Tor Project to Begin Paying for a Faster, More Secure Network
We've written about the Tor project--one of the primary resources for those who want to surf the web anonymously--and the overall anonymous web surfing arena many times. Tor is widely used by people in areas of the world that place restrictions on the Internet, because users want open access to the Internet and Tor's anonymity features can guarantee that. Using Tor is not without its risks, though, and now reports are coming in that the folks behind The Tor Project are considering paying monthly fees to operators to host exit relays that would boost the speed and security of the Tor global anonymity network.
"Under early consideration is a suggestion by Tor founder Rodger Dingledine that operators receive $100 a month to cover bandwidth costs. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has already donated an undisclosed amount of funds over 12 months to provide for at least 125 fast exit relays which would provide extra capacity for Tor users. Exit relays are the last nodes within the global anonymity network. The Tor network becomes faster and generally more diverse as more nodes are added."
The Tor network is essentially a global relay network, where the traces of your online activities are handed off through enough secure relay points that your original network footprint isn't traceable. There is a discussion of the new Tor proposals posted by Roger Dingledine here. He writes that performance of the Tor network is also important--not just its security.
Tor has a storied history among anonymity tools, and it looks like its network is about to become much more robust and safer to use.