When people are subjected to censorship, it becomes more difficult to obtain current and accurate information. Censorship takes various forms, and one of them is isolating people from sources of news and other information.
Fortunately, there are ways to obtain breaking news articles online when the normal channels are blocked: Tor. Numerous prominent news organisations host websites on the Tor network, which enables anybody to access information and news from across the world regardless of location, censorship, or other restrictions.
Thus, here’s how you can utilise Tor to browse a variety of news websites regardless of your location.
Tor: What Is It?
The term “Tor” refers to the Tor Project, a non-profit organisation funded by a variety of sponsors, including US federal agencies, private foundations, technology businesses, and people. The Tor Project’s central mission is to promote open internet access for everyone, regardless of location, that is free of restriction and surveillance.
Tor’s two most valuable assets are its Tor network and the Tor browser. In a nutshell, the Tor network protects user privacy by utilising onion routing. All data transmitted over the Tor network is wrapped in numerous layers, guaranteeing that it reaches its destination without being intercepted, tampered with, or otherwise compromised. Our tutorial to onion routing goes into greater depth about the process, but in (very basic) terms, this is how the Tor network’s encryption secures your data in transit.
How Do I Get a Connection to the Tor Network?
You must first download the Tor browser in order to connect to the Tor network. Tor is a substantially modified version of Mozilla Firefox that includes all of the necessary privacy extensions and special configuration files for accessing the Tor network. It comes preconfigured, and unless you’re an expert, you’re better off leaving the security and privacy settings alone. A misconfigured Tor browser may result in the exposure of your data or in your inability to connect to the Tor network.
Visit the Tor Browser download page and save it to your computer’s hard drive. Once installed, it behaves similarly to a standard browser, except that it requires unique onion addresses to visit sites hosted on the Tor network. In most cases, an onion address is a lengthy alphanumeric string followed by the.onion top-level domain. You can also browse standard websites via the Tor network, however your traffic will be routed through the Tor network and out into the clear-net (the ordinary internet) via an exit node.
Due to the additional encryption securing your data, the Tor network and Tor browser will be slower than your standard browser. While the added protection is beneficial in some circumstances, most security experts advise against using the Tor browser as your primary browser. It is not designed for that purpose, and some of the privacy settings will disable some functions of websites you frequently visit.
How to Use the Tor Network to Access News
Several news organisations now operate onion sites on the Tor network, allowing individuals to access a news source in times of crisis. Please note that we are not claiming that the news on the Tor network is fair or free of political influence. Certain sources are less biassed than others, and you can draw your own conclusions. This page just directs folks who are subjected to surveillance and censorship to a source of news.
1. BBC News.
For years, the BBC maintained an onion site, which let users worldwide to access its news and journalism. The BBC News onion’s address is as follows:
https://www.bbcnewsd73hkzno2ini43t4gblxvycyac5aw4gnv7t2rccijh7745uqd.onion/
Copy and paste the address into the address bar of your Tor browser.
2. German Broadcasting Corporation
Similar to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Germany’s state-owned broadcaster, maintains an onion site to ensure global access to its news. Deutsche Welle’s onion address is as follows:
https://dwnewsgngmhlplxy6o2twtfgjnrnjxbegbwqx6wnotdhkzt562tszfid.onion/
Copy and paste the address into the address bar of your Tor browser.
3. The Times of New York
The New York Times, another of the world’s premier news organisations, also maintains an onion address. The onion address for the New York Times is as follows:
https://www.nytimesn7cgmftshazwhfgzm37qxb44r64ytbb2dj3x62d2lljsciiyd.onion/
Copy and paste the address into the address bar of your Tor browser.
4.ProPublica
ProPublica is a global leader in investigative journalism, having earned numerous Pulitzer Prizes for its work. While you won’t always find “breaking news,” you will find a lot of information on a variety of subjects. The onion address for ProPublica is as follows:
http://p53lf57qovyuvwsc6xnrppyply3vtqm7l6pcobkmyqsiofyeznfu5uqd.onion/
Copy and paste the address into the address bar of your Tor browser.
5. Interception
Again, The Intercept is not a breaking news website, but it does offer lots of investigative journalism and reporting on recent news stories. Intercept onion’s address is as follows:
https://27m3p2uv7igmj6kvd4ql3cct5h3sdwrsajovkkndeufumzyfhlfev4qd.onion/
Copy and paste the address into the address bar of your Tor browser.
6) Radio Liberty Europe
Finally, but certainly not least, Radio Free Europe is a news organisation that broadcasts to countries worldwide, with a particular emphasis on Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. You may read and listen to the latest news on the onion site of Radio Free Europe:
Copy and paste the address into the address bar of your Tor browser.
Additionally, there is a Facebook onion site.
Facebook is no longer a news source. Additionally, the news you find on Facebook may originate from anywhere. However, obtaining access to Facebook if you are subjected to censorship or surveillance could be quite beneficial, even if it is simply to inform others that you are safe or otherwise. The onion address for Facebook is as follows:
https://www.facebookwkhpilnemxj7asaniu7vnjjbiltxjqhye3mhbshg7kx5tfyd.onion/
