New Books in Communications Ben Collier on Tor: From the Dark Web to the Future of Privacy
Mar 30, 2026
Paula Bialski, Associate Professor of Digital Sociology who asks sharp questions about online communities. Ben Collier, Senior Lecturer and author exploring Tor's history and social life. They discuss Tor's volunteer-run infrastructure, its many user motivations beyond crime myths, the tensions among engineers and activists, the hidden maintenance work that keeps Tor running, and how Tor might be woven into future apps for everyday privacy.
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How Tor Hides Who Communicates
- Tor is an anonymity overlay that bounces traffic through volunteer-run relays to hide who sent or received data.
- Ben Collier compares it to a postal system that prevents the post office from seeing sender or recipient details, ensuring metadata protection.
Hacker Conferences Had Surprising Spectacles
- Ben enjoyed attending maintainer conferences and hacker events where culture included bizarre creative projects like mechanized spiders.
- He describes watching people ride giant mechanized spiders at a field event as part of the community experience.
Join In To Do Research In Hacker Spaces
- To get access and trust in technical communities, participate and contribute rather than just observe.
- Ben joined conferences, presented work, and volunteered to become known so members would engage with him.
