Introduction to Tor

Join us for a combined meeting with Seattle TA3M!

Congress has recently repealed the upcoming Internet privacy protections that the FCC passed back in 2015. Those protections required Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to get permission from their users before selling user data to third parties. Now, ISPs will be able to sell our Internet browsing histories and other data to the highest bidder.

But wait… You don't have to give them all of your data!

You can instead use Tor, also known as The Onion Router, to encrypt your search requests and browsing activity and route your Internet traffic through a distributed network of relays (run by volunteers around the world) in order to protect your privacy. Tor prevents anyone watching your Internet connection from seeing your location or which websites you visit. It can also help you to access blocked sites.

Alison Macrina, veteran Tor trainer and founder and director of the Library Freedom Project, will be talking to both groups, Seattle TA3M and us, via teleconference. She'll provide basic training on one of today's most powerful technologies for privacy and anonymity and will help you to:

• Understand the basics of the Tor network, including how Tor relays work and why libraries should operate them.

• Learn how to use Tor Browser to enhance browsing privacy.

• Understand Tor onion services and how to deploy them for your own websites.

• Learn the basics of other Tor services, including how to use Tor on Android phones, how Tor can protect some of your privacy on other applications, and more.

We'll have snacks, and there will be an opportunity for networking following the talk. We hope to see you there!

Speaker bio:

Alison Macrina is a core member of The Tor Project and a veteran privacy trainer. As founder of the Library Freedom Project, she travels internationally to educate librarians about current privacy challenges and defenses.