The Tor Browser is a free, open-source, and non-profit program that provides users with private access to the internet.
The main idea behind the project is to promote human rights by ensuring free and secure access to the Internet. For ordinary users, it is a way to protect themselves and their traffic not only from authorities, but also from ISPs, owners of public Wi-Fi hotspots and websites, for example, as well as a way to bypass blocks on certain websites.
Tor exists thanks to a vast network of volunteer computers scattered around the world. The name Tor—short for “The Onion Router”—refers to how the browser works. Tor encrypts your traffic three times, effectively creating three layers of an onion. The encrypted traffic is sent to Computer A, which removes the first layer of encryption and sees the address of Computer B. Computer B, removing another layer, sees the address of Computer C, without knowing where the traffic originally came from or where it is ultimately headed. And it is only through Computer C that you access the internet.
No matter who is monitoring you or your traffic—whether it’s your ISP or even the authorities—they can tell that you’re using the Tor browser, but not what you’re using it for. Every time you access the internet, you do so via a random volunteer computer, and the browser itself does not store your browsing history by default. Therefore, no one on the internet will know who you are or be able to obtain information about you—unless, of course, you choose to share it yourself.
