The Tor network is a group of volunteer-operated servers that allows people to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. Tor's users employ this network by connecting through a series of virtual tunnels rather than making a direct connection, thus allowing both organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy. Along the same line, Tor is an effective censorship circumvention tool, allowing its users to reach otherwise blocked destinations or content. Tor can also be used as a building block for software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features.

Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's onion services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.

Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they're in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they're working with that organization.

Groups such as Indymedia recommend Tor for safeguarding their members' online privacy and security. Activist groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recommend Tor as a mechanism for maintaining civil liberties online. Corporations use Tor as a safe way to conduct competitive analysis, and to protect sensitive procurement patterns from eavesdroppers. They also use it to replace traditional VPNs, which reveal the exact amount and timing of communication. Which locations have employees working late? Which locations have employees consulting job-hunting websites? Which research divisions are communicating with the company's patent lawyers?

There is no anonymity on the internet period. What these companies/services do is make it difficult for low level people to identify you, a bit like going ex-directory on your home phone. Anyone who really wants to find out who you are will always do so imo. Aside from that every one of these companies absolutely must give up your details if the authorities request it. They all claim to have no logs but only a totally naïve person would believe this, it's all just terminology and semantics imo.

If I were Big Brother or global security/intelligence services then the very best way to make my job as easy as possible would be to set up this kind of service because all the (naïve) crooks and nefarious internet users would flock to it.

What that does is simply channel all illegal activity down a singular route which makes it far far easier to monitor.

Hi

Use Tor and everyone and their mother will be onto you.