Note:
(a) Tor (anonymity network)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_(anonymity_network)
(previously an acronym for The Onion Router; The term "onion routing" refers to application layers of encryption, nested like the layers of an onion, used to anonymize communication; Originally sponsored by the US Naval Research Laboratory, which had been instrumental in the early development of onion routing under the aegis of DARPA
(b) The report cites
(i) Tor “has also been known to be used for criminal activity. A famous example was the Tor-based online market Silk Road, which was known as an "eBay for drugs" before the FBI shut it down in 2013.
“Although many news outlets reported on the recent tender as a reward for "cracking Tor", internet security experts doubted Tor could be successfully decrypted, let alone for a mere 3.9m roubles.
(ii) “Although many news outlets reported on the recent tender as a reward for "cracking Tor", internet security experts doubted Tor could be successfully decrypted, let alone for a mere 3.9m roubles.
(iii) “Unlike the Chinese system of internet censorship, which directly blocks websites such as Google, the Russian one is built on intimidation so that users ‘themselves become more cautious, and internet companies think up ways to block certain sites,’ [Andrei] Soldatov[, an expert on surveillance and security services.] said.
* There is no need to read the rest of the Guardian report.