As a law-abiding citizen, what use is TOR and dark search engines?

[truserionamea]

Other than this site, is there any actual use of them for people who aren't doing illegal stuff?

I'm in England where most of the t'internet is uncensored. (as of yet, just wait until the online harm bill arrives)

 

[BirdUp]

stopping your ISP and GCHQ from knowing when you jerk off

 

[Scolopendra Dramatica]

You're in a country where our people are frequently arrested for wrong think and you ask this question...

I'll answer your query with another question; are you retarded or something?

I know our coppers are useless and are too goddamn lazy or clueless to nail anyone with a bit of opsec, but come off it pretending like we've got freeze peach, nobodies dumb enough to buy that.

 

[schatze]

Here's something you're not allowed to access in the UK. Enjoy!

 

[Flareanthia]

Genuinely? I mostly enjoy the ability to surf the interner WITHOUT a digital footprint. Because screw companies who are tracking and selling personal information! I do care if some advertising company knows what websites I use, I just use Tor for actually everything (because I'm a tin-hat wearing neurotic individual.)

You don't need to use Tor if you enjoy working the internet as you do, but if you'd like to use Tor, that is an option. It is a tool just like any other, that is available if you'd like this option

 

[Sperghetti]

The dark web has less corporate advertising and sponsored/promoted content, at any rate.

 

[Magicicada_septendecula]

There is always something interesting there you can't find on the so-called surface web. In both speed and content, it was like the 90s Internet. It was way better before 2013 when Freedom Hosting got taken down. A lot of pedo shit was removed, but some good and interesting stuff went with it unfortunately. I'd waste a lot of time on the "Questions and Answers Game" and there were a number of social networks. Though probably a load of shit, the "Human Experiment" site was still pretty creepy.
These days, aside from Kiwifarms, I mostly use it for the Library of Trantor and Just Another Library to get free books, which is not exactly law-abiding because of the piracy, but it's not drugs, guns, or pedo porn.

 

[truserionamea]

If I got myself a VPN too would that count as "double protection"?

ie would it go from "my computer -> my VPN -> TOR -> website" meaning the IP the websites sees would need to be traced all the way back?

 

[Bongocat]

If I got myself a VPN too would that count as "double protection"?

Yes in that a VPN can help plug some potential security holes in TOR. Even if people can't see what you're doing on tor, than can see that you are using tor and VPNs will prevent that.

ie would it go from "my computer -> my VPN -> TOR -> website" meaning the IP the websites sees would need to be traced all the way back?

Thats basically correct. When you connect to tor you connect to what's called a guard node, which is a gateway into the network. It knows your real IP. If that guard node is compromised, there are several situations where it knowing your real IP can be a serious problem. VPNs will sit between you and the guard node so that it won't know your real identity (and also the VPN can't see what you're doing on TOR provided the site has proper encryption).

Importantly though, you need to ensure that your VPN is system wide and has killswitch support, meaning that it will block any raw packets not going to the VPN server directly. Otherwise applications like tor could bypass it.

 

[Account]

If I got myself a VPN too would that count as "double protection"?

ie would it go from "my computer -> my VPN -> TOR -> website" meaning the IP the websites sees would need to be traced all the way back?

It's not as straightforward as you think, I wrote a post about this for more information.

 

[Cool Dog Returns]

Seriously nigger? have you been living under a rock for the last decade?

 

[Faceless Whore]

Protecting your identity. I only do certain things and participate on certain websites over Tor because it hides my IP address and certain other potentially identifying info. IIRC the entire purpose of Tor was to help protect the identities of people like activists working in dangerous countries.

 

[CrunkLord420]

You can use hidden sites to punch holes through firewalls/NATs if you need to get something like remote ssh access, like a reverse proxy. I use tor for tons of shit it's just great and all those glowie owned exit-nodes are pretty fast.

inb4 schizo posting about how glow niggers are gonna pull off a high level attack risking zero-day exposure over fucking nothing. It's way better than getting MiTM'd by CloudFlare nonstop. If anything I'm helping the network by using tor for totally legitimate traffic, I have nothing to hide from the NSA.

 

[AnOminous]

I'm in England where most of the t'internet is uncensored. (as of yet, just wait until the online harm bill arrives)

It enables people like you to seek out methods to improve humanity by killing yourself.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

stopping your ISP and GCHQ from knowing when you jerk off

I like letting my ISP know I'm into futas with shitting dick nipples.

 

[AnOminous]

I like letting my ISP know I'm into futas with shitting dick nipples.

Make sure all your transparent clearnet traffic is the vilest, most disgusting, yet still legal porn you can find, then they will be so disgusted they'll decide that's your secret and will never find out that your real secret is you post to Kiwi Farms.

 

[Tsar Nicky]

I'll keep an eye out for you on the news, retard. Somebody from England of all places asking this fucking question. I'd be in jail right now for half the shit I say on this website. If you really are a "law abiding citizen" it means you've never said a single controversial thing in your entire life and have the same degree of independent thought as the average brain dead Angloid cattle. If this is not the case, then you are not a law abiding citizen and just haven't been arrested yet. Have fun making friends with the Muslim gang in your wing, mate.

 

[std::string]

You can use hidden sites to punch holes through firewalls/NATs if you need to get something like remote ssh access, like a reverse proxy. I use tor for tons of shit it's just great and all those glowie owned exit-nodes are pretty fast.

I spent a while routing everything through TOR and unfortunately it breaks a lot of clearnet sites.

Also if you're super paranoid for whatever reason your ISP can detect if you're using TOR or a VPN. They can't see what you're doing since it's all encrypted but they can see you're using it.

 

[AnOminous]

Also if you're super paranoid for whatever reason your ISP can detect if you're using TOR or a VPN. They can't see what you're doing since it's all encrypted but they can see you're using it.

If you're paranoid about them knowing about tor, just use a VPN and connect to tor through that. Yes, nool and others recommend not doing that, and it actually does NOT improve security but (at least in some theoretical situations) compromises it to some extent, but using a VPN is normie enough that there are constant TV ads for them.

 

[ducktor]

You only need a VPN with tor if you live somewhere Tor is banned or can get you in trouble. Otherwise you are likely reducing the effectiveness of Tor by offering your traffic to a third party other than your ISP. In order for a VPN to offer privacy you must trust the operators to not be recording your traffic, and how can you ever really know?

An answer for OP is that when you use the clearnet you are being monitored for exploitation. Tor is the same thing as putting a shade over your window so creeps can't look in and make plans to rob your stuff.