Anonymity on the Internet: which is better, VPN or Tor?

Image courtesy of Blue Coat Photos at Flickr.com

Complete anonymity on the Internet is impossible and, in the best of cases, a particular phenomenon unfeasible of being maintained for extended periods of time. However, both the VPN and Tor networks help hide the user's identity from third parties. But which one of them is better? Let’s take a look at the similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages of using VPN and Tor.

Online privacy has become a growing concern for millions of users worldwide, either due to the fact that they’re sharing all kinds of personal information with third parties such as Facebook, Google or Twitter; or to prevent possible attacks by cybercriminals; monitoring by government agencies like the NSA or to limit access to certain websites.

Even though some still believe that surfing the Internet is an anonymous activity, reality is stubborn. The incognito mode or private browsing offered by browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and others is not an effective method of maintaining your anonymity on the Internet, which is why more users are choosing to use a VPN or connecting through Tor.

Both are two methods of transport to surf the Internet. However, the differences between Tor and VPN networks are considerable: a VPN could be likened to an ultralight aircraft, pretty fast but also expensive; whereas Tor, could be compared with a bus, available to anyone, but much slower.

Advantages of using Tor

The purpose of Tor (The Onion Router) is anonymity when surfing the Internet. To do this, the user’s information bounces between different nodes before reaching its destination, so the last server is unable to know the location and private information such as the IP address of the source.

We said at the beginning that there’s no such thing as complete anonymity, and Tor is no exception. Although it’s one of the best systems to surf anonymously, the network’s end node decrypts the data to access the required destination by the initial user, opening the door to possible vulnerabilities. It is hard, but not impossible.

If you browse via Tor, it is essential for you to be aware of the fact that it is not a bullet-proof system. The security level is very high if you use secure connections (HTTPS), but otherwise it’s low.

To maintain your anonymity it’s essential that you avoid sending unencrypted personal information such as your email address, location or mobile phone.

Advantages of using a VPN

Image courtesy of PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE at Flickr.com

In simple terms, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) add a private network -tunnel- on the main network of the user. Basically, a VPN grabs your connection, encrypts it and sends it to another server. Instead of your computer going directly to Google, it first accesses an intermediate server and, from there, it goes to Google.

Using a VPN is recommended, for example, when browsing within a public Wi-Fi network because otherwise you’ll be at risk of third parties seeing everything you do online. When using a tunnel, only your connection to the intermediate server will be visible, which is the one that actually makes the requests to Google, Facebook and other sites.

Another advantage of using a VPN versus the usual navigation is that you can “fool” the rest of the world about your location: if you are in New York and the VPN server you use is in London, all of the websites that you visit will believe that you are a user from England, which opens the possibility of skipping geographical limitations in all types of content.

When is it best to use Tor? And a VPN?

Although there are some providers of free services like Hola, most VPN services -the most powerful ones- are paid. By contrast, the Tor network is free by definition, because it employs the user’s connections to establish the nodes.

Anonymity in a VPN network is in any case relative, given the fact that even though they promise not to store information about their users, it is difficult to think that they can keep their promise if a court order comes.

Tor guarantees a higher level of online anonymity, as long as the the user takes some precautions, but it’s not as impenetrable as the NSA has tried to show in recent years. The biggest disadvantage of Tor is that browsing speed is very limited.

When to use a VPN? If you are an intermediate user concerned about online privacy and the use of your data by third parties the recommended option is a VPN. You will have a considerable latency, but the speed of your connection will be enough to play HD videos on sites like YouTube or Netflix.

When to use a Tor network? This system is used in situations that require a high level of anonymity, especially with the threat of governments or intelligence agencies. It’s reliable, for instance, for journalists working with sensitive documents and leaks, but the biggest disadvantage is that the connection speed is quite slow.
Recent contents

Read Don Burns’ “How The Evolution of Sensors On Smartphones Makes Life Easier”