Why does TOR stream data when it’s not in use?

[xiando]

> Hi, I’m new to TOR. I’ve been using it for some weeks for
> online privacy. I’ve installed TOR and Privoxy from the latest
> Windows Vidalia Bundle and configured my Internet Explorer 7 manually.

I strongly advice you to switch to a free software operating system such as 
GNU/Linux if you use Tor for more than fun and play. Atleast start using a 
free software browser.

> Everything seems to work fine when I test my connection on such testing
> sites on the internet. My question is: When I start Privoxy and TOR, my
> computer starts immediately to stream data over the internet. It mostly
> downloads, and sometimes it downloads 1MB of data each minute, or more,
> for a long while. It also sends data, but in a much lower rate. This

My Tor data-directory is about 50 MB, it's normal that it downloads or updates 
the list of Tor-servers when you start it. It's also normal that it 
establishes circuts, which uses a low amount of outgoing bandwidth.

> seems to be strange, because I don’t have any active internet
> application running - and as soon as I shut down the TOR engine, the
> streaming stops. The reason for me looking at this as strange or
> suspicious is because sometimes this happens and sometime it
> doesn’t when I start the TOR engine. Sometimes I just need to shut
> it down and restart it, and after a new circuit is made, the connection
> is inactive unless I start to use internet application, such as browsing
> the web. Why does this happen?
> Is every TOR user a TOR Server or Exit Node as well? Thanks in advance,

Tor's default configuration will give you client mode only and not allow 
relaying nor exiting through your Tor-engine.

One possible reason for the traffic you are seeing (note that this is only 
speculation) could be that your IE is infected with spyware which uses the 
proxy settings. It could also be that the buildt-in IE spyfeatures uses the 
proxy connection for something, we can only speculate as to what the code in 
the Windows Vidalia Bundle or it's "updates" do -- which is why I recommend 
that you seriously consider using a open free software OS. Using Tor doesn't 
help you much when you are using software which spies on you and reports 
everything you do, regardless of that being done over an anonymous connection 
or not.

> Greetings from Norway

Keep using Tor, I might have avoided being tortured by Politiets 
Sikkerhetstjeneste and having to flee from Norway if I had started using it 
earlier and taken steps to conceal my identity. Then again I had no idea that 
covert torture of people critical to the regime is a standard practice in 
Norway before I found out the hard way.
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