What is the TOR Network?

The TOR network is a place on the internet also known as the ''dark web''. People often think the Dark Web is one central place, but there are actually several ''dark webs''. If you're not yet fully familiar with the Dark Web, or don't yet know the difference with the Deep Web, you can read our blog: What is the difference between the dark web and deep web?

What is TOR?

For those who know the differences well but aren't familiar with TOR: TOR stands for ''The Onion Router''. This is a technology that enables anonymous communication over the internet. It is designed to offer users a high degree of anonymity and privacy. This can be interesting, for example, for people who aren't allowed to say or write what they'd like (in countries with censorship). Or if you want to access websites that can't be reached via the ''normal'' internet.

For the latter, we mainly think of criminality, but what if I told you that tomorrow you suddenly couldn't open your favorite news website anymore? Unthinkable in the Netherlands, but in various countries it can easily happen that websites become inaccessible.

With a TOR browser you can, despite this block, (often) still access the websites you want to reach. This makes the TOR browser a popular tool for anonymous, privacy-focused browsing.

How does the TOR browser work?

TOR routes internet traffic through a global, volunteer network of thousands of servers. This process, known as 'onion routing', encrypts the data multiple times and sends it through a series of servers to hide the origin and destination of the data. For ordinary users, this offers a level of privacy and security not found on the regular internet. This is why journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens, among others, use TOR to protect their privacy online.

TOR's process, 'onion routing', is comparable to sending a secret message through a complicated network of couriers, where each courier only knows who to pass the next message to, but doesn't know the final destination or origin. Internet traffic is routed through thousands of volunteer servers, with the data being encrypted multiple times before reaching its final destination.

How do you use the TOR browser?

Gaining access to the dark web and obtaining the TOR Browser is easier than many people think. If you go to the website of The Tor Project you can download a TOR browser with just a few clicks. Downloading the TOR browser is just as easy as downloading a Google Chrome Browser, Firefox, or other browser. It's also free, safe, and above all not illegal.

We've been asked countless times whether having a TOR browser or browsing the Dark Web is illegal, which is not the case. In the Netherlands we have a very free internet and are allowed to use these kinds of tools to safeguard our own privacy online.

Browsing dark web websites

We know our normal internet as indexed. This means all webpages are read (also known as crawled) by search engines. When we enter a search query, the search engine determines which webpages best match your query.

The dark web often doesn't work this way.. How does it work then? More like how we knew the internet in the past, through directory/home pages. If you've downloaded a TOR Browser and want to browse around a Dark Web website, we recommend the directory page Tor.Taxi. This will then take you to various dark web websites.

TOR and Crime: A Double-Edged Sword

Like a knife that can help prepare a meal but can also cause harm, TOR's anonymity attracts both ordinary citizens and criminals. The network has become notorious as a digital black market where everything from illegal drugs to hacked data is traded. This presents a significant ethical dilemma for governments and law enforcement agencies, who must balance citizens' legitimate privacy needs with the need to combat crime.

We actually see that almost every technology that offers a form of anonymity and privacy attracts crime. Think, for example, of crime via Telegram or crypto and crime. Cybercriminals use the TOR network to hide their identity while engaging in illegal activities. From selling drugs and weapons to offering hacked data and carrying out cyberattacks.

Ethical dilemma

Governments and law enforcement agencies struggle with the dilemma of the TOR network. On the one hand, they recognize the legitimate needs for privacy and freedom of expression that the network offers. On the other hand, they are also aware of the abuses that take place within this anonymous digital domain. Law enforcement agencies have developed methods to track down cybercriminals on the TOR network, but these efforts are complex and time-consuming. They often require international cooperation. For example, on Tor.Taxi you'll also come across the websites of the Dutch Police or the CIA.