Those who use Tor do so because they want to remain anonymous on the internet; and now, they will be able to continue using the privacy of the network and log into Facebook. The social network has activated features that allow hidden services on Tor to continue running on its sites. While this is a good move for Facebook, it has been met with mixed reactions among internet users.
Tor, also known as The Onion Router, is a free software service that anonymises internet connections. It tends to receive a lot of attention for the illegal activities that happen using the network, with all sorts of illegal items being traded through it. This generally includes drugs and guns, although much worse can also be found there. However, Tor has also proven to be a vital tool for dissidents in countries with oppressive governments.
Facebook, on the other hand, has been blocking Tor users from the social network due to the a large amount of incoming malicious connections. Newer security algorithms also tend to assume that the location masking Tor service is a hacker attempting to access an account through a botnet. Fortunately, this is no longer the case as Facebook will now be directly available to users through https://facebookcorewwwi.onion/ (the link only works for Tor enabled browsers).
Some are questioning the wisdom in accessing a social network that tries to find out as much as it can about users through an anonymous internet connection. Others point out that while Facebook can be accessed, most of the site will not work unless JavaScript is enabled. However, doing this will also exposes older Tor browsers to attacks.
There has been some praise for Facebook and its attempts to cater to the privacy conscious Tor crowd. If only it stopped pushing users to sign up with real names and insisting that people enable location tracking.
[Source: Ars Technica, Facebook]
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