Police believe the measure could help combat crimes that abuse the service

Apr 19, 2013 07:26 GMT  ·  By

The Japanese National Police Agency (NPA) is urging Internet service providers (ISP) to help website administrators in blocking the use of Tor (The Onion Router), a system that allows users to communicate anonymously on the Internet.

The decision comes in light of numerous cases in which TOR has been abused to commit offences, The Mainichi informs.

The NPA says Tor has been abused over the past years to steal money from bank accounts, leak information from the Metropolitan police department, and post death threats on online forums. They claim it’s also often used by child abusers to publish messages on dating websites.

An expert panel has determined that blocking communications when IP addresses that connect to Tor are identified could be an effective measure to combat such crimes.

On the other hand, Tor is often used by activists and whistleblowers for legitimate purposes, so civil rights groups are opposing the measure. NPA representatives say they will try to provide additional explanations to reach an agreement with them.

Update. The article has been updated to clarify the fact that the NPA is asking ISPs to assist website administrators in blocking Tor. The initial story said ISPs were asked to block Tor.