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== Userbase ==
== Userbase ==
The Tor project responds to the criminal use of Tor by saying, "So yes, criminals could in theory use Tor, but they already have better options, and it seems unlikely that taking Tor away from the world will stop them from doing their bad things. At the same time, Tor and other privacy measures can fight identity theft, physical crimes like stalking, and so on"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.torproject.org/docs/faq-abuse.html.en|title=Tor Project Abuse FAQ|accessdate=February 8, 2016}}</ref> Tor is used by a wide variety of people for both legal and illegal purposes. Tor has been used to establish online [[black market]]s and to conduct internet gambling. It has also helped oppressed people hide their identity online and allows them to more safely speak out against tyrannical governments.
Tor has millions of daily users worldwide, and more than a million in the United States alone. Many users are normal people who do not have to fear much. A minority is of ethical users and criminals who have very much to hide. Tor is stereotyped as a dangerous criminal tool, and it is reasonable to assume that America runs state-sponsored smear campaigns on Tor. This is a non-comprehensive list of types of Tor uses and purposes for use:
* Normal users. Contrary to expectation, much traffic on Tor is from normal users who have little to hide. These people are generally just concerned about government and corporate surveillance. This emphatic rejection of unnecessary intrusions into privacy led to the [[Fourth Amendment]], which the courts have unfortunately ignored in continuing to allow the government to spy on citizens' internet activities.
* Activists. Anonymous communication, file transfer and blogging is possible for activists, whistleblowers and others who fear government persecution. Those who live under tyrannical governments, like those of China or Iran, will especially benefit.
* Firewall and network logging bypassing. A local network operator can log the websites a user visits and block any number of them he wishes. Tor allows users to bypass local firewall restrictions and prevents logging them. It is useful in work and school environments where access to a website is blocked. Tor may be the only option for those who live in countries with state-enforced internet censorship to access any website on the internet.
* Evidence erasing. Those who are researching sensitive topics or otherwise do not want traces of their browsing to be discovered on their computers use the Tor Browser or a Tor operating system.
* Criminals. Tor is notoriously popular among criminals. It enables anonymous, online [[black market]]s for trading drugs, child pornography, malware code, gambling and other illegal products. The Tor Project responds to the criminal use of Tor, "So yes, criminals could in theory use Tor, but they already have better options, and it seems unlikely that taking Tor away from the world will stop them from doing their bad things. At the same time, Tor and other privacy measures can fight identity theft, physical crimes like stalking, and so on"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.torproject.org/docs/faq-abuse.html.en|title=Tor Project Abuse FAQ|accessdate=February 8, 2016}}</ref>
== Surveillance ==
== Surveillance ==