TOR, the anonymizing browser just published a social contract, pledging of not implementing any front doors or back doors into their projects. We are not sure why TOR has published such social contract though it has been around for over a decade. Maybe the company wanted to show its commitment to human rights after stepping down of Jacob Appelbaum, one of its prominent developers amid sexual harassment allegations.
“We believe that privacy, the free exchange of ideas, and access to information are essential to free societies. Through our community standards and the code we write, we provide tools that help all people protect and advance these rights,” Tor writes in the contract.
TOR or the onion browser was designed to improve the privacy of web users by encrypting and routing internet connections arbitrarily via a worldwide network of volunteer relays. Because of its anonymity feature TOR has become the go-to website for those searching for illegal arms, drugs, or child porn they usually won’t get on eBay and YouTube. It means TOR is the browser that any browser law enforcement would like to backdoor to.
Back in January, the FBI detected 1,500 users of “child porn” website named “Playpen” by installing a TOR hacking tool. So, it has already been proved that it’s capable of slipping into the dark web. So, loudly promoting that it will never create a backdoor into its services may not matter that much.
