We have all studied in institutes and worked at places where the internet is screened. Every waking hour, someone is tracking student’s and employee’s internet habits. And this peculiar habit is not limited to an institute or a corporate; it is a countrywide, in fact, a worldwide practice.
Governments monitoring the internet and its visitors are no new news to anyone of us. We by now are well acquainted with the double standards of our authorities, who preach ‘freedom of speech, print, expression’ and the like in theory, but in practice, filter the internet!
Yes, there are days when I wish certain things weren’t banned in my country over the internet, but then I forget about it and fall back into the lap of scrutiny and filtration. All in all, it has never bothered me much. But I’m sure there are many out there who are miffed with the scrutinisation and ‘banned in your country’ pop ups. Why do I think there are many out there? Well, Tor isn’t the first of its kinds and I bet it wouldn’t be the last, as well.
What is Tor?
If privacy is a big thing for you then Tor is the answer to your prayers. It is a free tool which would keep you nameless and thereby, faceless in the virtual world. The facelessness would let you navigate into those nooks and crannies over the internet which on a normal day (and, even on a special day) is banned in your country.
How does it work?
You get what you’ve always wanted, so the technicalities which go behind the making of Tor shouldn’t bother you much. Information which is sufficient enough to keep you informed are – the feed which fed by you over the internet is sent out in layers famously called as ‘onion routing’. You have a lot to thank to ‘onion routing’ as it is this which makes your anonymity possible.
Installation
It is free, but the installation is not necessarily hassle free. Tor hauls in a package of Top Browser Bundle, installation of which would ensure you your precious privacy. Then there is Tails, an operating system which can be stored in a CD.
But why doesn’t it come in as an extension of sorts? That can create a glitch in your dreams for privacy. Tor doesn’t rub shoulders with the user’s hard disk; it tries to function as discreetly as possible you discreetly enjoy surfing the internet.
But privacy has its own price
Tor can act as you string and mighty wall of refuge only when you relay Tor. Yes, it would still work without relaying, but security is always in numbers. The more number of people on the network, the more privacy you get. Given to this factor, Tor is encouraging its users to participate in the Tor Challenge.
Should you Tor?
If your web habits being tracked has always miffed you and privacy is a big prized possession you are not ready to part with at any given point in time, then Tor is totally your thing. Because for me I never understood the embarrassment of finding answers to diseases (in the viewing of others)!
