The Tor browser uses specialized relays to help keep internet use anonymous for users. In addition to encryption, the Tor browser does not track browsing history or store cookies. Repeating this process makes it difficult to trace the data back to the original source. Once this data has been sent, it is encrypted multiple times before being sent to the next node. Once a user installs Tor, the browser uses Tor servers to send data to an exit node, which is the point at which data leaves the network. It is designed so no one can monitor or censor online communication. Onion routing uses multiple layers of encryption to conceal both the source and destination of information sent over the network.

The onion router is a peer-to-peer ( P2P) overlay network that enables users to browse the internet anonymously. The Tor browser works by using a technology known as onion routing.

The browser uses exit relays and encrypted tunnels to hide user traffic within a network but leaves the endpoints more easily observable and has no effect beyond the boundaries of the network. Law enforcement agencies are able to use various techniques and tools to track down the users of Tor, especially if the sites they visit are not using end-to-end encryption ( E2EE). Today, human rights activists and dissidents who need to keep their internet activities private from oppressive governments, law enforcement, intelligence agencies and criminals use Tor, for example. While Tor continues to be used by the government, it is now an open source, multi-platform browser that is available to the public. The United States Navy originally designed the browser to protect sensitive U.S. Although Tor is often associated with the darknet and criminal activity, law enforcement officials, reporters, activists, whistleblowers and ordinary security-conscious individuals often use the browser for legitimate reasons.

The Tor (the onion routing) browser is a web browser designed for anonymous web surfing and protection against traffic analysis.

Tor onion routing