Facebook has created the ability for users to
connect directly to the social network via
anonymising "dark web" service Tor.


While it was already possible to access Facebook via
Tor, the new set-up means all data is encrypted and
Tor users are not mistaken for hacked accounts.
Users could access the site "without losing the
cryptographic protections" of Tor, Facebook said.
It may appeal to people in places where the network
is blocked.
China, Iran, North Korea and Cuba are among
countries that have attempted to prevent access to
the site.
So too have such countries attempted to block access to Tor itself. China in particular has attempted to implement measures to disrupt the network.
The creators of Tor have been engaged in a cat-and-
mouse game with governments to keep the service
accessible.

Facebook's move would prove popular among those
who wanted to stop their location and browsing
habits from being tracked, said Dr Steven Murdoch,
from University College London, who was consulted
by Facebook for the project.
He explained users would still need to log-in, using
real-name credentials, to access the site.
He told the BBC: "It's quite hard to use a social
network completely anonymously, it somewhat
defeats the point, unless you're just reading
information.
"But just because you want to tell Facebook your
name, doesn't mean they should be able to find out
your location and your browsing habits."

What is Tor?
Tor is a special part of the internet that requires
software, known as the Tor Browser bundle, to access it.

The name is an acronym for The Onion Router - just
as there are many layers to the vegetable, there are
many layers of encryption on the network.
It was originally designed by the US Naval Research
Laboratory, and continues to receive funding from
the US State Department.

It attempts to hide a person's location and identity
by sending data across the internet via a very
circuitous route involving several "nodes" - which, in this context, means using volunteers' PCs and
computer servers as connection points.

Encryption applied at each hop along this route
makes it very hard to connect a person to any
particular activity.

To the website that ultimately receives the request, it appears as if the data traffic comes from the last
computer in the chain - known as an "exit relay" -
rather than the person responsible.




m.bbc.com/news/technology-29879851