TorZonTor uses onion routing to bounce your traffic through three relays before hitting the destination. Your local machine picks a random entry node, a middle relay, and an exit node. Each layer peels back one encryption layer, revealing only the next hop. The entry node sees your IP and the middle relay. The exit node sees the final destination and the middle relay. No single point knows both ends.
This design creates inherent latency. A typical page load takes four to ten seconds instead of under one second. Complex sites with heavy assets can take minutes. The network is volunteer-run, meaning bandwidth fluctuates based on who is online. During peak hours, speeds drop further as thousands of users share limited capacity.
Tor hides your IP address from the website you visit. It also hides your browsing history from your ISP and local network administrator. However, it does not hide what you send. If you log into Facebook via Tor, Facebook knows your identity. They just do not know your physical location at that moment. Metadata like timing and volume patterns can still correlate sessions if you make mistakes.
Exit nodes see unencrypted traffic if you are not using HTTPS. Always ensure the padlock icon is present. DNS leaks are rare but possible if misconfigured. The network itself does not encrypt traffic between the exit node and the destination server. For a deeper look into the practical side, read the [FAQ section](/faq.html).
FAQ
Does Tor hide my search history?
It hides it from your ISP and network provider. Search engines still see your queries if you do not clear cookies or use private search engines within the Tor session.
Why is Tor so slow?
Three hops add significant latency. Volatile volunteer infrastructure means bandwidth varies wildly. Heavy media streams are impractical; static pages load reasonably well.