usually, this option is convenient for compact solutions when you need to download TOR from a USB flash drive. Speaking of how to get into the Tor network, it should be noted that the user must havea directory that contains multiple files. One of them is the file start TOR Browser or "Launching the TOR Browser". It depends on which operating system you are using.
After launching the TOR Browser Bundle, the user will first see Vidalia launch and connect to the TOR network. After that, the browser will start, which will confirm the use of TOR at the moment. The TOR network is ready to use.
Important point: it is necessary to use the browser that was in the package with TOR, and not the user's own browser.
The TOR browser (Mozilla and the Torbutton plugin) has already been configured to completely disable JavaScript, settings for https and other settings for a secure Internet connection.
For an ordinary user, this software package is the best option for working with TOR.
There is also a stationary option for installing TOR. This is a connection to the Tor network using the Vidalia Polipo TOR assembly.
Here is an installation example for Windows 7
You need to download the program from the TOR-project website and install it on your computer.
Safe work on the Internet is carried out only with the Mozilla browser with the Torbutton plugin. If this plugin is incompatible with the Mozilla browser version, then you need to use the universal FOxyProxy Basic.
Today, TOR developers can offer -bundle packages for download (Vidalia Bridge Bundle or Vidalia Relay Bundle). They are already immediately with the settings "bridges" or "relays". Necessitysuch additional settings may occur for users whose providers block the TOR network. These are the BRIDGE settings that can help if Tor doesn't connect to the network by default.
Correct TOR setup
If the user himself wants to become a member of the TOR project, then you should familiarize yourself with the RELAY settings.
If the provider or system administrator blocks access to the TOR site, then the program itself can be requested by e-mail. In this case, the request is made from the gMail mailbox, you do not need to use an email located on Russian free domains. To receive the English package of the TOR browser for Windows, you need to send an email to [email protected] In the message itself, you only need to write the word windows. Subject field can be empty.
A similar method can be used to request the TOR browser for MAC OS. To do this, write "macos-i386". If you have Linux, then you need to write "linux-i386" in the case of a 32-bit system or "linux-x86 64" for a 64-bit system. If you need a translated version of the TOR program, then you need to write "help". you will receive instructions and a list of available languages.
If TOR is already installed, but does not work, then this could happen for the following reasons.
During normal operation of the connection, if it does not connect to the Tor network, you can try the following: open the "VIdala Control Panel", click on the "Message Log" and select the "Advanced Settings" tab.may be for the following reasons:
1. Disabled system clock. You need to make sure that the date and time are set correctly on the computer and restart TOR. You may need to synchronize the system clock with the server.2. The user is behind a firewall. In order for TOR to use ports 80 and 443, you need to open the "VIdala Control Panel", click "Settings and Networks" and check the box next to the inscription "My firewall only allows me to connect to certain ports." This will help set up the Tor network and let it work fully.
3. TOR blocking by the anti-virus database. You need to make sure that the antivirus program does not prevent TOR from connecting to the network.
4. If the computer still does not connect to the Tor network, then it is very possible that the anonymizer is being blocked by the ISP. This can often be circumvented by using TOR bridges, which are hidden relays and are difficult to block. If you need the exact reason why TOR can't connect, email the developers at [email protected] and attach information from the log log.
What is a bridge and how to find it
To use a bridge, you must first discover it. It's possible at bridges.torproject.org. You can also send an email to [email protected] After sending the letter, you should make sure that the letter itself says “Get bridges”. Without this, a response letter will not come. It is also important that the sending must be from gmail.com or yahoo.com. After setting up severalbridges, the Tor network will become more stable if some bridges become unavailable. There is no certainty that the bridge used today will also work tomorrow. For this reason, a constant update of the list of bridges is required.
How the bridge is used
If it is possible to use multiple bridges, then you should open the "VIdala Control Panel", click "Settings", and then "Networks" and check the box next to the inscription "My provider is blocking connection to the TOR network". Next, enter a list of bridges in the field. Then click "OK" and restart TOR.
Using open proxy
If using a bridge fails, you should try setting up TOR when using an HTTPS or SOCKS proxy to access the TOR network. This means that even if TOR is blocked on the user's local network, it is possible to safely use an open proxy server to connect.
For further work, there must be TOR/Vidalia configurations and a list of https, socks4, or socks5 proxies.
You need to open the "VIdala Control Panel" and click "Settings". Next, click on the "Networks" tab, select "I use a proxy to access the Internet".
In the "Address" field enter the Open Proxy address. This is the IP address or name of the proxy, then enter the port of the proxy.
No username or password is normally required. If this is still needed, then they should be entered in the appropriate fields. Select "Type for proxy" as http/https or socks4, or socks 5. Click "OK". Vidalia and TOR now have a proxy settingto access the rest of the network.
On the TOR website today it is possible to find many other different products for other operating systems (Mac OS, Linux, Windows). Thus, the search engine in the Tor network can be used regardless of what device you use to visit the Internet. Differences can only be in individual settings regarding the features of the custom OS.
There is already a implemented solution for using TOR for mobile phones, for example for Android. This option has already been tested and, as it turned out, it is quite efficient, which cannot but rejoice. Especially considering that most of the users have moved from computers to convenient lightweight tablets.
TOR system for use in smartphones
As mentioned above, it is possible to set up TOR on an Android device. To do this, a package called Orbot is installed. A description of how to download it is on the TOR website.
There are also still experimental packages for Nokia and Apple iOS. However, after a series of tests and improvements, the output of an excellent tool that allows you to achieve uniqueness on the network is guaranteed.
In addition, the TOR developers have launched several more anonymizers, such as Tails. It is a Linux-based OS that provides anonymous and secure web surfing. The site "Tor" has a number of other products that will be of interest to the user.
Also, TOR allows the use of hidden services for users. You can, without revealing your IP address, provideWeb server SHH server. It is clear that such a service is not in great demand among users, although this information is located on the TOR website at the same time as instructions on how to search the Tor network.
This was the basic information about this most famous and well-working anonymizer. As of today, it is hoped that users will be able to run the TOR network on their computer and continue to use the secure and anonymous Internet at their discretion.
