by Key Takeaways
- To help Russian users who are subject to harsh internet restrictions, the Tor Project is urging its international members to set up 200 WebTunnel bridges.
- Russian authorities have increased their efforts to restrict Tor by focusing on hosting companies and circumvention tools.
- Volunteers who participate in the program will receive gifts of appreciation for their efforts until March 10, 2025.
In an effort to combat Russia’s growing internet censorship, the Onion Routing (TOR) Project has started a new project.
The group asks volunteers to set up 200 WebTunnel bridges, a new technology that makes it more difficult for law enforcement to identify and stop Tor traffic.
Russia is tightening its censorship
The request was made in response to concerns from Russian users who were having difficulty accessing Tor because of harsh government regulations, according to an official blog post. These include targeted operations against bridge hosting providers and the withdrawal of circumvention apps from app stores.
This comes after a history of Russian attempts to stifle internet freedom, which included an unsuccessful 2021 attempt to stop Tor. Russia’s attempts to limit internet freedom are a component of a larger initiative to regulate online environments.
In order to filter and restrict content, authorities have made significant investments in technology. Over the next five years, they expect to update its internet-blocking systems, which will cost more than $600 million.
This initiative is in line with laws that were enacted in 2019 and provide the government the authority to block access to the Russian internet.
The Reaction of Tor to Internet Censorship
In March 2024, Tor launched WebTunnel bridges to disguise Tor traffic as regular internet traffic, increasing its resistance to censorship and allowing Russian users to get around government internet control.
Tor seeks to fortify its network, which presently consists of just 143 bridges, in order to guarantee dependable access for users in restricted areas.
A self-hosted website, an SSL/TLS certificate, a static IPv4 address, and at least 1TB of monthly bandwidth are necessary for setting up a WebTunnel bridge.
These new bridges, according to the Tor Project, are essential for improving resistance to censorship, especially in places like Russia where more established protocols like Obfs4 and Snowflake are partially or totally blocked.
This project demonstrates Tor’s continued commitment to preserving unfettered internet access. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory developed the technology in the middle of the 1990s, and it was made publicly accessible in 2003. It is now a vital tool for people trying to get around limitations in oppressive areas.
