DAWN is Now on ToR: New Secure Mirror Website Bypasses Censorship and Surveillance

(Washington, D.C., March 13, 2023): In partnership with The Tor Project, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) has deployed a mirror website through the Tor Browser that is resistant to network censorship and surveillance, said the organization today. Readers in a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) where DAWN's website is surveilled or blocked, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, can now safely access DAWN's content.

"DAWN's website is subjected to censorship and surveillance by many authoritarian governments in the MENA region," said Sophie Holin, Communications Associate at DAWN. "With the launch of our mirror website on Tor, we're providing our readers safe and secure access to critical resources and information." 

The Tor Browser is similar to other internet browsers, except that it protects the privacy of users by encrypting internet traffic and passing it through random volunteer-run servers, also called relays. Many human rights organizations and news media outlets make use of services such as Tor to provide a way for their readers and audiences to access the content they publish safely, anonymously, and without access restrictions.

Here is how you can access DAWN's site on Tor:

1) Download the Tor Browser

• On Windows, MacOS, Android, Linux: https://www.torproject.org/download/
• On iOS: https://onionbrowser.com/
• The Tor Project website could be blocked on your network so there are multiple alternative methods to download Tor Browser:
  • Through official website mirrors: https://tor.eff.org/ or http://tor.calyxinstitute.org/
  • Messaging @GetTor on Telegram: https://t.me/gettor_bot 
  • Emailing GetTor to receive links to download browser: gettor@torproject.org  (from a Gmail or Riseup email)
• If you're still facing issues downloading Tor, contact frontdesk@torproject.org or https://t.me/torprojectsupportbot on Telegram.

2) Connect to Tor

• When you run Tor Browser for the first time, you will see the Connect to Tor window.
• If Tor is blocked, the "Connection Assist" window will popup and offer to automatically apply settings that might work best in your location.
• If you're still facing issues connecting to Tor, contact frontdesk@torproject.org or https://t.me/torprojectsupportbot on Telegram.

3) Access DAWN's onion site

• Copy and paste the following URL into the Tor Browser: https://www.dawnorg2dwjuwubz3bqjt5755v4zyhv75lysu4l6hglqsov4pdg3gqid.onion
• Alternatively, you can visit https://dawnmena.org/ and then click on the purple pill that appears on the right side of the URL bar marked ".onion available".

4) Navigate DAWN's site anonymously!