*** UPDATE:  Note that OpenPogo has been updated to PlugApps, and there are numerous compatibility issues with the upgraded V2 Pogoplug.  These instructions apply to V1 Pogoplugs only, at the state OpenPogo was in when the article was written.  For more information on the current state of PlugApps for both versions of Pogoplug, click here and here. *** 

The death of Internet anonymity (it's debatable if there ever was any) is a scary thing, though most people don't concern themselves with it.  Some folks prefer to browse the Internet over some sort of proxy service, which can mask identifying information about your computer, such as your IP address.

The Tor project uses a system called "second generation onion routing," which, according to their website, sends your communications around a "distrubuted network of relays" across the world... thus preventing others from learning your location, among other things.  In this article, using the OpenPogo framework, I'm going to show you how to install a Tor server on your Pogoplug that you can use to access the Internet by proxy.

Note: The Tor service in no way guarantees complete online privacy.  It's important that you read all the docs available on the Tor project's site to see what it can and cannot do for you.

[If you haven't yet installed OpenPogo yet, click here for more information on getting started - OpenPogo MUST be installed for this tutorial to work.]

Installing Tor

First, you'll have to SSH or PuTTY into your Pogoplug.

Then, execute the following command to install Tor: ipkg install tor nano

Followed by: mv /opt/etc/tor/torrc.sample /opt/etc/tor/torrc

Configuring and Running Tor

Now, you'll need to make some changes to the Tor configuration file to get it to work properly. I used the sample configuration from the OpenPogo website, changing only the "DataDirectory" parameter.

First, type this to edit the configuration file in a text editor: nano /opt/etc/tor/torrc

You can modify it if you want, or merely replace it with what I have below.  Type Ctrl-K to clear all the lines from the document, then copy and paste this in as shown in the photo above.

DataDirectory /opt/etc/tor/
ORPort 9001
DirPort 9030
Nickname PogoTor # Change this
RunAsDaemon 1 # Remove # to run in bkgd
Address your.pogoplug.ip.addy # Change to the IP of your Pogoplug
OutboundBindAddress your.pogoplug.ip.addy # Change to the IP of your Pogoplug
SocksListenAddress 0.0.0.0:9100
BandwidthRate 20 KB # Throttle traffic to 20KB/s (160Kbps)
BandwidthBurst 50 KB # Allow bursts up to 50KB/s (400Kbps)
# To run Exit Mode, add # in front of the following:
ExitPolicy reject *:* # middleman only -- no exits allowed

Once you're done, type Ctrl-X, then type Yes, and press Enter to save.  You can now run the program by simply typing: tor

Note that my config above sets Tor to run in the background.

Setting Up Your Browser

Now, you'll need to configure your browser to use the Tor proxy instead of your default connection.  As the OpenPogo site suggests, I used FoxyProxy, a handy Firefox add-on to make connecting to a proxy quite simple.  All you really need to do is type in the address of your Pogoplug as the proxy, and indicate that it is a SOCKS v4 proxy.  Also ensure that you have the new proxy that you set up to be used for all URL's.  Most other browsers should support a proxy in some way. (Note that the Tor website suggests that you use Torbutton, another Firefox add-in.  I was unable to get it to work for some reason.)

Conclusions/Experience

After some preliminary tests with my proxy setup, I can confirm, for sure, that it works - see the photos above.  My native IP address is on the left, the one I had under Tor (somewhere in Salt Lake City) is to the right. You can check your own setup at https://check.torproject.org/

However, it works slowly, regardless of the site I visit.  The added security is great, but for me, not worth the trade-off in speed.

Has anyone else installed and used the Tor server on their Pogoplug?  Are you having a similar experience?  Please post here or on the forums!