This is a collection of anonymous user stories from people who rely on Tor to protect their privacy and anonymity. We encourage you to share their experiences with your network, friends and family, or as part of your work to promote the use of privacy-preserving technologies like ours and help us defend strong online protections.
I use Tor to participate in grassroots anti-nuclear weapons activism. This is quite dangerous so Tor is absolutely essential.
Tor Browser is the last defense line of the free internet.
I'm a political activist, part of a semi-criminalized minority.
I'm in the UK. I do not face any direct threats or risks regarding my use of the internet, and solely use Tor to avoid mass surveillance of my browsing history.
Cela m'aide à rester anonyme sur internet et faire des recherches sans être suivi.
Je pense que la sécurité et le respect de la vie privée sont INDISPENSABLES pour maintenir une société libre.
I am a software developer and programming teacher and I live in Cuba.
Encryption is essential for secure internet use. If communication services are not encrypted when discussing politics, it will be difficult to have a free discussion because people will be worried that government agencies may be eavesdropping.
I'm using Tor for accessing the internet freely. I need it because in my country internet is censored.
I live in Iran and I have been using Tor for censorship circumvention.
I live in Iran and the police state is vigorously spying on people. Without Tor we would be shut off from the world, no one hearing our voice.
I strongly believe encryption is essential for a healthy democracy, for the privacy of every human being on this planet and to combat/reduce government abuse of power and mass surveillance.
Big corporations and companies have no morals and don't hesitate to share personal information for profit. Our data was shared without our permission from sources like our healthcare provider and employer.
Encryption is privacy, as simple as that. Privacy should be the default, giving away information should be the exception.
I live in Europe and am not by any means an important, critical or endangered person, but I have friends in other parts of the world to whom anonymity and privacy through encryption is crucial. Encryption is the only way to ensure they can securly voice their opinion.
I use Tor and other encrypted communications methods to communicate with journalists and human rights advocates.
Encryption is like putting a letter in an envelope before posting it: It’s common sense.
Really, I personally don’t need to worry much about my privacy. But I use Tor to protect others.
I am a simple user. I love privacy-related tools and I am very interested in encryption, decryption and security.
In a world in which the Patriot Act has removed basic protections guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment, US citizens have lost way too much in privacy rights to risk any transaction on an insecure platform.
Journalism isn't free and fair. You are free to say what you feel at the risk of job loss and prison for expressing anything contrary to the wishes of whoever is in power of your jurisdiction - you have that right to say it and suffer.
I am a father of two teenagers. As teenagers, they, or their friends, are bumping into issues regarding sex, drugs, social media, and bullying.
Tor m'a aidé à apprendre de nouvelles choses. Je suis dans un pays qui emprisonne les citoyens dont les opinions divergent de celles du gouvernement.
I used Tor to obtain documents from Wikileaks.
I use Tor for social media posting on sites that restrict free speech.
I think our data is being manipulated, used against to shape our worldview...my aim is to avoid 'misinformation' and stop online bullying.
Tor helps me stay outside of filter bubbles and protects me from being tracked.
Tor helped me very much. I educated myself free from state propaganda.
I'm a doctor in a very political town. I have patients who work on legislation that can mean billions of dollars to major telecom, social media, and search concerns.
J'utilise le Navigateur Tor pour faire des recherches à propos de maladies mentales, par exemple la dépression, qui sont présentes dans notre famille.
I was a family physician and clinical psychiatrist for 25 years, often working with members of marginalized and persecuted groups. Being able to protect my patients' personal information was of paramount importance.
Je suis une lesbienne trans, et je préfère décider à qui je le dis.
I am in the United States. Tor has helped me get around my very strict school ISP when researching sensitive topics such as lgbt resources.
The knowledge that I'm queer might lead a mob to my location (with potentially-deadly consequences) and ostracism from my family (on whom I'm currently economically dependent).
Je viens du Brésil, et j'utilise Tor depuis plus de 3 ans. Tor m'a aidé à me protéger des empreintes numériques sur internet.
The risks I face from not using Tor are not immediate, and mostly focus around the government consolidating information on it's population and the potential for this to go wrong.
The politics [here] is kind of crazy so I kind of fear about any of my data stored by the government.
J'ai désespéremment besoin de moyens de sécuriser ma vie privée en ligne car je suis une victime de cyber-harcèlement dont l'identité en ligne a été à la fois volée et compromise.
I live in the UK. I was incredibly disturbed by the Edward Snowden revelations about NSA mass surveillance. This led me to start using the Tor browser.
J'utilise le Navigateur Tor comme mon navigateur de tous les jours, presque 100% du temps. J'habite aux États-Unis d'Amérique. J'encours très peu de risque, excepté le suivi par des entreprises. Durant ces 4-5 dernières années, j'ai utilisé Navigateur Tor pour me connecter à "des milliers" de sites.
I was concerned about [my] privacy after hearing about yahoo mail and gmail handing over private email to government officials.
Tor makes sure I have a generic internet profile, free from any specifications.
I decided to take back my privacy and I have been using Tor ever since.