Banning online anonymity systems such as Tor in Britain is neither practical nor acceptable, according to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

The opinion from Post, which provides independent analysis of public policy issues related to science and technology, is offered in a new paper about the darknet and online anonymity.

The prime minister warned last year of the rise of the darknet as he announced measures to remove “digital hiding places for child abusers”.

Tor is the most popular anonymous online system with some 2.5m users daily and a “very small fraction” of their activity is accounted for by hidden websites described as Tor Hidden Services (THS). They are denoted by a .onion suffix rather than .co.uk or .com.

“Computer experts argue that any legislative attempt to preclude THS from being available in the UK over Tor would be technologically infeasible,” Post states.

The paper also counters the view that the darknet is solely a hotbed of activity for paedophiles, criminals and terrorists and points out that it can be used for positive purposes such as whistleblowing, anonymous activism and journalism.



It also points out that victims of digital abuse such as cyber-stalking have used Tor to protect their personal security and privacy.

‘Increasingly used by paedophiles’

David Cameron said last year that the darknet was “increasingly used by paedophiles to view sickening images”.

But according to the paper, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) of the UK National Crime Agency says that Tor hidden services plays “only a minor role in the online viewing and distribution of indecent images of children”.

It adds: “According to CEOP, Tor is less popular among offenders because it decreases the speed at which images can be downloaded.”

Post admits that THS may create criminal communities, where immoral behaviour and crimes are discussed openly. Adding that: “identifying criminals using Tor is time-consuming and it requires a high degree of skill.”