Using Tor and IRC

irctor

How can I use Tor with IRC? I have noticed that some networks block Tor. How true is that?

I have a problem with flashing my IP adderss whenever I join a channel. Freenode provides a convenient unaffiliated tag for registered users that lets them hide their IP address. But not all networks provide this.

I have noticed many users with the : 

debian-tor@gateway/tor-sasl/<nick>

on Freenode. How do I get one?

Best Answer

There is no definite answer. Each network has its own rules regarding Tor and proxy servers in general.

For Freenode, you have to:

  1. Set up your IRC client for SASL authentication (KB article);
  2. Connect to the Freenode hidden service (KB article).

The Tor cloak will be applied automatically. However, you mentioned that you already have a generic unaffiliated/* cloak, so Tor should not be necessary on Freenode.

(Nevertheless, configuring SASL is a good idea, to ensure that your cloak – Tor or not – gets applied before joining channels.)

Alternatively, you can connect to IRC through a (proxy) server. Some people rent their own VPS and configure it as a proxy; others settle with an account on a public "shell server".

Whichever of these you choose, it is very easy to tunnel IRC over a generic SSH 'shell' connection.

Some people prefer to use bouncers instead – it's a kind of IRC proxy server that, in addition of hiding your actual address, allows your session to stay online 24/7 even if you disconnect from the bouncer. (IMHO, not much point in that, unless you want to keep complete logs of a channel.)

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