Twitter unveils Tor service bypassing Russia's block

San Francisco: Twitter has launched a dedicated Tor onion service to bypass Russian governments’ internet blocks—that were introduced to stifle the flow of information across the country. 

Twitter has become the latest tech giant to launch a privacy-protected version of its site in a bid to bypass surveillance and censorship after Russia restricted access to its service in the country. 

Known as an “onion” service, users in Russia can access this version of Twitter if they download the Tor browser, which allows people to access sites on what is also referred to as the “dark web.” 

Instead of .com, onion sites have a .onion suffix.   

Regular websites, including Twitter.com, are also accessible on Tor, but the .onion versions are made specifically for Tor and prevent the site from being spoofed by malicious actors. 

Moreover, other tech giants like Facebook and web sites such as the BBC also have versions accessible on Tor.  

The version has been in the works for some time, since before the Russian invasion. 

Alec Muffett— a software engineer and internet security expert—who has worked with other companies to set up onion sites, announced Twitter’s new service on his own handle.

“This is possibly the most important and long-awaited tweet that I’ve ever composed,” he wrote on Tuesday.

This is possibly the most important and long-awaited tweet that I've ever composed.

On behalf of @Twitter, I am delighted to announce their new @TorProject onion service, at:https://t.co/Un8u0AEXeE pic.twitter.com/AgEV4ZZt3k

— Alec Muffett (@AlecMuffett) March 8, 2022