## ATOR: The Cryptocurrency That Incentivizes Private Internet Infrastructure

Since its inception, Bitcoin has been closely associated with privacy tools. Today, ATOR emerges as a revolutionary proposal that transforms the role of Tor within the digital ecosystem. The project addresses a critical gap in Internet: while millions seek online privacy, the Tor network lacks the infrastructure and incentives necessary to scale.

### The Problem Behind Internet Privacy

For years, Tor was perceived solely as a tool for illicit activities, associated with narratives about dark markets and criminal anonymity. This distorted view masked the reality: Tor is simply an encryption protocol that routes data traffic through multiple servers distributed worldwide, obscuring the connection between user and destination.

Online privacy should not be a privilege reserved for criminals. As our data is monetized without consent, protecting confidentiality becomes a fundamental necessity for any Internet user.

The current challenge is twofold: first, few understand the true importance of Tor or face technical friction in using it. Second, the network suffers from a critical bottleneck—only about 6,000 Tor relays are actively operating today, fully funded by volunteers, an amount insufficient even for the current 2 million daily users.

### How ATOR Solves the Equation

ATOR recognizes that Tor is already a powerful tool; it simply needs scaling and incentives. The solution combines three elements:

**Education and simplified access:** ATOR develops its own hardware router that acts as an access point to Tor, removing technical barriers for everyday consumers. The ATOR token functions as a reward mechanism for relay operators, based on a Proof of Uptime system.

**Decentralized infrastructure:** Anyone contributing a relay is rewarded with ATOR tokens. The network will also launch pre-configurable relay hardware, accessible via tokens, significantly expanding the potential participant base.

**Aligned vision:** Unlike cryptocurrency projects that focus solely on isolated DeFi mechanisms, ATOR builds upon an existing network with millions of real users.

### The Short-Term Opportunity

From a speculative perspective, ATOR presents a profile comparable to Helium (HNT), which reached a market cap of $6.2 billion. Helium allowed users to mine cryptocurrency using home hardware with low energy consumption, generating frantic speculative demand.

The fundamental difference: while Helium hardware contributes to its own isolated network with limited adoption, ATOR hardware extends Tor—a network already serving millions. This dual appeal, both moral and speculative, is unprecedented in the sector.

With a current market capitalization of $10 million (more than 500 times lower than Helium’s all-time high), the risk-reward ratio is remarkable.

### The Long-Term Transformation

The potential of ATOR goes beyond speculative considerations. With incentivized relays, the Tor infrastructure could be fundamentally transformed. Currently, the network operates with fewer than 10,000 relays; ATOR could turn its rewarded relays into a majority portion.

As awareness of Internet privacy grows and browsers facilitating access to Tor emerge, the likelihood that many users will adopt Tor as their default experience increases significantly. ATOR has the real potential to redefine how the world interacts with the Internet.

### Recent Progress

Just one month after launch, ATOR already demonstrates rapid execution. The team presented functional prototypes at ETH Denver, met with the Tor founder, integrated relay protocol engineers, demonstrated chain connections with IOST, and connected with key figures in the ecosystem. Its ERC20 token reached a capitalization of $10 million, but remains in early stages with extraordinary growth potential.