Using Tor without a VPN normalizes Tor usage and is important for its continued existence. Tor requires public volunteer nodes to be able to exist, and if people start being to scared to be seen using Tor even when its legal, it can destroy the entire network.
That's just a VPN-before-Tor setup though. A Tor-before-VPN setup is actually really bad for completely different reasons. The Tor protocol and browser go through a great deal of effort to ensure that even a single browser session is split up across many different Tor circuits. Usually unique circuit across browser tabs, websites, and sessions I believe.
However, when you pay for a VPN subscription, it completely destroys that. Suddenly every tab, website, and browser session is associated with the exact same VPN subscription. Maybe you buy the subscription anonymously, but with a Tor-before-VPN setup, the VPN can still build a profile of your browsing habits to make guesses about who you are. The same cannot be done by the exit nodes in a Tor only setup.
Personally, I think it's silly to warn people about Tor-before-VPN setups. Not only is Tor-before-VPN very difficult to set up even ON PURPOSE, but it actually has some niche applications, such as connecting to some kind of personal server associated with your identity, but without revealing to the VPS provider that you are connecting to it over Tor.
Tbh, I think most people bashing Tor just want to pick on the biggest guy on the block to make themselves feel better, even if in practice their opsec is not nearly good enough to justify dismissing Tor like that.
npub14p…kxw3v
2026-09-14 23:00:35 UTC
in reply to nevent1q…hep6
Author Public Key
npub14pa5q2kqs8ygfxuat02w88ezsle9wzwnu0meu7z2785t8rl0hhcspkxw3vSeen on
wss://nos.lolPublished at
2026-09-14 23:00:35 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "Using Tor without a VPN normalizes Tor usage and is important for its continued existence. Tor requires public volunteer nodes to be able to exist, and if people start being to scared to be seen using Tor even when its legal, it can destroy the entire network.\n\nThat's just a VPN-before-Tor setup though. A Tor-before-VPN setup is actually really bad for completely different reasons. The Tor protocol and browser go through a great deal of effort to ensure that even a single browser session is split up across many different Tor circuits. Usually unique circuit across browser tabs, websites, and sessions I believe.\n\nHowever, when you pay for a VPN subscription, it completely destroys that. Suddenly every tab, website, and browser session is associated with the exact same VPN subscription. Maybe you buy the subscription anonymously, but with a Tor-before-VPN setup, the VPN can still build a profile of your browsing habits to make guesses about who you are. The same cannot be done by the exit nodes in a Tor only setup.\n\nPersonally, I think it's silly to warn people about Tor-before-VPN setups. Not only is Tor-before-VPN very difficult to set up even ON PURPOSE, but it actually has some niche applications, such as connecting to some kind of personal server associated with your identity, but without revealing to the VPS provider that you are connecting to it over Tor.\n\nTbh, I think most people bashing Tor just want to pick on the biggest guy on the block to make themselves feel better, even if in practice their opsec is not nearly good enough to justify dismissing Tor like that.",
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