Godwin 1

Tara Godwin
Dryer
Honor 3374
29 April 2016
Why Tor Matters to Ordinary People
Introduction
In 2015 an estimated 3.2 billion people used the Internet globally1 and as more people
obtain Internet access and connect to the online community, the Internet diversifies and global
interconnectivity increases. The Internet consists of two main partsthe surface web and the
deep web. Essentially, the surface web contains all indexable websites catalogued by search
engines like Google or Bing. The deep web contains everything not cataloged by these search
engines including research databases, academic journals, and government files2. The surface web
comprises about 1% of the complete Internet3. According to a 2001 report, sixty known deep
websites exceeded forty times the size of the surface web4 meaning that the Internet contains far
more information than what is accessible by the typical user. As the Internet continues to expand
and increases in ubiquity online tracking and surveillance continues to increase in invasiveness
and protecting online privacy proves more challenging. The Tor browser is a special relay
service that aims to hide a users identity, hiding the location of his or her computer by masking
1

"How Many People Use the Internet?" Discovery. Discovery, 27 May 2015. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
"Clearing Up Confusion - Deep Web vs. Dark Web." BrightPlanet. BrightPlanet Corporation, 27 Mar. 2014. Web.
21 Apr. 2016.
3
Pagliery, Jose. "The Deep Web You Don't Know about." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 6
Apr. 2016.
4
Bergman, Michael K. The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value. Place of Publication Not Identified: BrightPlanet,
2000. 24 Sept. 2001. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.
2

Godwin 2
its IP address, which acts as the mailing address for a specific computer. Located within the
deep web is the dark weba small portion of the Internet that is inaccessible through
conventional browsers where drugs, illegal pornography, and other contraband are traded. Tor
displays special hidden services and remains the only browser that allows entry to the dark
web5 creating significant controversy over its use.
As the Internet and accompanying technology expands and evolves maintaining online
privacy increases in difficulty. Oppressive governmental regimes implement firewalls to censor
Internet use and silence nonconforming citizens. Victims of domestic violence slowly lose
control of their lives both online and offline as abusers take control of social media and bank
accounts. Data brokers collect vast amounts of personal information from ordinary people by
tracking online browsing patterns. The Tor browser helps to combat these types of overreach and
preserves anonymity in a modern age where the Internet becomes ever more transparent.
However, the use of Tor is not free from debate. While privacy advocates maintain that the use
of Tor is essential for protecting civil liberties and intellectual freedom, Tor opponents insist that
criminals, terrorists, and child pornographers utilize the browser. Despite its dark underbelly, the
use of Tor holds substantial benefits to the general public contrary to its largely negative public
perception. Tor offers privacy protections to everyone with internet accesspolitical dissidents,
abuse victims, and ordinary citizens alikeprotecting anonymity, combating unwanted
surveillance, and safeguarding global freedom of expression.

Arthur, Charles. "The Dark Web: How Big, How Dark and What's There?" Alphr. Dennis Publishing, 26 Mar.
2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 3
What Tor is and How it Works

The Tor browser, technically known as The Onion Router, developed in the late 1990s
by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory as a way for military computers and spies to
communicate anonymously6. The current version of Tor deployed in October 2003 and its
accompanying code released to the public7 and operates primarily by volunteer work. Funded by
government grants along with various individual and corporate donations, including Reditt and
the Freedom of the Press Foundation8, Tor remains the largest anonymity network in existence9.
Tor software is free and downloadable on nearly any computer at www.torproject.org.

The name Tor comes from the name The Onion Router because like an onion contains
multiple layers, Tor provides multiple layers of encryption. In laymans terms, Tor [distributes]
your transactions over several places on the Internet so no single point can link you to your
destination. The idea is similar to using a twisty, hard-to-follow route in order to throw off
somebody who is tailing youand then periodically erasing your footprints10. Each transaction
is encrypted with three layers that only the onion router can decrypt. The data is encrypted with a
different layer for each hop or destination in the route and later requests are given a new route.
Relays are essentially intermediate computers running software that allows user to connect to the
Tor Network11 and each data packet runs through three relaysa guard, middle, and exit relay.

Smith, Gerry. "Meet Tor, The Military-Made Privacy Network That Counts Edward Snowden As A Fan." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
7
"Onion Routing: History." Onion Routing: History. N.p., 2005. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
8
"Tor." : Sponsors. The Tor Project, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
9
Overlier, Lasse, and Paul Syverson. "Locating hidden servers." Security and Privacy, 2006 IEEE Symposium on.
IEEE, 2006. Web. 19 Apr. 2016
10
"Tor." Project: Overview. The Tor Project, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
11
The term Tor Network refers to all servers, relays, and computers using Tor technology. The Tor browser is the
main piece of software that connects users to the Tor Network and the Internet.
Paul, Ian. "How to Use the Tor Browser to Surf the Web Anonymously." PCWorld. IDG Consumer & SMB, 23
Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 4
The guard relay encrypts the original data in a way that only the exit relay can decrypt it. The
data is then encrypted again so that only the middle relay can decrypt it. Finally, the data is
encrypted one final time so that only the guard relay can decrypt the original data12. If a normal
browser sends data with an IP address and destination, like a letter, the Tor browser sends data in
the form of a nesting doll13, effectively hiding the data inside itself. Data takes random pathways
through these relays so that no one relay identifies the origin, final destination, and complete
path of the data. Tor establishes a connection to the users computer software and web requests
are re-routed using the above process. This prevents others from learning the users location or
browser history14. Although Tor provides significantly more protection than a regular browser it
possess inherent flaws. Logging into identifying accounts like emails or social media accounts
or giving out other personal information potentially unmasks the Tor user. Tor is also subject to
end-to-end timing attacks where both the point of entry and exit are known, identifying the user
and the accompanying data15 as well as mouse fingerprinting16, bad apple attacks17, and traffic
analysis18.

12

Wright, Jordan. "How Tor Works: Part One." Jordan-Wright: Security and Programming Blog. Octopress, 2016.
Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
13
A nesting doll, or Russian matryoska doll, is a set of decorative wooden dolls that decrease in size so that they fit
inside one another.
Nicol, Will. "A Beginners Guide to Tor: How to Navigate through the Underground Inernet." Digital Trends. N.p.,
19 Jan. 2016. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
14
"Tor." Computer Desktop Encyclopedia (2015): 1. Science Reference Center. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
15
"Tor." Project: Overview. The Tor Project, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
16
Mouse fingerprinting is the processes by which a users specific mouse movements are correlated between
websites visited using the Tor browser and a regular browser.
Cimpanu, Catalin. "Tor Users Can Be Tracked Based on Their Mouse Movements." Softpedia. Softpedia, 10 Mar.
2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
17
Bad apple attacks refer to the idiom one bad apple spoils the bunch and, in the simplest of terms, exploits
insecure Tor applications and uses that information to track a clients IP addresses.
Blond, Stevens Le, et al. "One bad apple spoils the bunch: exploiting P2P applications to trace and profile Tor
users." arXiv preprint arXiv:1103.1518 (2011).
18
In laymans terms, traffic analysis is the process of intercepting messages to find patterns in communications. In
Tors case, a corrupt Tor relay does the intercepting and monitoring of the traffic passing through the relay.
Murdoch, Steven J., and George Danezis. "Low-cost traffic analysis of Tor." Security and Privacy, 2005 IEEE
Symposium on. IEEE, 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2016

Godwin 5
In understanding Tor one must also understand the relationship between the Tor browser
and hidden services. Hidden services are servers19 configured to only receive incoming traffic
from the Tor Network. Tor makes it possible for users to hide their locations while offering
various kinds of services, such as web publishing or an instant messaging server 20 but cannot
create the services independently. The TorProject blog sums up the distinction: Tor Browser
and hidden services are two different things. Tor Browser allows you to browse, or surf, the web
anonymously. A hidden service is a site you visit or a service you use that uses Tor technology to
stay secure21 The Tor browser displays both surface websites and websites found on the dark
web while regular browsers cannot access hidden services because Tor keeps their locations
secure and therefore they cannot be catalogued by search engines. Accessing the dark web from
a regular browser like Chrome or Internet Explorer is equivalent to trying to fit a square peg in a
round holea user requires the correct configurations, in this case Tor technology, to find the
desired content. The browser itself cannot create the hidden services but rather outside servers
request access to use the Tor Network. Once inside the Tor Network, Tor simply allows access
to the anonymous network, and works similarly to manufacturing automobiles. Manufacturers
like Ford or General Motors design, assemble, and sell automobiles but do not have control over
where the automobile goes after it is sold. Tor works in the same way. The Tor browser allows
users to search the Internet but does not control what they do, create, or where they go while
using the browser.

19

Servers are essentially computers running a website.

"Tor: Hidden Service Protocol." Tor. Tor Project, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
21
Krauss, Kate. "Nine Questions about Hidden Services." Tor Blogs. Tor Project, 15 Nov. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
20

Godwin 6
Enabling Legal Activity and Protecting Anonymity

Protecting anonymity stands as the core of the Tor Project. The majority of Tor-related
subjects are in some way dependent on Tors ability to provide a user with anonymity and
anonymity remains relevant in the digital age. A common attitude exists amongst the general
public that only people with something to hide require privacy and with that attitude more people
forfeit fundamental privacy protections. Former Tor Project Executive Director Andrew Lewman
argues The ability to be anonymous is increasingly important because it gives people control, it
lets them be creative, it lets them figure out their identity and explore what they want to do
The ability to forget, to start over is important.22 People remain entitled to a certain amount of
anonymity in the real worldgroups like Alcoholics Anonymous hinge upon it. The essence of
the Tor Project is defending anonymity in an age where respect for anonymity decreases. As
fears of terrorism escalate the public perception of the uses of anonymity continues to worsen
and the public comes dangerously closer to giving up their rights to anonymous speech all
together. Anonymous online speech plays a vital role in preserving a democratic society and
The Supreme Court has recognized that the Internet offers a new and powerful democratic
forum in which anyone can be a pamphleteer or a town crier with a voice that resonates farther
than it could from any soap box. 23

However, online anonymity and platforms that provide it come with a cost. [Privacy
enhancing technologies] are clearly dual-use technologies. They are used to protect basic human

22

Krotoski, Aleks. "Online Identity: Is Authenticity or Anonymity More Important?" The Guardian. Guardian News
and Media, 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
23
"Anonymity." Electronic Frontier Foundation. Electronic Frontier Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 7
rights and to commit hideous crimesTor either protects them all or protects no one.24
Anonymity allows Internet trolls to slander but it also allows people struggling with addiction to
find treatment without fear of social retaliation. Ultimately, the benefits of protecting anonymity
outweigh the costs of abolishing it. Balance must be struck between both view points and the
proper calculus for weighing conflicting rights of an anonymous online speaker and the rights of
other parties25 remains undiscovered. The basis of the Tor Project is protecting anonymity
rather than promoting criminal activity. Crime may be a byproduct of using the Tor browser but
it is certainly not the primary use.

Combating Unwanted Surveillance

Avoiding government and corporate surveillance is one of the chief reasons ordinary
citizens use Tor. After the Snowden revelations daily Tor users increased from around one
million to six million by September 2013 and 120 million people downloaded the browser
between May 2013 to May 201426. Ironically, as people use Tor to avoid the governments
omniscient eye, Tor receives most of its funding from the United States government. Between
2012 and 2013 $1.8 million of its $1.9 million grants budget originated from various
governmental agencies27. Perhaps unsurprisingly, amongst Tors biggest opponents stand the
NSA and FBI. In fact, an NSA presentation titled Tor Stinks28 leaked with the rest of the
24

BOD, BALZS. "Piracy Versus Privacy: An Analysis Of Values Encoded In The Piratebrowser." International
Journal Of Communication (19328036) 9.(2015): 818-838. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 23 Mar.
2016.
25
Kissinger, Ashley I., and Katharine Larsen. "Untangling The Legal Labyrinth: Protections For Anonymous Online
Speech." Journal Of Internet Law 13.9 (2010): 1-29. Legal Collection. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
26
BOD, BALZS. "Piracy Versus Privacy: An Analysis Of Values Encoded In The Piratebrowser." International
Journal Of Communication (19328036) 9.(2015): 818-838. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 23 Mar.
2016.
27
Murray, Ruby. "Tor and the Deep Web Going Mainstream." The Saturday Paper. Schwartz Media, 29 Aug. 2015.
Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
28
Mansfield-Devine, Steve. "Tor under Attack." Tor under Attack. Computer Fraud and Security, 20 Aug. 2014.
Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 8
Edward Snowden documents and detailed ways to potentially deanonymize Tor users. With
reports stating that the NSA and GCHQ29 collected 200 million text messages daily, listened to
phone calls, and monitored the emails of seemingly average citizens30, people around the world
suddenly realized the vastness of government surveillance. The Snowden revelations uncovered
the existence of massive, and in some cases probably illegal, government surveillance programs,
demonstrating the lack of privacy in the digital domain Toroffer[s] a prompt and effective
countermeasure31 Tor allows average citizens to avoid unsolicited government surveillance
and keeps their day-to-day online movements private. The rise of data brokers and big data also
generates concern among privacy conscious citizens. While data brokers obtain all individual
information outside of online browsing habits, in light of the inefficiency of the Do Not Track
movement32 and consent complications of opting out of online tracking, those wishing to avoid
having personal information collected turn to Tor as a way of maintaining privacy. Data can
paint a very intimate portrait of you, such as an individuals Internet search history, association
with people and groups on Facebook, and even location and movement over time via a cell
phones GPS. And under current third-party doctrine legal precedents, data that individuals
have willingly allowed these companies to collect is not protected by the Fourth Amendment.33
Andrew Lewman claims that the vast majority of Tor users simply want to stop advertisers from

29

GCHQ stands for Government Communications Headquarters and is the United Kingdoms NSA equivalent.
"Edward Snowden: Leaks That Exposed US Spy Programme - BBC News." BBC News. BBC, 17 Jan. 2014. Web.
06 Apr. 2016.
31
BOD, BALZS. "Piracy Versus Privacy: An Analysis Of Values Encoded In The Piratebrowser." International
Journal Of Communication (19328036) 9.(2015): 818-838. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 23 Mar.
2016.
32
Info Law Group. "Information Law Group." Information Law Group. Information Law Group, 12 Feb. 2013.
Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
33
Enis, Matt. "Library Freedom Project, NYCLU Discuss Privacy and Online Security." Library Journal. Library
Journal, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
30

Godwin 9
tracking them34. Former Tor Project leader Rodger Dingledine stated that one of his primary
motivations for developing Tor was to provide tools for people[to keep] their information
safe from corporations and other large organizations that generally arent very good at keeping it
to themselves35. Ordinary people, free from governmental oppression, still possess valid reasons
to use Tor. Disturbed by the thought of data brokers collecting their personal information and
selling it to third parties, many people simply want to keep their online browsing habits to
themselves.
Unwanted surveillance comes in many forms and is by no means limited to governments
or corporations.36 As the Internet becomes a necessary part of daily lives, abuse and stalking
have evolved to include online aspects. In the United States, one in seven women and one in
eighteen men has been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime37. Abusers and stalkers
monitor victims bank accounts, track their location, and read their emails or text messages.
Cindy Southworth, a representative from the National Network to End Domestic Violence, notes
that Today, many abuse cases contain at least one digital facet because abuse is about power
and control and most victims are using some form of technology. 38 Sarahs story, recounted
by The Boston Globe, demonstrates how Tor helps domestic violence victims. Sarah started
dating a man in June of 2008 who slowly took control of her life by gaining access to her mobile
phone, learning her passwords, and monitoring her social media accounts. Sarah desired
openness in their relationship and voluntarily gave up this information thinking her partner cared
34

Lafrance, Adrienne. "The Tor Project Helps Journalists and Whistleblowers Go Online without Leaving a Trace."
Neiman Lab. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 19 June 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
35
Talbot, David. "Dissent Made Safer." MIT Technology Review. MIT Technology Review, 21 Apr. 2009. Web. 19
Apr. 2016.
36
"NISVS Infographic." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
08 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2016
37
"Statistics." Statistics. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
38
LeVines, George. "As Domestic Abuse Goes Digital, Shelters Turn to Counter-surveillance with Tor."
BetaBoston. The Boston Globe, 7 May 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 10
for her. However, relations between them quickly intensified. Instructed to call him every time
she left a building and go directly home after work, Sarah lost control of her life. If she failed to
meet these requirements her boyfriend obsessively called her mobile phone until she answered.
Abuse works slowly: First abusers often forbid Facebook, then friends of the opposite sex, then
friends all together, then access to transportation, then privacy of any kind39 and Sarahs abuse
followed this pattern. Sarahs partner monitored her every movement, benefiting from GPS
tracking on her cell phone and reading her online communications. Sarah noted of her situation,

I felt like I couldnt talk to anybody because if I did, he would know. I felt more alone than I
ever felt before. I was a prisoner in my own head because I couldnt tell anybody what was going
on. Her partner became physically violent and after attempting to end her own life Sarah turned
to the Transition House, an abuse organization that connects victims to resources, including Tor.
David Adams, co-executive director at Emerge40, notes that Tor is useful because most social
workers are not tech savvy41 and operates easily, regardless of the technical computer
knowledge of users, making one aspect of finding help simpler for victims and protection
agencies. Tor allows Sarah and others like her to continue to use the Internet and digitally escape
their abusers by going virtually underground. The onion router can hide a victims identity long
enough for them to research where to find helpwithout tipping off their stalker that theyre
online.42 The Tor Project currently works with organizations like Emerge, the National Network

39

LeVines, George. "As Domestic Abuse Goes Digital, Shelters Turn to Counter-surveillance with Tor."
BetaBoston. The Boston Globe, 7 May 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
40
Emerge is an organization that provides education to abusers, operating under the philosophy that abuse is a
correctable learned behavior.
41
LeVines, George. "As Domestic Abuse Goes Digital, Shelters Turn to Counter-surveillance with Tor."
BetaBoston. The Boston Globe, 7 May 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
42
Neal, Meghan. "Tor Is Being Used as a Safe Haven for Victims of Cyberstalking." Motherboard. Vice Media
LLC, 9 May 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 11
to End Domestic Violence, and the Transition House to educate victims and social workers on
how to best utilize the browser.
Safeguarding Global Freedom of Expression
Journalists and whistleblowers also possess legitimate reasons to use the Tor browser.
Government surveillance causes a chilling effect among journalists with a recent PEN43 study
finding that one in six writers self-censored due to fears of surveillance44. Tor allows journalists
to communicate with sources and publish anonymously, helping them avoid retribution from
publishing controversial pieces. Developers that work with the Tor Project created software
called Tails that allows journalists to access Tor on public computers using a USB stick
effectively allowing them to work without a laptop and operate without leaving a digital trace45.
Tor also allows users to bypass national firewalls46 and access censored content, a feature that is
especially useful in countries like China or Iran where censorship is widespread. In fact, Iranians
are some of the most active Tor users47. During the Arab Spring, Egyptians used Tor as a proxy
for their web browsers to continue to communicate with fellow dissidents even when the
reigning Egyptian government blocked social networking sites48. Tors ability to circumvent
censorship helps grant freedom of speech and basic human rights to people living in countries

43

PEN International, which stands for Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, Novelists, is an organization founded
in 1921 that works to defend freedom of expression, harassed writers, and the creation of literature.

44

Macrina, Alison. "The Tor Browser And Intellectual Freedom In The Digital Age." Reference & User Services
Quarterly 54.4 (2015): 17-20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

45

Lafrance, Adrienne. "The Tor Project Helps Journalists and Whistleblowers Go Online without Leaving a Trace."
Neiman Lab. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 19 June 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
46
Nerad, Shava. "Future Web Getting The Word Out." Index On Censorship 36.4 (2007): 143. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
47
Murray, Ruby. "Tor and the Deep Web Going Mainstream." The Saturday Paper. Schwartz Media, 29 Aug. 2015.
Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
48
Zahorsky, Ingar. "Tor, Anonymity, and the Arab Spring: An Interview with Jacob Appelbaum." University for
Peace. University for Peace, 1 Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

Godwin 12
where government actively tries to silence them. This ability to avoid government surveillance is
indispensable in shielding human rights globally.
The benefits of Tor regarding freedom of expression are by no means limited to political
dissidents. Artists, medical patients seeking support for their conditions, and those who want to
discuss erotica or arrange sexual meet ups all possess legitimate claim to Tor and the anonymity
it provides. Anonymity is important to anyone who doesnt want every facet of their online life
tied to a Google Search of their name49 and Tor acts as a safe space for those whose actions or
circumstances provoke social judgment. Disadvantaged groups like those with diseases fear a
social stigma associated with their disease, including those suffering from sexually transmitted
diseases or addiction. Tor provides an avenue for them to learn about their condition and gain
and express support in an online community free from criticism. The same is true for those
wishing to express sexual preferences that remain taboo. Members of the LGBTQ community
use Tor to express concerns and find support without fear of judgment or retribution from
unsupporting friends or family members. Michaela Brown, an intern at the Library Freedom
Project50, describes how Tor helped her: The Tor network proved indispensable to me as a
queer kidmy high school blocked most LGBT+ resources Because of Tor, I was able to gain
access to resources privately, do my research, and come out on my own terms. 51
Anonymous speech is one of the most important tools in protecting freedom of
expression and the same issues that surround anonymous speech also envelope Tor. As
previously explained, Tor works to mask a users IP address. the IP address is often the most
49

Maass, Dave. "Online Anonymity Is Not Only for Trolls and Political Dissidents." Electronic Frontier
Foundation. Eletronic Frontier Foundation, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
50
The Library Freedom Project is a coalition of librarians interest in protecting privacy rights and combating
surveillance. In November 2015, LFP sponsored a Tor exit relay in a public library in New Jersey in an effort to
protect public privacy.
51
Brown, Michaela. "Introducing LFPs Intern." Library Freedom Project RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

Godwin 13
valuable piece of information sought52 in criminal and civil law suits, especially in copyright
infringement or defamation cases. Although anonymous speech holds a long, hallowed tradition
in the United States (The Federalist Papers and Common Sense were all published under
pseudonyms) the right is certainly not absolute and balanced with other rights. The Tor Network
makes that balance difficult as users often remain unidentifiable without an IP address. That
difficulty, however, does not mean that Tor should be avoided or shut down all together. The
U.S. Supreme Court noted in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union that Encouraging freedom
of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of
censorship.53 The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in re Anonymous Online Speakers
observed that anonymous speech on the Internet has significant social value: it promotes the
robust exchange of ideas and allows individuals to express freely without fear of economic or
official retaliation[or] concern about social ostracism. 54 Tors protections cover all speech,
including harmful, offensive, or dangerous speech. Protecting anonymous speech comes with
certain costs but ultimately is a sacrifice worth making in order to protect the tradition of
freedom of expression. In the words of Justice Louis Brandeis, If there be time to expose
through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the
remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.55

52

Kissinger, Ashley I., and Katharine Larsen. "Untangling The Legal Labyrinth: Protections For Anonymous Online
Speech." Journal Of Internet Law 13.9 (2010): 1-29. Legal Collection. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
53
Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844, 117 S. Ct. 2329, 138 L. Ed. 2d 874 (1997).
54
Rich, Joshua. "You Don't Know My Name: In Re Anonymous Online Speakers And The Right To Remain
Cloaked In Cyberspace." Loyola Of Los Angeles Law Review 45.1 (2011): 325-339. Legal Collection. Web. 30 Mar.
2016.
55
Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357, 47 S. Ct. 641, 71 L. Ed. 1095 (1927).

Godwin 14
Enabling Illegal Activity

Much of Tors negative perception stems from illicit hidden services. Notorious for
criminal activity, roughly half of the 5,205 current hidden sites pertain to illegal uses 56. Most
famous among these websites is The Silk Road. Run by a man named Ross Ulbricht under the
pseudonym The Dread Pirate Roberts57, the Silk Road served as a large marketplace for a
variety of drugs, child pornography, and hitmen. With 100,000 users and $200 million of
contraband sold along with six contracted murders, the FBI targeted the website for its malicious
criminal content and eventually took down the website in a high profile bust. Arrested in October
of 2013 along with seventeen others, the court found Ulbricht guilty of seven counts ranging
from computer hacking to drug trafficking, and sentenced him to life in prison58.Shortly
thereafter offshoots of the original website cropped up under the names Silk Road 2.0 and
Agora59 rendering the initial crackdown virtually obsolete. The highly publicized nature of the
Silk Road bust created a widely negative public perception of Tor in the United States, shying
ordinary people away from the browser, associating it with criminal activity. Illicit activity takes
place while using the Tor browser and, consequently, the NSA and FBI hold a legitimate interest
in wanting to catch criminals who maliciously hide behind Tors anonymity. However, the dark
web remains a small portion of the deep web and in no way accurately reflects the majority of
Tor use. The British Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology maintains that Tor hidden
services plays only a minor role in the online viewing and distribution of indecent images of

56

Arthur, Charles. "The Dark Web: How Big, How Dark and What's There?" Alphr. Dennis Publishing, 26 Mar.
2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
57
Bertrand, Natasha. "Silk Road Wasnt Even Close to the Biggest Drug Market on the Internet." Business Insider.
MongoDB, 23 June 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
58
Segall, Laurie. "Silk Road's Ross Ulbricht Sentenced to Life." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 29 May 2015.
Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
59
Murray, Ruby. "Tor and the Deep Web Going Mainstream." The Saturday Paper. Schwartz Media, 29 Aug. 2015.
Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

Godwin 15
children60 and as of March 2013 only 3-6% of overall Tor traffic related to Tor specific sites61.
Hidden services range in content from emails to instant messaging to Facebook62 and journalists
widely use hidden services to share content or communicate with sources, with the Electronic
Frontier Foundation and Reporters without Borders [issuing] guides that describe using
hidden services via Tor to protect the safety of dissidents as well as to resist censorship.63
Simply because a small fraction of Tor users engage in illegal activity, the majority of Tor users
follow the law and such activity ought not to deter law-abiding citizens from benefiting from the
superior privacy protections Tor offers.

Conclusion
Anonymity in the United States holds an honored tradition of promoting democracy and
advocacy. The very essence of the Tor Project is protecting that tradition, despite any criminal
activity that takes place. Anonymity matters and privacy is not limited to those engaging in
unlawful activities or those with something to hide. Regardless if the Tor client is a political
dissident living in Iran working to organize governmental reform, a victim of domestic violence
looking to start a new life, or an ordinary citizen who wants nothing more than to avoid data
brokers, Tor works to provide protection and freedom to all Internet users globally and without
discrimination. Tor combats unwanted surveillance from government, corporate, or malicious
entities giving users the opportunity to access the vast, diverse knowledge of the Internet freely,
without fear of retribution. The same rings true for Tors ability to protect freedom of expression

60

Johnston, Chris. "Tor 'should Not Be Banned in Britain'" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 11 Mar.
2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
61
Arthur, Charles. "The Dark Web: How Big, How Dark and What's There?" Alphr. Dennis Publishing, 26 Mar.
2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
62
Ghoshtal, Abhimanyu. "Facebook Is Now Available on Tor for More Secure Browsing." The Next Web RSS. The
Next Web Inc., 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
63
Overlier, Lasse, and Paul Syverson. "Locating hidden servers." Security and Privacy, 2006 IEEE Symposium on.
IEEE, 2006. Web. 19 Apr. 2016

Godwin 16
for journalists, whistleblowers, or members of disadvantaged communities. Undeniably,
criminal activity takes place on Tor. However, although Tor appeals to a small group of
wrongdoers, millions of people use Tor for social good. Tor matters to ordinary citizens because
anonymity and privacy matter. These two important aspects of a free society cannot be forfeited
as the nature of the Internet evolves. Internet users across the globe should not be forced to
divulge personal information they wish to keep private and Tor remains an important tool in
preserving both privacy and anonymity. Tor stands as a viable option for anyone looking to take
extra steps in ensuring their privacy, avoiding surveillance, and protecting their freedom of
expression.
Consequently, more people must consider using Tor. Utilized by journalists, political
and social activists, disadvantaged members of society, or by regular people, living their day-today lives, Tor allows people to take a stand for individual privacy and global freedom of
expression. Tor remains an incredibly versatile tool that offers a myriad of protections to a
diverse set of people and cannot be overlooked due to the small criminal subgroups who
maliciously cower behind Tors anonymity. Ultimately, privacy still survives through those who
take the extra step and use the Tor browser.