Snowflake (software)

Snowflake
	User interface for the Snowflake browser extension
Original author(s)	Serene
Developer(s)	The Tor Project and community
Initial release	January 24, 2017
Repository	gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snowflake ;
Written in	Go, JavaScript
Included with	Tor Browser, Orbot
Predecessor	Flash proxy
Type	Internet censorship circumvention, Overlay network[citation needed]
License	3-clause BSD License
Website	snowflake.torproject.org

Snowflake is a software package for assisting others in circumventing internet censorship by relaying data requests. Snowflake proxy nodes are meant to be created by people in countries where Tor and Snowflake are not blocked.^[7] People under censorship then use a Snowflake client (packaged with the Tor Browser and Onion Browser)^[8] to access the Tor network, using Snowflake relays as proxy servers. Access to the Tor network can in turn give access to other blocked services (like blocked websites).^[7] A Snowflake proxy can be created by either installing a browser extension, installing a stand-alone program or browsing a webpage with an embedded Snowflake proxy. The proxy runs after the user has voluntarily enabled it and the browser or program is connected to the internet.

In contrast to regular VPNs and proxy services, launching a Snowflake proxy does not require port forwarding or having a dedicated IP address.^[1] Simply installing the browser extension is enough most of the time. The simplicity of launching a proxy warrants their numerosity, which makes it hard for the censors to block proxies by simply blocking their IP addresses.^[1]^[9]

As of 2024, Snowflake proxies are hosted on about 140 000 IP unique addresses concurrently.^[1] The average number of users that use Snowflake to connect to Tor is 35 000 and 29 TB of their traffic is relayed by Snowflake proxies daily.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Cite error: The named reference snowflake-paper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b "Snowflake, a censorship circumvention system using temporary WebRTC proxies". USENIX. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
^ "Snowflake". Retrieved 26 July 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Snowflake WebExtension". Retrieved 26 July 2024.
^ "Snowflake". Retrieved 26 July 2024.
^ "Snowflake". Free Software Directory. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference zdnet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference ct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Fifield, David (15 December 2017). Threat modeling and circumvention of Internet censorship. www.bamsoftware.com (PhD thesis). EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2024.

[snowflake-paper-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Cite error: The named reference snowflake-paper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[wikidata-7686ad3ed88665ad795f9cff1f62dccd5a7913aa-v18-2] "Snowflake, a censorship circumvention system using temporary WebRTC proxies". USENIX. Retrieved 26 July 2024.

[wikidata-79131f0556d49affe4d03d7ab92c59944038e32c-v18-3] "Snowflake". Retrieved 26 July 2024.

[wikidata-9689fa3d958fea10c9582d997a832227fd905d5c-v18-4] "Snowflake WebExtension". Retrieved 26 July 2024.

[wikidata-68a80fd66405a104a1b8fc42c32d6658ae0d3e26-v18-5] "Snowflake". Retrieved 26 July 2024.

[wikidata-43ab9b68966125ccc0999fc5a007b71ecdcd8234-v18-6] "Snowflake". Free Software Directory. Retrieved 26 July 2024.

[zdnet-7] Cite error: The named reference zdnet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[ct-8] Cite error: The named reference ct was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[fifield-thesis-9] Fifield, David (15 December 2017). Threat modeling and circumvention of Internet censorship. www.bamsoftware.com (PhD thesis). EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2024.

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