Tor Project

Tor stands for The Onion Router. It is a project that aims to improve privacy on the network. It allows you to browse web pages or use online services without filtering information such as IP address, location, etc. The Tor network encrypts information on entry and decrypts it on exit. In addition, it works through multiple nodes. Certainly, its main function is to provide anonymity to the Internet user. However, sometimes there have been vulnerable nodes, and it has been possible to reach the sender of a message.

When we visit a normal website, or, the connection goes from our computer to the router and from there to the servers of that site. Consequently, they can easily see where the connection is coming from and where it is going. However, if we use the Tor network, that same connection goes through multiple nodes until it reaches the final server. Therefore, they cannot really determine what the initial connection was.

To use this network, it is imperative to use the Tor browser. It is necessary to use it to browse onion websites, which are part of the Dark Web and Deep Web. It is available for both desktop and mobile. Furthermore, it is also used by many users who want to avoid data leaks and privacy issues.

What is Tor2Web

After having explained what the Tor network is, we can mention how it differs from Tor2Web. Actually, we will be able to define exactly what we are talking about. It is a software project that allows anonymous surfing of the web and access to the Onion servers. The difference is that it is not necessary to use the Tor browser.

Consequently, a user can access Onion sites from any browser. For example, using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. How exactly does it work? Whenever you see a web address ending in .onion it means that it is a Tor service. To open them, you need to use the Tor browser.

Let’s see how it works. The first thing it does is to replace that URL, i.e., that .onion extension. In effect, it replaces it with .onion.to, .onion.city, .onion.cab or any of the domains that are made available to Tor2Web volunteer operators. In this way we can access them without the need to have the Tor browser installed on the computer.

How does it work?

It is basically proxy access to Tor servers. Kindly note that this is not a content hosting project. It simply acts as a proxy, as an intermediary, to reach the Tor servers that host those websites. The platform was created by the Tor team itself, to offer an alternative.

This reverse proxy is responsible for routing requests coming from the normal web to the Tor Deep Web. The hidden services will remain hidden, even if it is a Tor2Web proxy. However, the client, the person visiting that site, will not be hidden. The only way to really stay hidden is to use Tor.

Suppose you enter a web page with through the Tor2Web project. As a result, you will see a message telling you that it is only a proxy service, and you have to accept the terms to access it. The project is open source and is hosted on GitHub.

In short, Tor2Web is a project created to allow a user to access content from Tor server websites. With the advantage of not having to install the Tor browser. We would only have to change the extension for one of those used by the volunteers behind the project, and we can open it from any other browser.

Tips on how to navigate with privacy

Here are some tips for surfing the web without exposing personal data. This way, you will be protected regardless of whether you use the Tor browser or any other browser.

Do not provide more data than necessary

The first thing is not to make public more data than necessary. By this, we mean not to put our e-mail in open forums or comments on web pages, for example. This can be collected by bots on the Internet and put us on Spam lists and put our privacy at risk.

Keeping everything up to date

Another fundamental issue is to have our equipment properly updated. We must always install all the patches that appear and thus correct vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers and attack. This could expose personal data, passwords, etc.

Security programs in place

Having a good antivirus, such as Windows Defender, Avast or Bitdefender, is essential to prevent the entry of malware. But it is not only antivirus software that needs to be mentioned. Indeed, we can complement security with firewalls or even browser extensions that can protect us and eliminate possible malware.

Common sense

But if there is one thing that is important for maintaining privacy, it is common sense. We must avoid making mistakes that can affect us. For example, clicking where we should not, installing a program that we have downloaded from third-party sites and may not be safe or logging into a fake page.

It is important to avoid this type of actions that can be a danger. If we use only official programs, log on to secure sites, be careful with the files we download by e-mail… All this will help us to maintain our privacy on the network and be more protected.

In conclusion, the Tor2Web project is an alternative to using the Tor browser to be able to surf the net with more privacy. It is also essential at all times to avoid making mistakes and to be protected. Bye!

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Websites ending with “.onion” aren’t normal websites. These domains use Tor hidden services and a part of the “deep web”.

What is deep web?

Let’s talk about the deep web on short. All the websites on the web – Facebook, Twitter, Nasa, CNET etc. – all make up the internet we know about. However, there are a lot more things that aren’t accessible through the normal search engines. That side of the WWW (World Wide Web) is called the deep web. The characteristics of this part are quite similar to the normal internet – emails, chat messages, social media sites, electronic banks etc.

These websites aren’t indexed by search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing or DuckDuckGo. These parts are visible by the normal internet. However, search engines do not crawl into these places. Experts estimate that the deep web consists about 90% (even 99%) of the entire internet. They are only accessible via Tor network.

How Tor network works

When you access, say, https://www.google.com, your request is bounced from one Tor relay to another Tor relay, until it reaches an exit node – a computer that sends the request to Google. Google catches the request, sends data accordingly. The return is again bounced in a long road of one Tor relay to another until it reaches you.

The entire data exchange on the road is encrypted so that no monitoring system can check the data. Moreover, Google only saw the end-point IP address, not yours. Thus, you’re browsing the internet with absolute anonymity. Tor hidden service is a server that’s only accessible to Tor network users. Thus, someone hosting a website can hide it from the surface web and no one can find it – in theory.

Deep web websites

Before we go deep into this section, I strongly recommend exercising caution. Some websites are really nasty and full of scams. We recommend you to stay out of browsing “.onion” websites unless you have A REALLY GOOD REASON. The websites are accessible by “the onion router”.

It’s an anonymizing computer network. It’s funded partially by the US government and designed for countries where internet access is banned or monitored. When you connect to the Tor network, only then you’re allowed to visit these sites. For example, Facebook has got its own “.onion” portal – https://facebookcorewwwi.onion. This is very useful if you’re in a country where Facebook’s banned.

How to access deep web sites?

In order to access, you need to configure Tor network and Tor browser in your system. Tor Browser is a modified version of Firefox that’s designed to connect Tor network.

Download the Tor Browser. It’s available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. For Android devices, use their official Orbot: Proxy with Tor or Orfox: Tor Browser for Android. Unfortunately, there’s no official app for iOS.

After installing the Tor browser on your system, type the “.onion” address on the address bar. Let’s say, we’re going to Facebook via Tor.

1. Enter the address: https://facebookcorewwwi.onion/
2. Hit “Enter”.

Done! Very simple, right?

Don’t use proxies like Tor2Web

There’re several proxies that will let you connect with Tor network via their own VPN. It’s strongly not recommended. If you’re concerned about your privacy, this is a big “NO, NO”.

The reason for using Tor network is anonymity. Tor directly anonymizes your identity through their network system. When using the proxy, they’re easily able to tap into your data. Tor won’t be able to protect your anonymity in such condition.

Exercise caution!!!!

Tor is a good media for hiding your identity on the web. Hiding your identity isn’t illegal. However, beware that many “.onion” websites are really nasty and a lot of them are scams. This technique is good if you need to visit specific “.onion” site.

For normal users like you and me, “.onion” websites are of no use. Until you know what you’re doing, it’s the best to stay away from them.

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