Public Tor exit nodes are banned on the network due to abuse.

The AnonOps IRC Network does allow access through a Tor hidden service leaf server which users have to be manually added to by network administrators, but only after prerequisites are met by a user. Simply connecting to a standard server or via the webchat to the IRC network will result in an error message and a failed connection.

In order to be added to the Tor leaf, network administrators ask that a user register a nick and actively use the nick for a minimum of three days to show a genuine interest in using the network regularly.

The user is also asked to develop a basic knowledge of usage commands needed for IRC networks which includes learning the connecting user's identification string in the format [email protected] and understanding what each part means. To see an example of this simply /whois yourself. The first line displays your nick, username(ident)@AN-l33.k38.9vuj2o.IP (your cloaked ip/hostname - it will be random).

When, and only when, these prerequisites are met, a user can join the #help channel to request tor leaf access. Admins in this channel will briefly assess you; if they feel you cannot adequately complete the setup process due to a lack of knowledge then you will not be added.

Unlike help given for other topics, setup and configuration of IRC clients to work correctly with Tor is considered a more advanced subject and it is therefore up to the user to self-educate in these matters as step-by-step help will generally not be given.

• Must have a registered nick on our network.
• Must be visibly active in one or more channels for at least 3 days.
• Must know the hostmask format [email protected] and understand what each part means.

You must be approved by our network staff to use Tor on our network. All the information you need is on this page.

You will need to make some changes to the setup of your client to work with the Tor proxy provided by Torbrowser.

Make a New Network like AnonopsTor (or whatever you choose to call it) that will be used with Tor since the server address and port are different:

• Server: anonops532vcpz6z.onion
• Port: 443
• Check the box for SSL and accept invalid certificates, just like our other servers.
• Make sure the User Name under your nickname is the username(ident) you have registered for Tor.

Using Hexchat as an example, open Hexchat preferences and select Network Setup. Where it says Proxy Server enter:

• localhost
• 9150
• SOCKS5
• All Connections

in that order. Change nothing else on that page. Click OK.

You must have Tor running before trying to connect to IRC or it will fail.

Important: To go back to a non-Tor network you will have to come back to this preference and choose (disabled) for the proxy type. You can leave the other fields as they are.

Hexchat is compliant with all Xchat standard commands and can be used to connect to both Tor and non-Tor servers at the same time (Tor must be running!) by using the command line in a new Server tab. This is useful for testing your Tor setup while requesting Tor access with our network. For an example of this please see https://anonops.com/xchat.html.

When you join #help to request Tor access you will be evaluated on the following information.

• Must have a registered nick on our network.
• Must be visibly active in one or more channels for at least 3 days.
• Must know the [email protected] format and understand what each part means.
• Your Tor access will be linked to your ident, NOT your nick, and this is why you must understand it.

You will be asked to make a SINGLE connection attempt to verify your Tor/client setup is correct. If all is well you will see "Permission Denied."

Please do not spam our network with connection attempts!

You will be asked to provide the following:

• The ident (username) you will be using and
• Your password hash.

To make a password hash, do any of the following:

• /mkpasswd sha256 YourPasswordHere
• /raw mkpasswd sha256 YourPaswordHere
• /quote mkpasswd sha256 YourPasswordHere

Our staff will ask for the hash, not the plaintext password.

The plaintext password goes in your client in the SERVER password field, not the nickserv.

Remember, your Tor access is linked to your ident, not your nick.