current Tor™ network status: Ok! as of 2010-02-01 22:45:43 EST (-05:00) see our blog or send us an email for further details see our blog for all our "how to" posts see this page using Tor™ Network terminology
"... Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority."
"... the most effective advocates have sometimes opted for anonymity."
"... the interest in having anonymous works enter the marketplace of ideas unquestionably outweighs any public interest in requiring disclosure as a condition of entry."
"Anonymity thereby provides a way for a writer who may be personally unpopular to ensure that readers will not prejudge her message simply because they do not like its proponent."
"This tradition [of anonymity] is perhaps best exemplified by the secret ballot, the hard won right to vote one's conscience without fear of retaliation."
"Of course, the identity of the source is helpful in evaluating ideas. But `the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market` (Abrams v. United States, [250 U.S. 616, 630 (1919) (Holmes, J., dissenting)]). Do not underestimate the common man. People are intelligent enough to evaluate the source of an anonymous writing. They can see it is anonymous. They know it is anonymous. They can evaluate its anonymity along with its message, as long as they are permitted, as they must be, to read that message. And then, once they have done so, it is for them to decide what is `responsible`, what is valuable, and what is truth."
"... Data is the pollution of the information age. It's a natural byproduct of every computer-mediated transaction. It stays around forever unless it is disposed of."
"... Privacy isn't just about having something to hide; it's a basic right that has enormous value to democracy, liberty, and our humanity."
Is an IP Address considered "personal information"?
We give you access to our "server-based" geospoofing, geoprivacy, geocloaking, and geoanonymity technologies and the open source Tor™ Network to allow you to select premium proxy servers in almost any geographic country, region or city of your choosing, shielding you from "traffic analysis" which would otherwise identify your actual geographic location based on your IP Address. Basically we give you a different IP Address.
By "premium" proxy servers, we mean ones that are fast and reliable, and that you have permission to use. We will let you know the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and Organization owning each of the proxy servers, WHOIS Registrant name and address, and all other information we can pull together for you. We will also soon let you (a) select either an IPv4 or IPv6 proxy; and (b) manage your proxy settings by giving you a browser-based interface to configure and select your own Proxy Auto-Configuration ("PAC") file(s).
By "server-based" we mean there is no software for you to download, install or upgrade - this is also sometimes called on-demand "Software as a Service" [SaaS]. You connect to our server(s) over the Internet using any browser of choice, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Konqueror, or Chrome. You can also use just about any other software which communicates over TCP, such as ssh/PuTTY, Skype, Trillian, mIRC, iTunes, etc.
We continue to work on support for OpenID to allow registration, and registered users will then be able to configure their own proxy settings. In the meantime, we have a variety of "tryout" proxy services you can use. We are also working on plans to license our server software to any organization wishing to deploy it for their own users - you supply the hardware and infrastructure, and we supply the software and expertise to get it running and keep it updated. Let us know if you want to be contacted as soon as we have this ready to go.
Ok!
