# Tor: Can an exit relay read my traffic?

An exit relay can observe traffic between itself and an ordinary website when that traffic is not protected by HTTPS or another end-to-end encryption layer.

2026-08-16
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Switchboard Tech Services


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## Short answer

An exit relay can observe traffic between itself and an ordinary website when that traffic is not protected by HTTPS or another end-to-end encryption layer. HTTPS protects the content in transit to the website. The exit still knows which destination it contacts, and a website still knows what you submit to it. Onion services do not use an exit relay for the final connection.

## Sources

[Tor Project: Secure connections](https://tb-manual.torproject.org/en-US//secure-connections/), [Tor Project: Onion services](https://support.torproject.org/tor-browser/features/onion-services/).

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Canonical URL: https://switchboardtechservices.com/guides/tor-can-an-exit-relay-read-my-traffic/

Language: en-us

Content type: guide

Author: Switchboard Tech Services

Published: 2026-08-17T04:13:09+00:00

Description: A practical answer to Can an exit relay read my traffic?