Tor Project removes relays because of for-profit, risky activity

Comments

• netchami@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Great reminder for people to run a node at home. I run 2 nodes at my house along with dozens of relays (including exit nodes) on different VPS providers. It’s not that complicated, you basically just need a spare computer that can run 24/7 and an internet connection. It greatly helps the Tor network and the people in countries like Russia, China, Iran, etc. who rely on Tor in order to bypass censorship and safely browse the open internet. You can watch this video on the topic of running Tor relays at home: youtu.be/npg3cBJusnA

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  • kpw@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I'd gladly run a relay, but an exit on my home ISP? I don't want to go to jail, no thank you: https://husovec.eu/2014/07/austrian-court-sentenced-tor-exit-node-html/

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    • subignition@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      According to your link, hosting an exit node was not a crime by itself, this person pretty much encouraged the illegal activity

      The Austrian Court found that this activity may lead to criminal liability for aiding and abetting of a crime of distribution of child pornography when coupled with other circumstances. Of course, mere provision of Tor Nodes would not be enough to establish at least indirect intent (bedingte Vorsatz), which such aiding and abetting under criminal laws usually requires (§ 5 StGB).
      In order to find such circumstances, according to PCWorld, the court cited transcripts of chat sessions uncovered during the investigation in which the Weber told an unidentified correspondent “You can host 20TB child porn with us on some encrypted hdds”, “You can host child porn on our servers” and “If you want to host child porn … I would use Tor.” Weber defended himself against this on his blog saying: “Yes, this logs existed – Yes, i recommended Tor to host anything anonymously, including child pornography – Yes, this is of course taken out of context.”

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    • domi@lemmy.secnd.me ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You can also run a obfs4 bridge, it’s an unlisted relay that only serves as entry node. If greatly helps out users in censored countries.

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    • netchami@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I was talking about middle/guard relays. The guide also refers to middle/guard nodes. I wouldn’t run an exit on my home internet connection either.

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  • nutsack@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    last time i used tor i could barely browse shit. most of the internet blocks tor.

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    • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I think that has changed. I tried Tor browser several years ago and it was awful. I started again two weeks ago for shits and gigs and haven’t had a single problem.

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• Xanthrax@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It was crypto scam wasn’t it?

  Edit: it was crypto scam…

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  • GigglyBobble@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I really wish we could call it tokens (or scam) and make "crypto" stand for cryptography again...

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    • computergeek125@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You have my bow!

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• kpw@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I don't get how they intended to make money by running a relay? What was the business plan here?

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  • yesman@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    It’s crypto, you can’t understand it unless you already believe in it.

    From the outside, blockchain looks like a spread sheet that’s so difficult to edit, you have to turn it into a slot-machine to incentivize people to try. But I don’t understand blockchain.

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  • thanevim@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Selling the data, presumably

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    • kpw@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      What data? Tor is designed in a way you don't have any useable data if you don't control a significant portion of the network. And even if they could control it, how much is that data worth anyways? ISPs don't get rich selling traffic data afaik. Blackmailed maybe?

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• Infiltrated_ad8271@kbin.social ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  As I understand it, they have only been deleted from the public lists, right?

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  • smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Right, Tor project cannot shut down a relay, but can make most of the network not use it.

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