r/TOR Dec 18 '25

Transparency, Openness, and Our 2023-2024 Financials | Tor Project

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13 Upvotes

r/TOR Jun 13 '25

Tor Operators Ask Me Anything

78 Upvotes

AMA is now over!

On behalf of all the participating large-scale Tor operators, we want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who joined us for this Ask Me Anything. Quite a few questions were answered and there were some insightful discussion.

We hope that we've been able to shed some light on the challenges, rewards, and vital importance of operating Tor infrastructure. Every relay, big or small, contributes to a more private and secure internet for users worldwide.

Remember, the Tor network is a community effort. If you're inspired to learn more or even consider running a relay yourself, don't hesitate to join the Tor Relay Operators channel on Matrix, the #tor-relays channel on IRC, the mailing list or forums. There are fantastic resources available to help you out and many operators are very willing to lend you a hand in your journey as a Tor operator. Every new operator strengthens the network's resilience and capacity.

Thank you again for your good curiosity and question. Keep advocating for privacy and freedoms, and we look forward to seeing you in the next one!


Ever wondered what it takes to keep the Tor network running? Curious about the operational complexities, technical hurdles and legal challenges of running Tor relays (at scale)? Want to know more about the motivations of the individuals safeguarding online anonymity and freedom for millions worldwide?

Today we're hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with four experienced large-scale Tor operators! This is your chance to directly engage with the people running this crucial network. Ask them anything about:

  • The technical infrastructure and challenges of running relays (at scale).
  • The legal challenges of running Tor relays, exit relays in particular.
  • The motivations behind dedicating time and resources to the Tor network.
  • Insights into suitable legal entities/structures for running Tor relays.
  • Common ways for Tor operators to secure funding.
  • The current landscape of online privacy and the importance of Tor.
  • The impact of geopolitical events on the Tor network and its users.
  • Their perspectives on (the future of) online anonymity and freedom.
  • ... and anything else you're curious about!

This AMA offers a unique opportunity to gain firsthand insights into anything you have been curious about. And maybe we can also bust a few myths and perhaps inspire others in joining us.

Today, Tor operators will answer all your burning questions between 08:00-23:00 UTC.

This translates to the following local times:

Timezone abbreviation Local times
Eastern Daylight Time EDT 04:00-19:00
Pacific Daylight Time PDT 01:00-16:00
Central European Summer Time CEST 10:00-01:00
Eastern European Summer Time EEST 11:00-02:00
Australian Eastern Standard Time AEST 18:00-09:00
Japan Standard Time JST 17:00-08:00
Australian Western Standard Time AWST 16:00-07:00
New Zealand Standard Time NZST 20:00-11:00

Introducing the operators

Four excellent large scale Tor operators are willing to answer all your burning questions. Together they are good for almost 40% of the total Tor exit capacity. Let's introduce them!

R0cket

R0cket (tor.r0cket.net) is part of a Swedish hosting provider that is driven by a core belief in a free and open internet. They run Tor relays to help users around the world access information privately and circumvent censorship.

Nothing to hide

Nothing to hide (nothingtohide.nl) is a non-profit privacy infrastructure provider based in the Netherlands. They run Tor relays and other privacy-enhancing services. Nothing to hide is part of the Church of Cyberology, a religion grounded in the principles of (digital) freedom and privacy.

Artikel10

Artikel10 (artikel10.org) is a Tor operator based in Hamburg/Germany. Artikel10 is a non-profit member-based association that is dedicated to upholding the fundamental rights to secure and confidential communication.

CCC Stuttgart

CCC Stuttgard (cccs.de) is a member-based branch association of the well known Chaos Computer Club from Germany. CCCS is all about technology and the internet and in light of that they passionately advocate for digital civil rights through practical actions, such as running Tor relays.

Account authenticity

Account authenticity can be verified by opening https://domain.tld/.well-known/ama.txt files hosted on the primary domain of these organizations. These text files will contain: "AMA reddit=username mastodon=username".

No Reddit? No problem!

Because Reddit is not available to all users of the Tor network, we also provide a parallel AMA account on Mastodon. We will cross-post the questions asked there to the Reddit AMA post. Link to Mastodon: mastodon.social/@tor_ama@mastodon.social.


r/TOR 21h ago

FAQ Is the dark web actually as shocking as it is portrayed in youtube videos and documentaries ?

57 Upvotes

r/TOR 6h ago

Which version of Tor should I download for Android?

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1 Upvotes

So there are four options to choose from. Which one should I choose? I need both speed and security


r/TOR 1d ago

Does tor work on linux mint?

10 Upvotes

Does tor work very well on mint 22.3 cinnamon?


r/TOR 2d ago

Software release New Release: Tor Browser 15.0.21

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59 Upvotes

r/TOR 1d ago

Crash tab in video, After updating win10 to Win11

1 Upvotes

Hi, I tried to re-install tor, I can visit same sites with brave but when i launch tor browser and try to enter any site with video inside, tab crashes and asks me for refresh page.

I also tried to delete all tor files, install to another path, Still same issue.

I uninstalled my graphic driver & installed it back didnt work well.

Whats wrong with my computer i cant understand, Should i do format, reinstall win11?


r/TOR 2d ago

4 months of running Tor -Help

9 Upvotes

I tried to host an onion site from my laptop and installed tor on my Linux, and after that experiment, I deleted the website files from my laptop, and today after 4 months I came to know that tor was still running on my laptop because I enabled it using "systemctl enable". So there are few questions. Running Tor for such long time could create problems like government might be recording my traffic. And might disguising me in any illicit activities?? Or tell me if there is no connection to tor relays from my laptop as I deleted my website files. Please explain me all this because I don't want any trouble and I'm a student of CS and don't know about the terms so ignore any mistakes in above para.


r/TOR 2d ago

Managed Onion hosting for small projects — looking for feedback

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’ve been experimenting with a simple managed Onion hosting service for people who want to publish a .onion website but don’t want to deal with Tor configuration, server setup, backups, and maintenance.

The idea is to offer:

  • a dedicated .onion address
  • hosting and Tor configuration
  • basic website setup
  • backups
  • maintenance and technical support

The service would be aimed at legitimate projects such as independent creators, researchers, privacy-focused communities, journalists, archives, and small organizations.

I already have a working prototype running through Tor, and before turning it into a real service I’d like to hear from people who already operate Onion Services.

What would you consider essential in a managed Onion hosting service?
What are the biggest problems or risks you would expect the provider to handle?

I’m especially interested in feedback about reliability, backups, isolation between customers, privacy, and pricing.


r/TOR 3d ago

cant open TOR

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34 Upvotes

Hi i wanted to open tor for the first time and check around, but this pop-up is showing what schoudl i do?


r/TOR 4d ago

FAQ Is tor okay to use like you would use a normal browser?

42 Upvotes

I want to switch from firefox to tor for more privacy, but ive seen many many people saying that you shouldnt log into your accounts like gmail or youtube i guess. Is that true??


r/TOR 5d ago

What do you use TOR % Onion for then just browsing?

15 Upvotes

I haven't seen anyone use TOR for anything that isn't browser related? the only thing's i seen is.

  • Running Monero over TOR
  • Updating your OS over TOR "whonix"
  • VPN'S using TOR? "Proton"
  • That's it. :/

I'm wondering if anyone uses TOR that isn't browsing.


r/TOR 5d ago

I have a home server and want to host a .com website. I’d like to know if it’s possible to use the Tor network on the server and publish the site to the surface web without using an .onion address.

9 Upvotes

r/TOR 5d ago

Something went wrong during verification. (Startpage)

5 Upvotes

When im trying to use startpage as a search engine in tor browser, im going through verification and then getting *THIS!:*

"Something went wrong during verification.

Try refreshing the page or using a different browser.

If this issue continues and you believe it is an error, contact support."

Im not using any extensions

I use a bridge: snowflake

I use android.

I got the latest version of my Tor browser.

I also tried using .onion and simple startpage search engine, and using a new circuit. Please guys, help me.


r/TOR 5d ago

help. my TOR browser isn’t running properly.

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7 Upvotes

every time I try to open to browser it just shows this, and I already tried everything like I tried to delete every single file that I have of TOR browser and download it again and nothing works, so I don’t know what to do.


r/TOR 5d ago

How safe is my traffic on Brave TOR if it routing through Iran?

9 Upvotes

New here, so please excuse my ignorance.

I used Brave TOR private window, did a Google Maps check, and the middle of Iran came up. Does that mean my traffic is routed through there? Would that flag any government agency? In case there is any curiosity, it was to avoid plane ticket price changing.


r/TOR 6d ago

Tor Browser 16.0a10 introduces a redesigned settings UI and updated built-in manual

6 Upvotes

The Tor Project released Tor Browser 16.010 on August 27. The alpha includes Firefox security updates, a redesigned settings interface, and a newly updated built-in Tor Browser manual accessible through about:manual. Tor explicitly warns that this is a testing release, not the version ordinary or high-risk users should switch to.

This gives a preview of changes that may eventually reach stable Tor Browser, especially the new settings layout covering connectivity, letterboxing, and security levels. For beginners, the important message is: stay on stable Tor Browser unless you specifically want to test alpha builds.

https://blog.torproject.org/new-alpha-release-tor-browser-160a10/


r/TOR 7d ago

FAQ Deep web browsing

6 Upvotes

I have both linux and windows , and the windows on my computer has personal info on it so my question is there any way like literally any way that when iam browsing the deep web and actually interact with it ( and i'm using linux ) someone can steal the info on the windows version ? I knew that its not possible but just extra checking .


r/TOR 6d ago

FAQ Best alternative for tor on iPhone

0 Upvotes

Does anybody know the best go to for actively browsing the DW with an iPhone ? (And Mullvad VPN)


r/TOR 7d ago

FAQ Quick Question

10 Upvotes

Is Tor Browser still the best solution for basic anonymous browsing? I understand to obviously not sign into any personal accounts, etc. when using it, but are there any other general recommendations or advice from those who have used it ? And finally, is https://www.torproject.org/download/ the proper place to download the app? Thank you


r/TOR 7d ago

What is an opsec?

6 Upvotes

r/TOR 7d ago

Snowflake proxy volunteer confusion

3 Upvotes

I have some possibly stupid questions about what information is given by a user who is a Snowflake volunteer. Note: I am a rather untechnical person who is occasionally forced to code small things or use command line to make stuff run during work (occasionally involving software only available on linux). Given this background, I apologize for some possibly repetitive or irrelevant material and would like to receive accessible answers.

Recently, I started using the Tor browser frequently and it has been important for doing my work safely without feeling uncomfortable (although my life doesn't literally depend on it). Aside from this, it was my first experience living in a country where I felt needed to turn the audio off on politically sensitive news (given interactions with neighbors and state actions although no official hard policy).

For this reason, I really wanted to give back in some way. Due to my relatively non-technical background, I chose to run the Snowflake tab on my browser since it looked like a minimal-risk way to contribute for a novice user. However, I decided to close it after running it for a few days (after waiting to see no one was using my Snowflake at the moment I turned it off before uninstalling the extension). The main reason was that I am living with housemates with a common internet connection and the public IP address seems to be briefly seen by the Snowflake user (aside from the volunteer maybe being able to see that of the user on https://forum.torproject.org/t/snowflake-extension-operator-can-access-the-ip-of-client/20990?u=wofwca and https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/web/snowflake/-/work_items/19#note_d2dfe67ce7ec3635c1d7bfba607fa5af259c010e).

If I understand correctly, the websites visited by the Snowflake user only see the exit node IP and there is no likely legal liability on my end. However, I have a hard time convincing my housemates that some Snowflake user (individual or state) won't use the public IP for nefarious purposes apart from "people who know what they're doing say this is highly unlikely". I may be willing to take a small risk, but it doesn't seem fair for me to ask them to take such a risk and I don't have a good enough technical understanding to properly explain why things are ok.

Apart from only running a Snowflake extension when I move out after some point, what are reasonable options to try and help? It has been hard for me to find a source that discusses something like this apart from what I linked to above. Should I try to use a VPS and a Snowflake proxy, bridge or relay on it in the future? I can sort of stupidly follow some instructions (see background note above), but I have a feeling that actually dealing with potential issues requires technical or other knowledge (e.g. asking ISPs about what is ok on https://community.torproject.org/relay/community-resources/good-bad-isps/).

Thanks in advance and apologies for the rambling post.


r/TOR 8d ago

Am I the only one who can’t get into the tor network

5 Upvotes

r/TOR 8d ago

What is difference between orbot and normal vpn?

13 Upvotes

r/TOR 9d ago

FAQ How to stay anonymous?

67 Upvotes

How to stay anonymous?

I tried to protect my data and I deleted every social media app also I turned off all the permissions for all the apps on my mobile especially google but I still don't feel save I feel like google and many other apps still tracing my data and collecting it even Reddit when I open it ,it shows many personal topics ,my guess is that's because of my location/IP so how do I stay anonymous and change my IP? Because I feel like vpn is a big thing to do because it will access literally everything, what are your opinions?