[jamieweb]

I find Tor most useful as a networking tool rather than a security/privacy tool.

The Hidden Service functionality is great for breaking out of Carrier Grade NAT, normal NAT, or any other restricted network environment.

A prime example of this is being able to SSH into devices running on a 4G LTE connection. You're behind CGNAT so the public IP address is not unique to you, and you definitely can't port forward as you're just a customer and not in control of the ISP systems. If you run a Hidden Service, you can break right out - and it's secure too, as long as you use the new Onion v3 spec rather than the original Onion v2.

I agree that Tor seems to have a large stigma though - I find that the terms 'Tor' and 'Onion' usually make people who aren't aware think of the scary criminal underground. The term 'Hidden Service' isn't so bad. The idea that Tor is simply a networking tool seems new to most people.