Twitter has launched a privacy-protected version of its site to circumvent surveillance and censorship after Russia restricted access to its service in the country.
Moscow has blocked access to Facebook and limited Twitter in a bid to restrict the flow of information about its war in Ukraine. Both companies have said they are working to restore access to people inside Russia, even as they have restricted their services to the country’s state media.
Known as an “onion” service, users can access this version of Twitter by downloading the Tor browser, which allows people to access sites on the so-called “dark web.”
Instead of the .com suffix, onion sites use an .onion suffix.
Although the term “dark web” connotes illegal sites such as the now-defunct Silk Road drug market, the network is also frequently used by people seeking to remain anonymous for their safety and also to access sites censored by repressive governments.
Facebook and other sites like the BBC also have versions accessible on Tor.
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 Twitter account.
“This is possibly the most important and most anticipated tweet I have ever composed,” he wrote on Tuesday.
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