ExpressVPN Launches Service In The Tor Network

By Paul Liu
Friday, June 23rd, 2017

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VPN major ExpressVPN has become the first VPN service provider to have a presence within the Tor network and launch its very own .onion website (Expressobutiolem.onion). The move is directed towards people living in high-censorship countries as well as those who want more privacy while using the Tor service. Although some VPN providers do offer VPN+Tor services for enhanced privacy, none of them have created a new website just for the use of Tor users. With the move, ExpressVPN joins the ranks of Facebook, DuckDuckGo, Blockchain and ProPublica who have a presence within the Tor network.

The Advantages of Using Tor

Tor is a worldwide network of servers which routes data through at least three nodes in order to hide the origin of the web request. The network, which can only be accessed via the Tor browser, is a great way to hide online activities as well as bypass all forms of censorship. Due to the nature of the service, it is often used by journalists and whistleblowers working in high-risk countries and situations. In addition, the network is also used by over 2 million users worldwide to hide their IP addresses, browse the dark web and enhance their privacy.

Although using the Tor service is a great way to remain anonymous online, it is not without its share of flaws. For instance, it was reported last year that Tor users can be identified easily just by analyzing traffic passing through the network (https://vpncoupons.com/new-research-shows-tor-users-can-be-identified-with-95-percent-accuracy/). Also, since the exit node traffic is not obfuscated in Tor, it becomes possible for the service providers as well as government agencies to study and even modify it for their own benefits. Due to these issues, Tor is not recommended as a replacement of Virtual private Networks. As a matter of fact, security experts recommend using Tor in conjunction with a VPN service to experience highest level of privacy and anonymity on the internet.

By creating a .onion website within Tor, ExpressVPN aims to address the privacy challenges associated with the network. The move will not only make it harder for the authorities to conduct exit node tracking emanating from Tor, it will significantly improve browsing speeds for ExpressVPN users who use the anonymity network. And since ExpressVPN has servers within 80+ countries, users can choose exit nodes of their choice from virtually any part of the world. It’s really a win-win situation for the end users since now they can browse the internet securely without compromising on browsing speeds.

How To Access ExpressVPN’s .onion website?

It is very easy to access ExpressVPN’s .onion website:

1) First of all, you need to download and install Tor browser available from the following location:
https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en

The browser is available for all major operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux and Android; so you can use the service regardless of your OS or device. Using the browser is extremely easy as well since it is designed to mimic the functionality of popular browsers such as Mozilla Firefox.

2) Open the browser and head to http://expressobutiolem.onion to hide your IP (location) and secure your online activities.

Launching a .onion website is indeed a great move from ExpressVPN. Let’s hope other VPN service providers would follow suit and launch similar services to enhance the privacy of their users.

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June 23, 2017

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