Human rights and encryption
The Onion Router
#### The Onion Router

[The Onion Router](/wiki/The_Onion_Router "The Onion Router"), most commonly known as [Tor](/wiki/Tor_%28anonymity_network%29 "Tor (anonymity network)"), offers the ability to access websites and online services anonymously. Tor requires a community of volunteers to run intermediary proxies which channel a user's communication with a website so that third parties cannot observe who the user is communicating with. Through the use of encryption, each proxy is only aware of part of the communication path meaning that none of the proxies can by itself infer both the user and the website he/she is visiting. Besides protecting anonymity, Tor is also useful when the user's ISP blocks access to content. This is similar as the protection that can be offered by a [VPN](/wiki/Virtual_private_network "Virtual private network") (Virtual Private Network). Service providers, such as websites, can block connections that come from the Tor network. Because certain malicious traffic may reach service providers as Tor traffic and because Tor traffic may also interfere with the business models, service providers may have an [incentive](/wiki/Incentive "Incentive") to do so. This interference can prevent users from using the most effective means to protect their anonymity online. The Tor browser allows users to [obfuscate](/wiki/Obfuscation "Obfuscation") the origin and [end\-points](/wiki/Endpoint_security "Endpoint security") of their communications when they communicate on the internet.


Can Tor's interference with business models lead to financial losses?