11The advantage of employing the onion methodology is that network surveillance cannot trace a packet backward to its source. 10When a packet arrives at the relay just before the destination, the final encrypted layer is decoded, and the packet is sent to its destination. 9This encryption is accomplished many times, where each relay or server in the Tor network decrypts the outermost layer so that it can send the remaining encrypted packet along to the next relay. 8 Tor not only encrypts the data but also the IP address of the next destination node. 7 When processing a packet using onion routing, it is as if the Internet communication protocol is peeling the layers of an onion. Onion routing is accomplished by creating by encrypting the data in the application layer of its communication protocol. 5Some websites limit the ability of a user to use the full capability of a site. 4Tor does not preclude an online service provider from figuring out when one is employing Tor to access the facility, and it does not disguise itself so that an Internet service provider does not know when a person is using Tor. 3By employing Tor, it may be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to associate Internet activity with a particular person, including when one displays a specific website, posts a message online, sends an email message, etc. 2It consists of over seven thousand relays that hide an individual’s whereabouts and usage from others that are attempting to analyze the flow of data on the Internet. 1Tor guides Internet traffic through a global network that is both free and administered by volunteers. The Onion Router, or Tor as it is more commonly known, is free software that supports anonymous communication on the Internet.

The onion router