Comment by auscad

1 day ago

> how is it better than a VPN

There isn’t one centralized entity with your email address and credit card information on file that can pass it on wittingly or otherwise to interested parties.

> how is it untraceable

It’s not. It tries to be by routing your connection through a random set of relays + exit node (each peeling back one layer of encryption, like an onion), but it hinges on the assumption that those nodes aren’t all operated by the same entity. If the network is dominated by a bad actor (at one point the FBI had a large fraction), your route can land entirely on their nodes, and they can associate the original request with the decrypted request at the exit node. Of course you’re still protected by regular internet security, plus the browsers often take additional measures to make tracing harder, but it’s definitely not a guarantee.

> what makes you think you dont get tagged by 3 letter agencies […]

You absolutely do, lots of mainstream media coverage about this.

3 comments

auscad

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vivzkestrel  1 day ago

thank you very much, my biggest concern is i want to be learn how to use tor and how it works and fiddle with it and what not but the 3rd point is my major concern. i dont want to get tagged for someone that is just experimenting with it

  • mitxela  1 day ago

    Using tor doesn't hurt. They probably know which people have used tor at least once in their lives, but it's so many people it's useless information. All it really shows is that the people on the list know their way around a computer.

    I'm even using it right now, to post this comment!

    Half the websites on the internet will block you while you're using it though.