Wednesday, December 9th 2021
This is not in reference to the "TOR" missile system (also known as the SA-15 Gauntlet according to wikipedia) that is used by the Russian Federation to bolster its surface-to-air defense.
Imagine a massive highway. A highway that serves as the primary vein for over 300,000 individuals so they can interact with loved ones, communicate securely, conduct business, and uphold their privacy. Now imagine that same highway bottle-necked, or worse, severed at a crucial point - allowing no one to pass. This is the current situation for over 300,000 Tor network users in Russia after the Federal Service for Supervision of Communication, Information Technology and Mass Media* (Also called Roskomnadzor/Роскомнадзор ) has blocked the primary gateway into the Tor network.
Not having access to Tor in a heavily policed or censorship state can jeopardize privacy and more importantly an individuals safety. Examples could include:
Confirmation directly from the Rosckomnador website
Helpful links to monitor since the recent wave of censorship :
Tor can be used to view websites that are currently blocked across censored states. At its simplest, Tor is a network of relay nodes composed heavily of volunteers. The network allows users to mask their IP address as well as bypass restrictions implemented by state influenced (or controlled) Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The primary method of accessing the network has been downloading the tor browser from https://torproject.com. With the primary tor page currently being blocked in Russia, many users will need to resort to other means of accessing the network. Tor bridges are used to connect to the specialized network (relays are used once within the network). Tor bridges are important and are much needed at the moment. If you're able, consider running a tor bridge. Если вы в России, прочтите это.
This move comes during high tensions between Ukraine and Russia. The Tor network censorship also comes only a month after Russian prosecutors (on behalf of the state) filed charges against the human rights organization, *Memorial,* pressuring for its expulsion on the basis of acting as a foreign agent. It would be an understatement to say that Russia is leaning heavily into censorship and containment when it comes to the ingestion of information across a broad range of mediums.