Sorry, can you explain what this means? Would my home IP address be the "entry IP address" you're referring to?
Tor works pretty much like this:
You -> Relay 1 -> Relay 2 -> Relay 3 -> The website
Each arrow is an encrypted connection. The content of the exchange on a single arrow is the address of the next hop and the query of the next hop. Thanks to this:
- Relay 1 only knows you're going through Relay 2
- Relay 2 doesn't know who's asking (you) but knows it passed through Relay 1 and is going through Relay 3
- Relay 3 doesn't know who's asking (you) and where you entered, but knows it's going to the website
The nodes in the middle know everything that goes through them, but don't have the big picture.
The entry IP address is the IP address of Relay 1. Your computer must know an address to connect to, and that address is distributed in listings by the Tor Project. Since this listing is public, it also makes it easier for censors to censor, or at least detect who's interested in connecting through Tor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLOUD_Act
So, don't use EC2 or stuff hosted by other US companies for things to you want to keep private from the US gov.
Also note the US gov shares intelligence with other countries, as mentioned by a sibling post.
GDPR has specific exemptions for law enforcement and national security. Governments are allowed to get the data by claiming it's for national security. Some EU countries may have better protections than others.
To give better advice I guess people would want to know what your risk model is. Who do you think is after your data? What do you want to protect?
Mostly curiosity: what is the highest degree I can obscure my web use and meta data with off-the-shelf technologies?
Someone who knows more can probably elaborate, but after hearing them present year after year, and how much global advocacy they engage in, and their transparency, I find it unlikely they have NSA spooks embedded.
I use it when I need to read something objectionable through a VPN. (Still not perfect, because I run a VPN on EC2 and the exit zone is in the US...)
Not trying to be flame-baity here, but with Trump's ranting about making ANTIFA a terror org, and with the recent legislation that allows warrant-less IP tracking, I am legitimately concerned I might end up on a watch list because I visit a website this admin finds objectionable.