Sometimes I use Tor when I am hooked up to a Wi-Fi connection or a network which I am not familiar with. Simply because relying only on Wi-Fi encryption to keep your information safe is simply not good enough. Tor is essentially a privacy tool that mitigates MITM (man-in-the-middle) attacks on your traffic by means of encryption. Hence, you have an additional layer of protection for your data.
What is Tor?
Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organisations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.
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. (Be careful of this one).
What is really interesting, as pointed out by a friend of mine, are the secret services within the Tor network.
Tor’s hidden 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.
There are many ways of using Tor. One of the simpler ways is to make use of the “Tor Browser Bundle” tool.
Author
Andre Ng, First Mate, Div0