Late last week, Facebook announced that its platform could be accessed through TOR which provides an anonymous or secure surfing opportunity for those seeking to utilize a hidden service protocol.

So, the question for the rest of us is – what is TOR, and why would we need to know about this? TOR stands for The Onion Router. TOR is just one option that most people utilize in order to access the Deep Web. The Deep Web refers to the idea that most of the Internet accessed by people everyday is only a small portion of the content that exists on the web.

The Deep Web is often referred to as the place where drug dealers and lawbreakers go to do their business, but journalism has been transformed by the Internet, and those journalists living in areas where an oppressive regime reigns are increasingly finding the need to utilize anonymous platforms for research and communication. Even journalists in presumed free societies can attract unwanted surveillance and attention when researching questionable topics for news stories. It is obvious, then, that there is a legitimate need for reporters to conduct their activity on the Deep Web.

Edward Snowden, not surprisingly, utilized the Deep Web to collect the information needed to blow the whistle on the NSA’s global surveillance programs.

Thanks to WhoIsHostingThis, we present this comprehensive infographic to help explain TOR and the Deep Web.

Source: WhoIsHostingThis.com