Tor, Privoxy (need help making it work)

I installed Tor and Privoxy for anonymous web surfing but am having
problems, could use some help. (I have only good intentions, tonight on
NBC news they showed how the US Gov wants ISPs to keep two years data on
citizens surfing activity, that just plain should bother everyone). Ok, I
installed tor and privoxy by urpmi. Then I configured
/etc/privoxy/conf
and added the line (per the instructions at Tor website) to the top of
that file,
forward-socks4a / localhost:9050 .
then restarted each service
#service privoxy restart
#service tor restart
Then I went into Firefox and confired proxy so that http uses localhost
and port 8118 but then when I try to go to any webpage I get an error page
saying
503 This is Privoxy 3.0.3 on localhost (127.0.0.1), port 8118, enabled
Connect failed.



Your request for http://yahoo.com/ could not be fulfilled, because the
connection to yahoo.com (192.168.1.100) could not be established.

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:12:19 -0500, Beowulf inscribed to the world:

> I installed Tor and Privoxy for anonymous web surfing but am having
> problems, could use some help. (I have only good intentions, tonight on
> NBC news they showed how the US Gov wants ISPs to keep two years data on
> citizens surfing activity, that just plain should bother everyone). Ok, I
> installed tor and privoxy by urpmi. Then I configured
> /etc/privoxy/conf
> and added the line (per the instructions at Tor website) to the top of
> that file,
> forward-socks4a / localhost:9050 .
> then restarted each service
> #service privoxy restart
> #service tor restart
> Then I went into Firefox and confired proxy so that http uses localhost
> and port 8118 but then when I try to go to any webpage I get an error page
> saying
> 503 This is Privoxy 3.0.3 on localhost (127.0.0.1), port 8118, enabled
> Connect failed.
> Your request for http://yahoo.com/ could not be fulfilled, because the
> connection to yahoo.com (192.168.1.100) could not be established.

I can get privoxy to work by commenting out
forward-socks4a / localhost:9050 .
in /etc/privoxy/conf so my problem must have to do with Tor, and/or the
use routing of privoxy requests to tor. Do I have the line wrong perhaps
for "forward-socks4a / localhost:9050 ." as it does seem odd to have that
forward slash in there with a space on each side, but that is what seems
to be indicated at "Step Two" at
http://tor.eff.org/docs/tor-doc-unix.html.en

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:12:19 -0500, Beowulf inscribed to the world:
...

Update: Tor and Privoxy are both working! whatismyip.com returns
an ipaddress that is not mine, etc. As always, seems to have been a
router firewall issue. I made sure my router did port forwarding of
8118-8118 forwarded to 127.0.0.1
9050-9050 forwarded to 127.0.0.1
I also made sure the first time running privoxy to do
#cd /etc/privoxy
#privoxy conf
since the conf file says to add the conf filename as an argument the first
time it is used and anytime the conf file is edited. Then of course I
restarted privoxy and tor just be certain all changes took place
#service tor restart
#service privoxy restart

Now the question is how to I automatically have tor and privoxy start
during each boot, or will that happen automatically now that they are
installed?

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:59:26 -0500, Beowulf inscribed to the world:
...
> Now the question is how to I automatically have tor and privoxy start
> during each boot, or will that happen automatically now that they are
> installed?

:) tor and privoxy work after a reboot!

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:43:03 -0500, Beowulf inscribed to the world:
...

Got both tor and privoxy working great, was a firewall issue in my router.

Beowulf wrote:

> On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:59:26 -0500, Beowulf inscribed to the world: ..
>> Now the question is how to I automatically have tor and privoxy start
>> during each boot, or will that happen automatically now that they are
>> installed?
>
> :) tor and privoxy work after a reboot!

You may want to get the "Switch Proxy Tool" Extension for your Firefox.
Also be sure to update to Firefox 1.5.0.4, just released Thursday evening,
-Critical.

If you have the resources available (bandwidth, etc.) please consider
running a Tor server.

responder wrote:
> Beowulf wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 19:59:26 -0500, Beowulf inscribed to the world: ..
>>> Now the question is how to I automatically have tor and privoxy start
>>> during each boot, or will that happen automatically now that they are
>>> installed?
>> :) tor and privoxy work after a reboot!
>
> You may want to get the "Switch Proxy Tool" Extension for your Firefox.
> Also be sure to update to Firefox 1.5.0.4, just released Thursday evening,
> -Critical.
>
> If you have the resources available (bandwidth, etc.) please consider
> running a Tor server.

I can second that because for general web browsing, at least on my
system, privoxy+tor is rrreeeaaalllyyyy sssssllloooowwww.

With the switch proxy tool you can swap proxies in and out like that
<snap!>.

--
Mark E. Adams, 2004 -- drop the "dot" to email me.
http://adamslan.shyper.com -*- Mandriva User# 263042

CONSIDER: ===========---------,,,,,,,,,............. . . . . .
If it heals good, say it.

Beowulf wrote:

> I installed Tor and Privoxy for anonymous web surfing but am having
> problems, could use some help. (I have only good intentions, tonight on
> NBC news they showed how the US Gov wants ISPs to keep two years data on
> citizens surfing activity, that just plain should bother everyone).

It should bother everyone, and for many good reasons. Here is the
reference from AP served by Wired News:

http://wired.com/news/politics/0,710...?tw=wn_index_6

This is exactly what people have been objecting about for financial
reasons as what is called "an unfunded mandate". But this one is not
passed by congress as a law, but entirely proposed and provoked by the US
FBI, a subset of the US Executive branch, as in GW Bush. This costs money:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money

Money is different than "Capital", though the two are easy to confuse and
misunderstand. Wikipedia does not (yet) have an explanation of this
relationship.

This group is about security, not politics. If you want to read some good
writing about security, buy and read Bruce Schneier's books. (I get no
sales commission.)

Beyond Fear - http://www.schneier.com/bf.html
Secrets and Lies - http://www.schneier.com/sandl.html
Crypto-Gram - http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html

There are, of course, (*_of course_*) many, many other good voices active
and writing, whose writings should all be read. These are just
recommendations.

GWBUSH and his administration, acting as a "war president" in a war that
he failed to prevent, in a war, in several wars that he started under
false pretenses and under the color of law and under lies and deceptions,
has already bankrupted the US economy with repercussions that will take
decades to be fully seen. Any failed state is a security hazard.

In the immediate sense, the cost of the requested 2 year retention of
detailed records by ISP's, can only be borne by the end users. That is
cost without benefit to the users.

Beyond that, there is no assurance or even credible assertion that this
measure would improve prevention of stated heinous activity.

And even beyond that, this is a threat of blackmail and extortion by the
US executive for any internet user. Do we really think that "terrorists"
will leave clear-text e-mails for 2 years while getting ready for another
airliner hijacking? In the total view, this can only be used against
innocent and honest, non-criminal internet users.

And no, I am not opposed to catching abusers of children. And no, I am
not opposed to catching terrorists. All this will do is elevate access
costs, without any benefit to or by the already expensive and demonstrably
incompetent FBI.

Tor is actually broken by NSA MITM. But at least they (NSA) have to
modestly work their immense, taxpayer funded, spying network to break it.
And it does keep out the casual snoopers. Please do use and support Tor.
Please do read and support eff.org.

Well anyway, that's the link. Lock your doors at night. Buy and read
Bruce's books. You will enjoy them. He writes much better than I do. He
knows more. I'm just sitting under this bridge and croaking up a few
words to those who pass above.

Have a good journey.

On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 00:13:59 -0600, Mark Adams inscribed to the world:
...
> I can second that because for general web browsing, at least on my
> system, privoxy+tor is rrreeeaaalllyyyy sssssllloooowwww.
>
> With the switch proxy tool you can swap proxies in and out like that
> <snap!>.

Yeah I am noticing the slower browsing, so I don't know I might only use
tor occassionally, not sure about using it now. And when I click my
shortcut bookmark for google.com I often end up at the german google site
which is annoying but usable.

On Sat, 03 Jun 2006 02:26:21 -0400, responder inscribed to the world:
...
> And even beyond that, this is a threat of blackmail and extortion by the
> US executive for any internet user. Do we really think that "terrorists"
> will leave clear-text e-mails for 2 years while getting ready for another
> airliner hijacking? In the total view, this can only be used against
> innocent and honest, non-criminal internet users.

Yeah, I should think terrorists and such know not to do their
communications from home PCs using plain text, etc. They would use
cybercafes and laptops with wifi at hotspots, no trail. It is the average
honest citizens who will get hosed by tracking their surfing activity--
like such info used by divorce attorneys, etc.-- article on that in my
local paper today, etc.


> And no, I am not opposed to catching abusers of children. And no, I am
> not opposed to catching terrorists. All this will do is elevate access
> costs, without any benefit to or by the already expensive and demonstrably
> incompetent FBI.
>
> Tor is actually broken by NSA MITM. ..

Hmm, did not know that. Honestly, I have only good intentions using Tor,
or Privoxy, I just in principle do not like the idea of my surfing tracked
and recorded, not that I do anything nefarious. These days you can get
into trouble surfing for info even with no bad intentions I suspect, but
still the law will get you. I mean, suppose a person teaches microbiology--
so she surfs to research germ warfare and microbial toxins and might have
her ass haulted into the FBI dungeons to be held indefinately, where all
she was doing was learning material to be sure to know the subject matter
in teaching.