The Tor Project, Inc, became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2006,
but the idea of "onion routing" began in the mid
1990s.

Just like Tor users, the developers, researchers, and
founders who've made Tor possible are a diverse group of
people. But all of the people who have been involved in Tor
are united by a common belief: internet users should have
private access to an uncensored web.