> A natural question is how this differs from something like Tor. In a nutshell, Tor offers identity protection before you enter a P2P network, and Dandelion offers identity protection inside the P2P network.
The explanation for why Tor is different makes no sense. Instead of using a highly audited, 20 year proven, research backed protocol, let's invent something else? NIH syndrome
Dandelion is used to improve privacy of broadcasting (cryptocurrency transactions) and comparing it to Tor is confusing. Tor is trying to hide who is talking with who, Dandylion hide who is the originator of a message that everyone will receive.
My understanding is that TOR also provides the latter - as that is specifically the purpose of the "onion" routing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion_routing
I had the impression that onion services are exactly that: protection inside the P2P network.
The linked paper itself seems to make no such claim and actually references it for its similarity!