This is what I don't get. Why browse the web through this URL email method? It doesn't hide him from the government (arguably easier to track emails from a specific address instead of a changing IP). I guess it'd disguise him from the viewpoint of websites, but wouldn't Tor or a VPN accomplish the same? Seems like a lot of work for little (if any) benefit.

EDIT: nevermind, just read elsewhere that this technique was for offline browsing and now he does use a browser.