The Tor And Its Relevance Today : The Implications For Digital Privacy Essay

Tor: “Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.

Tor allows users to surf the net, chat and send instant messages anonymously, and is employed by a large form of folks for each licit and illicit functions. Tor has, maybe, been utilized by criminal enterprises, hacktivism teams, and enforcement agencies at cross functions, typically simultaneously; likewise, agencies among the U.S. government multifariously fund Tor (the U.S. State Department, the National Science Foundation, and – through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

The online world has recently changed from being able to make a phone call in privacy to having someone being able to hear your every word, without you even knowing. Our value of privacy has changed over the years as we have somewhat taken for granted the privacy we originally had. Some could even say that we have arrived back in the future in ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, with the lack of privacy that we currently possess.

Thanks to the popularization of the internet, we can now keep ourselves connected to the cloud every minute. While the internet has brought us immense convenience and enjoyment, we have been compromising our privacy using it. Every day, we exchange megabytes or even gigabytes of data via the internet, and inevitably share our personal information with someone out there. Throughout the past decades, we have begun to realize that the internet is not secure—our information could be easily acquired by someone we don’t even know. Admittedly, today, our activities online can be easily surveilled. The discussion over privacy and surveillance has been heated in the recent several years, and many have blamed surveillance for “damaging democracy” and “invading human rights.” However, we should realize that we are looking at the issue too subjectively. We are far too over paranoid about our privacy. We need to give online data collection credit for keeping our society

According to the journalist Arthur Baxter “Technology has brought great advances and conveniences, but it also comes with the cost of privacy” (TNW News). We have seen many examples about governments spying on people or spying on other countries. Perhaps the most important and the easiest way that enables governments to spy is by using people’s information on social media, bank accounts, by satellite surveillance, and help from some companies. This, however, is a stain on all governments that pursue this approach, and to all companies that help the governments spying on people.

The Darknet, Inside the Digital Underworld, written by Jamie Bartlett, and published by Melville House, illustrates how internet subculture O caused some groups to question privacy and anonymity on the internet. Should a person be limited on how they express themselves on the internet? There exists a hidden part of the internet where people browse anonymously and without censorship. The Darknet is a placed referred to on the internet where people from various subcultures go to take part in mostly illegal activities without getting caught.

How much privacy do we really have anymore? Each and every day new technologies are being born and introduced into our society. A lot of these technologies have something to do with tracking and monitoring the consumer or user of a product or service. I am okay with having my personal information shared with the Internet but only to a point. While Americans claim to care about their privacy, they seem to really care about convenience more. If giving up personal information will make things easier, Americans seem to be all for it. According to Google’s chief economist Hal Varian, “Everyone will expect to be tracked and monitored, since the advantages, in terms of convenience, safety, and services, will be so great” (qtd. in Kelly). Since sharing and collecting information is both beneficial for consumers and companies, it should be continued; however, companies should invest more time and money in digital security and in the protection of the information gathered from the consumers, and they should also be more clear about how that gathered information will be used.

The digital age provides individuals with numerous ways of innovative opportunities like recording data in an effective manner, electronic banking, online shopping, by violating privacy. Despite what might be expected, the national and global security framework needs components to check programmers and outsider interceptors, who can access delicate data and information, placed in various divisions of the financial framework. These outsider interceptors can then break-in remotely to harm or get access to passwords and usernames.

In 2013 Edward Snowden shocked the entire world by releasing documents from the NSA that exposed the illegal practice of collecting data both on American citizens and American allies without consent. Snowden’s act led him to become a fugitive hiding under Russian asylum and the rest of the world to worry about their privacy and security in an increasingly technological world. Snowden was just a symptom of the rising lawless international arena that exists in cyberspace. While technically the entire international system lacks policing, cyberspace has the unique feature of connecting every country at the click of a button, bringing citizens and industries in direct contact with each other outside of international guidelines. With an

In the world of today most records can be easily accessed by a home computer. Even Governmental records can be viewed. Some believe this has benefits, while others are screaming about invasion of privacy. Heated debates can go on for many hours about this topic. Each side has people who devote all their time and energy to see their side of the argument prevail.

The dark Web is a mysterious domain, known by a surprisingly few number of internet users, but it harbors massive amounts of information, estimates include over 75,000 terabytes of data, in fact, including numerous social networking sites, forums, markets, and other internet applications. (Bergman N.P.) It also provides a very powerful feature that may be harnessed for good or for evil: anonymity. By using services to access the hidden web, such as the Tor web browser, an internet user can completely hide his or her identity while participating in a number of online activities. Anonymity may be beneficial by providing a cushion for individuals to untraceably unite over taboo issues or even by establishing contact between

     Ever feel like you are being watched? How about having the feeling like some one is following you home from school? Well that is what it will be like if users do not have the privacy on the Internet they deserve. EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center), a advocacy group that has been fighting the Clinton Administration for tougher online consumer protection laws, and other privacy protection agencies have formed to protect the rights and privileges of the Internet user. With the U.S. Government, EPIC has had to step in and help small companies and Internet users with their own privacy problems, hackers getting into their systems and ruining the networks, and crackers stealing

Since the birth of the internet, mankind has experienced unprecedented growth in knowledge and capabilities. For almost 40 years, this intricate realm of digital information has flung open the gates of change and empowered individuals in ways never before imagined. However, in line with nearly everything revolutionary, such an invention has also knocked the lid clean off of Pandora’s box. Criminals and terrorists alike have exploited the far-reaching platform of the internet to conduct their illicit business. In response, national governments have established numerous security programs in pursuit of these targets. Consequently, each program has presented itself as more intrusive than the previous by expanding government outreach through various data collection methods. Such actions have raised issues regarding privacy intrusion among numerous other factors of dehumanization that, until the recent years, have largely been ignored by the public eye. To be clear, the use of government surveillance in it of itself is necessary and acceptable. However, the lack of regulation and public transparency in the recent decades have resulted in intelligence agencies overstepping their jurisdiction along with an overall loss of focus in regards to identifying the enemy. In other terms, government surveillance, when left unchecked by the people, can and will result in the invalidation of natural rights.

As with many events and activities being related to the creation of technology, a few different aspects of it can be tied back to the government. In this case, the Dark Web may be directly related to the, “creation of ‘Onion Routing’ by the United States Naval Research Laboratory, which was the first step toward the Tor Project.” Nevertheless, this was only the first step to be taken in the greater evolution of the Dark Web, for instance the creation of Freenet which was developed by Ian Clarke allowed more individual to access this otherwise unknown area of the web. By opening this area of the

Recently I had an interesting conversation with my mother about a friend of hers who’s credit card information was stolen. She said she didn’t realize until about a week after, when she tried to purchase something and her card was declined. It turns out that her friend didn’t find out because she had recently changed her phone number so, if the bank tried to contact her when her credit card was being excessively used they weren’t able to get a hold of her. She also never went to the bank unless it was to make a payment. Never installed any of the applications to track her bank account onto her phone. She believes it all started with a virus on her computer. A hacker sent an email to her with an attachment to a created software. Simply opening the attachment allowed for full access to her phone. The software then monitored her online activity and took screenshots when she was purchasing something online. Money was stolen and her credit score was affected all after opening an attachment in an email. Was it her fault for not having taking the measures to ensure safety on her credit card? Was it that she was unaware of the lack of protection when using the internet? Was it that she was being surveilled for a long time and finally targeted? The answer is all of these and still many more. Although, technology has caused our population to believe they have privacy while on the internet, I feel we are constantly manipulated because we don’t realize that our personal information can be used against us. At the same time however, understanding why we have such lack of privacy is important.