See who can see what when a message travels directly, through a VPN, through Tor, to an onion service or through I2P. Every site and relay in the lab is made up, and no real network traffic is sent. The lab runs in your browser and sends none of your choices anywhere. Like every page on this site, it counts page views with the Foundation's self-hosted metrics, which use no cookies. This lab is part of a lesson written for readers 18 years of age or older.
Choose how your message travels, then select any stop on the path to see what it can learn.
| Stop | Your address | The site you chose | Your message |
|---|
Wrap a short message in three layers, one for each Tor relay, then pass it along and watch what each relay learns.
Illustration only. Real Tor builds a path by agreeing keys with each relay, sends fixed-size cells, and uses strong encryption. This lab shows the idea with readable layers and does not encrypt anything.
Pick the tool that fits each situation best, then check your answers.
Check the laws and rules where you live, work or study. Do not install software on a school or work device without permission. Tools named here are examples, not recommendations.
This is a teaching tool. All sites, relays and companies are made up, and any resemblance to real ones is a coincidence. Dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0.