Facebook as a Global Platform

Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More has grown from a college project into the world’s largest social network. Billions of people use the platform to connect, share photos, find news, and run businesses. With such massive popularity, however, came major challenges — from privacy concerns to censorship in countries with restricted internet access.

The Problem of Access and Censorship

In several countries, FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More has been blocked or heavily restricted. Governments often imposed these measures to limit free expression, while technical filters and firewalls created additional barriers. Traditional tools like VPNs or proxies were not always reliable or safe for users trying to reach the platform.

The Tor Mirror

In 2014, FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More launched its official mirror site on the Tor network:

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This was a groundbreaking move at the time, making FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More the first major tech company to provide direct access via onion routing. With this option, users could log into FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More through the Tor Browser, bypassing censorship while gaining an extra layer of privacy.

Why It Was Done

Bypassing censorship. The mirror gave users in restricted countries a safe and direct way to access FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More.

Secure connections. Tor routing encrypts traffic at every step, reducing the risk of interception.

Support for free speech. The official .onion address symbolized Facebook’s recognition of the importance of open communication and unrestricted access to information.

Protection against phishing. Before the launch, fake “FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More” onion sites posed risks. The official mirror helped solve this problem.

Broader Significance

Facebook’s Tor mirror marked an important milestone for digital rights. It showed that even global corporations could embrace anonymity tools to support user privacy and resist censorship. This step also encouraged other organizations and media outlets — including the BBC and ProPublicaProPublica is an independent nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative journalism. With a team of more than 150 reporters, it uncovers corruption, abuses of power, and systemic problems in politics, business, healthcare, education, the environment, and more. ProPublica goes beyond one-off stories, pursuing issues until they drive change—leading to new laws, policy reversals, and accountability for leaders. Funded primarily by donations, the organization is built on transparency, independence, and a commitment to serving the public interest. More — to create their own onion versions.