Tor Encryption and Cloaking Technology for Internet Surfing Privacy

For some Internet users, putting their information on the Internet and visiting certain web sites requires the need for protection from the possibility their computer's digital address will be traceable back to them. From censorship by governments, employers, and other entities which block various web sites and pages containing keywords relating to forbidden subjects to Internet Service Providers (ISP) and web sites who record people web visiting habits for marketing purposes, each confirms, surveillance and filtering is alive and well on the Internet. As global Internet access, blogging about political and social unrest and social networking participation continue to surge, encryption and cloaking technologies are necessary to protect the anonymity of the Internet users.

There are a number of anonymity and circumvention technologies available to encrypt and cloak an Internet surfers visiting tracks but none does as good a job as Tor. Tor Internet anonymity system encrypts data plus hides the accompanying I.P. address then routes the data to the final destination through arbitrate computers called proxies. This compounding of routing and encryption masks the computer's actual location and circumvents the filters and prying eyes of the censors. Tor Internet anonymity system gives the impression the Internet traffic is coming from the proxies.

It is Tor's Internet anonymity system use of multiple proxies and encryption procedures that provides extra security which makes it prized. Paradoxically, it makes it practically impossible to determine if Tor's anonymity system is even being used. And surely you do not expect the user, who wishes to cloak there identity and remain anonymous to tell you they use Tor. Tor is a very sophisticated platform and uses a variety of encryption techniques to protect your identity. For that reason, the same proxies that provide anonymous cover for people posting prohibited content and surfing the Internet, also become portals for banned web sites about political and social unrest in other countries.

Mozilla Firebox browser can be adapted with a plug-in to add a Torbutton. The Torbutton enables the user to easily turn Tor anonymity system on and off on demand while surfing the Internet. Because of Tor's encryption and proxy protection, surfing the Internet with it activated is noticeably slower. That is the price you must pay of your online anonymity. In the five years since its launch, Tor has grown rapidly. Starting with 30 proxies on two continents, it has swelled to approximately 1,500 proxies on five continents and it continues to expand both abroad and here in the United States.

Digital barriers and privacy threats affect the free world as well the third world. Internet anonymity systems which encrypt data and cloak surfer's location are very necessary tools. You do not have to be an activist blogger seeking to evade censorship by your government or living under a repressive regime to need to take advantage of Tor's encryption and cloaking technology. The Internet is a forum for free information exchange and when that freedom is filtered and surveilled by others, it is up to the citizens to build and use technologies to counter such trends. Tor Internet anonymity does just that.

Resource: Tor Encryption and Cloaking Technology - http://tor.org