Complexities associated with the Deep web have created a lot of misconceptions in the minds of people. Accessing deep web and dark web has always been a challenging for most people since they don’t know what to do about it. TOR is the ultimate answer to all these questions. TOR (The Onion Router) is used exactly for this purpose. However not everyone is clear about using it and whether they shall use it or not. Let us drill deep down and understand what is TOR and should it be used or not?

Mystery about TOR

You may be an internet enthusiast but don’t know that what you access over internet is merely 5% of what is out there. There are lots of anonymous hidden websites on the internet that can’t be accessed through normal search engines such as Google or Bing. In order to access these hidden websites, you need to install specialized software that will provide you complete anonymity and TOR is the most important of them all. We may have talked about it over the years because it provides easiest ways to browse web anonymously but it is still not clear why that matters and why you need to use it.

Stay anonymous with TOR

TOR is short form of The Onion Router and it was initially developed by the US navy which allowed them to browse internet anonymously through the network of servers. After that it started as a non-profit organization and the purpose was to research and develop online privacy tools. The TOR network provides the require disguise and helps you route your internet traffic through network in an encrypted manner so that the source can’t be traced back to you. If anyone tries to see traffic coming from random nodes on the network then it will just show random nodes so the actual source is hidden.

TOR: Is it right for you?

Many revelations have been made in different articles on the internet that NSA is trying to spy TOR network for various reasons. One of the major reasons have been that it has become marketplace to access dark web, which means that many drug traffickers, kidnapers, illegal weapon sellers etc. have been using TOR to do all sorts of illegal stuff.  Therefore, the question rises what is your motive to access TOR? If you are away from all these illegal stuffs then probably TOR is the best solution to help you access deep web and even dark web but if you are involved in any illegal activities then this could lead into trouble if traced back.

In order to access TOR network, first you need to download TOR browser. There is everything in the browser itself and it helps you go through the TOR network which doesn’t need any configuration or set up specifically. Since the data goes through a lot of relays, it would be slow and you may experience slow connectivity compared to the usual internet that you access. Therefore, you would also need high speed connectivity for accessing TOR.

What is TOR good for?

If you are living in an oppressive country where there is no freedom of expression or a hacker who wants to stay hidden in expressing views then TOR is your best friend. TOR helps you stay anonymous and it provides you easiest configuration and set up to anonymize traffic over internet so that even your Internet service provider is not aware about the source information. TOR is useful for anyone who wants to keep internet activity hidden and their IP addresses are not traceable. TOR technology is not just about anonymity, it can also be used to host websites through the hidden services and makes it easier for you to access these hidden service sites.

What TOR is not used for?

TOR is quite useful in various ways but it is not the perfect solution. You may be thinking that it provides anonymity but that is not 100%. You are not completely hidden from all sorts of government or cyber-crime agencies. Many agencies have been able to bust child porn, drugs and mafia using TOR and able to crack down anonymous network by injecting a malware into the system. This could reveal all the IP addresses on TOR network accessing dark web. Anonymity doesn’t provide you security so if anyone wants to hack into your system then it is possible.

So should I use TOR?

If you are average deep web user and want to experience mysteries about deep web then you don’t have to worry about government spying on your activity. TOR can’t provide you complete anonymity but if you use it with secured connection and VPN then it provides a robust security and 100% anonymity. Therefore, it depends on the idea why you want to use TOR and what is your purpose. Just make sure that you install good antivirus software before accessing it.