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Security

Tor Project Protects Anonymous Sources


ENTERPRISE UTILITY

Within the enterprise, Tor can be put to work in a variety of ways. It can be used to research sensitive topics--such as patents or trademarks--without revealing the searcher's identity, for example. In addition, Tor can hide details about acquisitions, purchasing and other activities by keeping Web research and activities secure. Finally, Tor can help protect your VPN connections.

As with all technologies, Tor is a double-edged sword. Just as it can be used to hide what a business is doing, it can be used by employees to shield their activities. There is also legal uncertainty regarding the network. Is the group hosting a Tor server responsible for the traffic that server passes? Historically, courts have not held servers responsible for the content they relay, but legal precedent still has not been set. Be aware of these risks and act accordingly by keeping up with the legal standing of these tools, policing which users have access to the Tor services and helping employees understand the liabilities.

The Tor code is still in development and shouldn't be relied upon for rock-solid anonymity. The Tor network relies on the goodwill of its users to create and maintain Tor servers with donated hardware and bandwidth. This can present scaling problems and has limited the network to less bandwidth-intensive uses. Transmitting large files is actively discouraged.

Setting up a client or two for use by select personnel is a good idea, if only to learn about the benefits of the software. And if you can provide a few servers and some bandwidth for the network while learning, even better. One of Tor's strengths is the diversity of its users. Bringing the enterprise into this user base could return dividends in increased privacy and communications security.

GENESIS

The U.S. Naval Research Lab's onion routing project was adapted by the primary Tor developers, Roger Dingledine and Nick Mathewson, as well as Paul Syverson, to address weaknesses in the first-generation onion routing specification, which included requiring an application proxy, insecure nodes in the message path and traffic congestion.

The Tor project is undergoing an organizational and financial transition. In 2004 the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) agreed to fund Tor for one year as a way to promote privacy and anonymity on the Internet, while the Tor project reorganized and applied for nonprofit status. Although the EFF's direct funding has ended, the group still provides administrative support and other assistance.

A core group of developers and staff, along with open-source volunteers, develop the software, maintain documentation and features, and manage the project. Lately, the Tor project has increased fundraising efforts, which have paid off with generous donations and grants from European and U.S. nongovernmental agencies and private individuals. Further funds are raised through contracts with industry and government agencies.


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