New threats in the cyberspace based on the analysis of The Onion Router

New technologies transform modern societies and create new threats related to anonymity on the Internet. The aim of the present paper is to outline the history, functioning and current scope of application of The Onion Router. The paper analyses the issue of anonymity on the Internet which triggered a number of international, social and political problems and became the driving force for the development of TOR network. The author discusses the significance of TOR network for free flow of information and freedom of social communication and shows the wide thematic range of its resources. Other issues presented in the paper include: the payment system used in TOR network which is based on Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency which proved to be an ideal form of payment in illegal transactions; the most frequently committed cybercrimes and new, previously unknown forms of illicit cyberbehaviour based on anonymizing technologies which pose a challenge for law enforcement agencies and the judicial systems. TOR network by offering full anonymity to the world of crime, considerably contributes to the development of cybercrime and takes the illegal activity in an entirely new dimension. TOR network although originally created with good intentions, has turned into a global threat.