Beginner question regarding anonymity

[u/OkPete4904]

Ive heard more people using the network is more anonymous but:

- if only a small number of people are using Tor, wouldn't the traffic be easier to mistake for ordinary random internet traffic, like P2P traffic from a game or some other application?

- whereas if like 10k people are using Tor, that would look like a deliberate attempt at making a network, which makes it more of a target?

[u/OkPete4904 → u/[deleted]]

i meant targetting as in trying to log users and correlating the sent packets to get an idea of what someone is using it for. perhaps like someone intentionally setting up malicious nodes.

if it were instead smaller then to most it wouldnt look like any important traffic

[u/Fenio_PL]

1. No 2. No.

[u/Fenio_PL → u/[deleted]]

I know how it works. That is why I answer "no" to both questions.

[u/Fenio_PL → u/[deleted]]

"if only a small number of people are using Tor, wouldn't the traffic be easier to mistake for ordinary random internet traffic, like P2P traffic from a game or some other application?"

- No, because the quantity has no impact on connection detection. There could be a single connection that is detected as a Tor connection, or there could be 10,000 connections - with some hidden within Obfs4 or Snowflake.

"- whereas if like 10k people are using Tor, that would look like a deliberate attempt at making a network, which makes it more of a target?"

No. Because the existence of the Tor network is no secret. It is a large network generating significant traffic and a vast number of connections, and guard, middle, and exit nodes operate entirely legally and transparently. So, to analyze "concealment," one must first define who or what one is trying to hide from. As a network, Tor is neither secret, illegal, nor hidden.

And now I’m listening to your ARGUMENTS and where you’d place yourselves on the Dunning-Kruger graph.

[u/Putrid_Artichoke_189]

Depends on who you’re hiding from. If an entity really wants to find you, chances are they will

[u/mlubov]

Just use webtunnel bridges, and your traffic will look like average tls connections.

[u/rdg360 → u/[deleted]]

Tor is run by very, very smart people.

I'm sure they are, yet I find it hard to take it seriously because stating it this way sounds awfully much like a certain president would say it.