Today, we welcome the latest addition to our growing onion services community: Amnesty International, the international human rights non-profit, is launching their website as a .onion site: amnestyl337aduwuvpf57irfl54ggtnuera45ygcxzuftwxjvvmpuzqd.onion

Many countries use censorship systems to block access to human rights resources, including those published by Amnesty International, in a deliberate effort to suppress freedom of information and efforts to hold the powerful to account. Audiences seeking to access those resources on the Amnesty.org website can now do so safely and securely, and bypass such censorship attempts. Visitors can be sure to reach the desired destination through end-to-end authentication while eliminating all metadata associated with their session making it impossible for their identity or internet activity to be tracked. From location hiding to end-to-end encryption, .onion sites are particularly useful at maximizing internet users' privacy and anonymity because they never leave the Tor network.

"The .onion site provides a means for individuals around the world to exercise their rights to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association in a safe and secure online environment," said Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, Head of Security Lab at Amnesty Tech. "By making Amnesty International's website available as a secure .onion site on Tor, more people will be able to read our human rights research and engage with the vital work of speaking truth to power, and defending human rights."

Ensuring safe access to human rights research and resources

Onion services are currently the most censorship resistant technology out there because no internet provider or government can detect the connection to the .onion address or block access to it. Their encryption and decentralized nature make them valuable for whistleblowers, ensuring protection against surveillance and enabling access to information in regions with restricted internet access. That is why many news outlets, like the BBC, the New York Times, and Deutsche Welle, or social media platforms like Facebook or Reddit as well as messaging services and human rights organizations have .onion sites on the Tor network to provide secure and uncensored access for their users.

In 2022, we launched our Onion Support group to address the underutilization and lack of understanding of onion services, and further increase onion service adoption among civil society groups, and human rights organizations. We couldn't be happier that one of the most recognized human rights organizations has adopted an onion service to provide greater online protections for those seeking information, support, and advocacy. Amnesty's choice to offer an onion version of their website underlines the role of this open source privacy technology as a vital tool in our shared work of advancing human rights. We encourage others to follow suit and contribute to the broader acceptance of the Tor network and .onion sites.

If you want to learn more about onion services and are interested in setting up your own .onion site, check out our onion service resources and get in touch. You can also ask questions and start a discussion on the Tor Project Forum.

The Tor Project provides high-level support for onion service deployment and also trains team members on everything to do with Tor to co-create advocacy campaigns around the Tor network and onion services.