Re: Do you really think you can hide?
"I don't use TOR because I don't download illegal content and don't need to look at "CP" Isn't that the basic assumption behind the reason for anyone using it?"
Daily Mail logic spotted. You have curtains on your windows and a lock on the bog's door, hence you have a meth lab in your bedroom and you rape kids in the john everyday.
"Sure, the stuff within the network is encrypted"
That doesn't prevent tracking, which is the issue discussed here. The content is not a concern.
"as soon as you convert that picture/mp3/data back into some form of recognisable file format to view it once it's left the exit node then it becomes fair game doesn't it?"
That's wrong on soooo many levels!
-The exit node is the one far away from you, not the one sending you the content directly. That would be the entry node.
-The entry node has your IP but doesn't send you the content in clear form, the final decryption step is performed on the target machine (i.e. your machine).
-In the context of hidden services (which is what is discussed here), there is no exit node. Everything originates from, and stays on the TOR network. As a corollary, everything is ecrypted at all times. Which is not the concern here anyway, we're talking tracking not content.