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First Library To Support Anonymous Internet Browsing Halts Project After DHS Email

Posted by Soulskill on from the won't-somebody-think-of-the-children dept.

An anonymous reader writes with an update to the news we discussed in July that a small library in New Hampshire would be used as a Tor exit relay. Shortly after the project went live, the local police department received an email from the Department of Homeland Security. The police then met with city officials and discussed all the ways criminals could make use of the relay. They ultimately decided to suspend the project, pending a vote of the library board of trustees on Sept. 15. DHS spokesman Shawn Neudauer said the agent was simply providing "visibility/situational awareness," and did not have any direct contact with the Lebanon police or library. "The use of a Tor browser is not, in [or] of itself, illegal and there are legitimate purposes for its use," Neudauer said, "However, the protections that Tor offers can be attractive to criminal enterprises or actors and HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] will continue to pursue those individuals who seek to use the anonymizing technology to further their illicit activity." ...Deputy City Manager Paula Maville said that when she learned about Tor at the meeting with the police and the librarians, she was concerned about the service’s association with criminal activities such as pornography and drug trafficking. "That is a concern from a public relations perspective and we wanted to get those concerns on the table," she said.

2 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Bullshit ... by sims+2 · · Score: 4, Informative

    My reasons? I like being able to use the net.

    Many websites preemptively ban tor exit node ip's

    If you have a extra ip you can dedicate to it its not a problem otherwise its a serious pita.

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    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
  2. Re:Bullshit ... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 4, Informative

    I hope the library board sends back a big fuck you like librarians sometimes do

    We're rallying outside the library on Tuesday to show our support for the Trustees and to let them know that the People support them. 80 Main St. West Lebanon, 6PM, for anybody north of Boston (2 hrs) who'd like to participate. RSVP if you're on Facebook.

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    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)