Skip to content
MANTIS
LearnGet the app

Law

Is Tor legal? A country-by-country guide for 2026

Using Tor is legal in the US, UK, Germany, India and Australia. In China it’s blocked and legally risky. What each country’s rules say, compared.

Updated · 3 min read

Written and fact-checked by the Mantis Payments team. Reviewed by Basit Nasir, Founder and CEO.

In short

  • As of November 2026, using Tor is legal in the US, the UK, Germany, India and Australia.
  • In China, no law we found names Tor, but rules forbid unapproved connections abroad, and Tor is blocked.
  • Crimes stay crimes over Tor in every country, and investigators have identified Tor users.
  • Your provider can see that you use Tor; a bridge reduces that risk and can help where Tor is blocked.
  • OONI’s tests suggest some Indian networks block Tor, while Jio and Airtel don’t appear to.

As of November 2026, using Tor is legal in five of the six countries our guides cover: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India and Australia. China is the exception. No law we found names Tor there, but rules from 1996 forbid connecting abroad through unapproved channels, and Tor is blocked. Everywhere, what you do over Tor is covered by the same laws as anything else you do online.

This guide compares the six side by side, then covers what applies everywhere. Each country has its own guide with the details and primary sources. For how Tor works, start with What is Tor Browser?

Is Tor legal? The six countries we cover

WhereUsing TorWorth knowing
United StatesLegalThe State Department is among the Tor Project’s current funders.[1] Since 2016, federal rules have let a judge authorise remote searches of computers whose location is hidden, for example by anonymising software.[2]
United KingdomLegalThe National Crime Agency’s CEOP Education team says using the Tor browser isn’t illegal.[3] Providers can be required to keep internet connection records for up to 12 months.[4]
GermanyLegalHosts more Tor relays than any country except the US.[5] The Criminal Code’s § 127 targets platforms built for crime.[6]
IndiaLegal; no law we found bans itOONI’s tests suggest some networks block Tor.[7] Government staff are told not to use it at work.[8]
AustraliaLegal; no law we found bans itProviders keep customers’ metadata for two years, but not their web browsing history.[9] Police have warrants aimed at crime on the dark web.[10]
ChinaUnclear and riskyRules from 1996 forbid connecting abroad through unapproved channels.[11] 95% of OONI’s Tor tests from China in 2026 flagged possible blocking.[12]

What’s illegal everywhere?

Tor changes how your traffic travels, not what the law allows. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s legal FAQ, which the Tor Project hosts, says Tor isn’t designed or intended for breaking the law.[13] The UK’s CEOP Education team gives examples of what stays illegal over Tor or the dark web: buying or selling illegal items, promoting terrorism, and accessing indecent material, including images of child sexual abuse.[3] The same holds in each country we cover; the country guides give examples.

Tor makes people hard to identify, not impossible. The Tor Project says perfect anonymity is generally impossible, even with Tor.[14] Our country guides describe real cases, from personal mistakes in the US to a German case, reported in 2024, in which police used timing analysis.

Can your internet provider see that you use Tor?

Yes, by default, in every country. Tor tries to stop anyone watching your connection from learning which sites you visit, but it doesn’t hide the fact that you’re using Tor. Connecting through a bridge reduces that risk.[14] Bridges are entry points to Tor whose addresses aren’t published, which is also why they can help where Tor is blocked.[15] A bridge doesn’t change what’s legal where you are.

Where is Tor blocked?

Of the six countries we cover, the clearest case is China, where the Great Firewall blocks Tor’s ordinary connections and nearly all of OONI’s Tor tests in 2026 flagged anomalies.[12] In India, the same test came back normal in 97–99% of runs on Jio and Airtel, but flagged anomalies in nearly every run on BSNL, Vodafone Idea and Tata Teleservices.[7] OONI, the Open Observatory of Network Interference, treats an anomaly as a sign of possible blocking, not proof of it.

Is it legal to run a Tor relay?

Relays are the volunteer-run servers that carry Tor traffic. In the US, EFF believes running one is legal, though it can’t guarantee you’ll never face legal liability, and it advises against running an exit relay from home.[13] For Germany, the Tor Project’s guidelines for exit operators point to the laws that shield communication services from liability for their users’ actions.[16] The rules differ elsewhere, so read the guide for your country before you start.

For the details, read the guide for the US, the UK, Germany, India, Australia or China. On a phone, see Tor on iPhone and Android.

Questions people ask

Is Tor illegal in any country?

Of the six countries our guides cover, China comes closest. No law we found names Tor, but rules from 1996 forbid connecting abroad through unapproved channels, and people have been fined for using unapproved VPNs. We don’t cover every country, so check the rules where you live.

Is it illegal to visit the dark web?

In the US, the UK, Germany, India and Australia, we found no law against visiting onion sites as such. What’s illegal is what you do there, such as buying illegal goods or accessing child sexual abuse material. China is different, because reaching onion sites means using Tor.

Can police track Tor users?

Tor makes it hard, not impossible. Investigators have identified Tor users through personal mistakes, court-approved hacking and, in a German case, timing analysis that the Tor Project blamed on an outdated chat app.

Sources

  1. [1]Sponsors, Tor Project
  2. [2]Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 41: Search and Seizure, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
  3. [3]The Dark Web: A short guide for professionals, CEOP Education, National Crime Agency, 23 February 2018
  4. [4]Investigatory Powers Act 2016, section 87: Powers to require retention of certain data, legislation.gov.uk
  5. [5]Relay Search: relays by country, Tor Metrics
  6. [6]§ 127 StGB: Betreiben krimineller Handelsplattformen im Internet, Gesetze im Internet, Federal Ministry of Justice
  7. [7]OONI measurement data: Tor test results in India by network, 1 May–10 November 2026, OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) API
  8. [8]Guidelines on Information Security Practices for Government Entities, CERT-In, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
  9. [9]Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Part 5-1A, data retention), Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Government
  10. [10]New powers to combat crime on the dark web, 25 August 2021, Minister for Home Affairs
  11. [11]中华人民共和国计算机信息网络国际联网管理暂行规定 (Interim Provisions on the Administration of International Networking of Computer Information Networks, 1996, revised 1997), Cyberspace Administration of China
  12. [12]OONI measurement data: Tor test results in China, 1 May–10 November 2026, OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) API
  13. [13]The Legal FAQ for Tor Relay Operators, Electronic Frontier Foundation, hosted by the Tor Project
  14. [14]Tor Browser best practices, Tor Project Support
  15. [15]Where to find Tor bridges?, Tor Project Support
  16. [16]Tor Exit Guidelines, Tor Project Community

More on Tor and private browsing

All guides