Use A Mask, Use Tor: Resist the Surveillance Pandemic
*Note: The Tor Project's postal address has changed since this post was published. Find the most current address in our FAQ.
Update October 27: Limited-edition Tor masks are now available. Make a donation of $50 between now and December 31, 2020, and get yours.
As many friends and followers of Tor know by now, we spend the final weeks of each year asking for your help as part of our year-end fundraising campaign. This year hasn't been a normal year at all, not for Tor and not for the rest of the world.
In many ways, 2020 has put the dangers of a centralized, surveillance-driven internet into even clearer focus. The pandemic has changed most of our lives dramatically. Many of us have shifted more of our work, socialization, shopping, medical care, and schooling online. We’ve seen governments and corporations roll out new surveillance technology, like tools to watch students while they take tests, tech to spy on workers, and contact tracing mechanisms that will change our world long after the pandemic is over.
In the face of this widespread hardship, people all around the world have also demonstrated enormous gestures of solidarity and mutual-aid, and millions of people have risen in defense of Black lives in the U.S. and around the world.
For our 2020 campaign, we wanted a theme that conveys a positive message and speaks to the power of this kind of community action. That’s why we decided on the theme Use a Mask, Use Tor. There is a lot of meaning and intention behind this slogan. Use a mask, use Tor promotes the positive steps we can all take to combat the virus by using masks. Wearing a mask protects others. Wearing a mask is about caring about each other, our community.
In the same way, when using Tor, you are not only protecting your identity and privacy online, but you are also helping to hide others who are using Tor. After all, anonymity loves company.
To put it simply, using a mask keeps yourself and your communities safe in person. Using Tor keeps yourself and your communities safe online. Both tools help to conceal your identity, can break systems of surveillance, and their widespread use can promote the health of communities while undermining the power of systems bent on dividing us. Using a mask and using Tor helps us stand in solidarity with one another.
Now is the time we ask you to stand with Tor. We believe it IS possible to resist the surveillance pandemic. Your support makes this mission a reality. In 2021, we are taking some big steps, including:
- Improving speed and user-perceptible performance on the Tor network, particularly for people who are connecting on mobile devices with slow connections and limited data.
- Providing more support to the relay operator community.
- Bringing more censorship circumvention tools to mobile devices and making this experience more seamless for users.
- Making it easier for any developer to embed Tor in their mobile app.
- Continue our work in UX research, metrics, network health, onion services, and Tor Browser for desktop.
The Tor Project is a 501(3) nonprofit, and your support at this time is critical for our success in the coming year. Use a mask, Use Tor. Donate today and fight the surveillance pandemic.
Every donation made from now through the end of 2020 will count towards our year-end campaign. Be on the lookout for events, giveaways, and new merch available from now until December 31. And don’t forget: use a mask, use Tor.
Comments
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У Вас очень хороший сервис я…
У Вас очень хороший сервис я безработный очень хочется помочь но денег хватает только на скудную еду.
Hi there, there's no need to…
Hi there, there's no need to worry about donating if you cannot afford it. That's why it's important for other folks who can afford to donate to give what they can. Thanks for using and supporting Tor!
Is crypto the only way to…
Is crypto the only way to donate anonymously?
You can also send cash /…
You can also send cash / money order / gift cards to our mailing address:
The Tor Project
217 First Avenue South #4903
Seattle, WA 98194
If you use Monero not…
If you use Monero not Bitcoin or similar then it is.
Shirts? How about a mask? It…
Shirts? How about a mask? It could be simple and cheap to make like saying, "Resist Surveillance. TorProject.org": https://i.ibb.co/rFmnBv5/resist-surveillance.png
The mask of which you speak…
The mask of which you speak celebrates I trust V-for-Vendetta?
For the guilt-stricken tech mogul donating $5000 or more, how about a nice watch with the inscription "They are Watching"?
(With apologies to aclu-wa.org.)
Those scantily have to do…
Those scantily have to do with the title of the post or the theme phrases.
You've got your wish, Tor…
You've got your wish, Tor masks available now: https://hzcyulizwd.tudasnich.de/
Will Mozilla match any…
Will Mozilla match any donations this year?
No, Mozilla will not be…
No, Mozilla will not be offering a match this year.
> we are taking some big…
> we are taking some big steps
Wow, progress towards any of all of those will be great achievements!
I will be contributing. Damn I want that hoodie!
Thanks for your support! \o/
Thanks for your support! \o/
If Tim Cook donates to Tor…
If Tim Cook donates to Tor Project more than one million dollars, you should definitely gather all your best recipes using ramen noodles and have them privately printed under the title "The Tor-Cook Book".
(Because all coders consume ramen, plus it is not, you know, the Anarchist's Cookbook.)
Funny. We have talked about…
Funny. We have talked about a Tor cook book as part of the year end campaign. :) Onions improve many things after all!
You should do it. People…
You should do it. People love offbeat cookbooks (to judge from salon.com's regular cooking features). Plus, it would be a good way to decompress after (dare one hope) nothing terribly awful happens in the weeks after the upcoming US General Election. Please consider contacting thestranger.com about a human interest story if you do follow through.
- Please complete the XMR…
- Please complete the XMR address in the empty field. ;-) OK, we Monero users can also use https://xmr.to/.
- I am curious what is meant by 'more support to the relay operator community'. Hopefully not just IPv6 autodetect. A new TorTip or OnionTip fundraising page would be nice. For verified relay owners. So that we can deliver more bandwidth and outperform the 'bad relays'.
XMR: We're changing the way…
XMR: We're changing the way we accept some cryptocurrencies and had to take this offline for a bit -- but it will be back soon. Please keep checking and thanks for your support.
Relay operator community support: Yes, the idea is to support the community / improve how we can verify relay operators and do just what you're saying. I don't know about TorTip or OnionTip but do agree that a way to help relay operators in their fundraising would be great.
> deliver more bandwidth and…
> deliver more bandwidth and outperform the 'bad relays'.
We users need this, for sure.
I donate Monero every year…
I donate Monero every year. Why is the XMR donation address blank? And why aren't the others?
We had to take it offline…
We had to take it offline for bit to change the way we accept cryptocurrency, but it will be back soon. Please keep checking and thanks for supporting Tor every year. We appreciate it.
It's just such a shame the…
It's just such a shame the picture Captcha things don't work on Tor
Some types of Captchas work…
Some types of Captchas work more often than other types. For ones that don't, try clicking the padlock or (i) in the address bar and then "New Circuit for this Site", or start a New Identity. Most Captchas including Google's do work eventually. Sometimes it still doesn't work until I try again after about 30 minutes.
last night i sent 50$. is…
last night i sent 50$. is there a way to see if i clicked the get mask button. after i sent the money they sent a email but nothing confirming that i cliked the mask.
You can email giving at…
You can email giving at torproject dot org and let us know your name / email address associated with the donation. We'll confirm that you're on the list to get the mask.
Is there a web form or…
Is there a web form or Signal number? Privacy-adhering donors, etc. stay clear of email messaging like the plague.
You can ping me on IRC if…
You can ping me on IRC if that would work. I'm smith, try me on #tor-project M-F.
How long will it take to…
How long will it take to ship the mask to Sweden?
Somewhere between 1-2 months.
Somewhere between 1-2 months.
The onion version of https:/…
The onion version of https://hzcyulizwd.tudasnich.de/ http://gsxohj375bk7gjal.onion/index.html found via onion-location, does not seem to be working for me, even on standard security level with all subdomains trusted. While the clearnet version works fine as long as I trust paypal and stripe on safest settings.
We're working on this issue,…
We're working on this issue, and I apologize that it's not up right now.