Actually, if you look at how Tor works, the links are encrypted and tunneled together such that it is nearly impossible to trace a well formed route -- of course, assuming flash or a torrent client aren't giving up your IP within the data packets before it enters or after it exits the cloud.
You should think about learning more about how Tor works at http://torproject.org -- it's a lot more than a simple 3-hop proxy.
yrs, Shava Nerad former Tor staff, current volunteer
We deplore the treatment of our German volunteer at the hands of his law enforcement authorities. No one should be subject to such unjustified treatment.
The irony of all of this is that the actual Tor server involved in their putative investigation was 500 miles away in a colocation facility. Did they consult a network security forensics expert at all?
Tor is used by journalists, bloggers, human rights groups and many others for good ends. It acts as a "caller-ID block" mechanism for your Internet address. This is a basic element of Internet privacy, and is used by many individuals around the globe -- including military personnel and law enforcement.
But again and again we have seen Tor server operator volunteers harassed by law enforcement officials who are not adequately trained in Internet security.
We encourage law enforcement to contact us to better understand how Tor can help law enforcement, and how law enforcement can distinguish a Tor server -- which is no more liable, as far as we know, for the traffic that crosses it than any ISP, router, or switch that passes traffic without taking responsibility for the content of the traffic.
This attack is not using our network or our software, only abusing our reputation. We sent this release to slashdot and others, days ago:
==== The Tor Project, a US non-profit organisation producing Internet privacy software, is issuing an urgent warning about a spam email being circulated as a fake promotion for their software.
The real Tor software provides privacy on the Internet to journalists, bloggers and human rights activists all over the world. The spam email promotes the virtues of the software, but then directs people to a series of fake websites that contain malicious code that will attempt to take over visiting machines, and the downloaded software is fake and equally dangerous to run.
Shava Nerad, Development Director for the Tor Project said, "I am disgusted that criminals who want to recruit more machines for their illegal activities should trade on our reputation for providing privacy on the Internet. Fortunately we already have systems in place so that people can verify that they are downloading the official software. But this is a distraction from our work that we could do without." ====
This stuff makes us sad. But you won't even get a trojanned client, just a trojan. And the page you click through to will try to exploit holes in your browser security, so don't even click through.
Yrs, Shava Nerad Development Director The Tor Project
We sent this notice to slashdot days ago as a story, but it wasn't apparently interesting enough to post then...
==== The Tor Project, a US non-profit organisation producing Internet privacy software, is issuing an urgent warning about a spam email being circulated as a fake promotion for their software.
The real Tor software provides privacy on the Internet to journalists, bloggers and human rights activists all over the world. The spam email promotes the virtues of the software, but then directs people to a series of fake websites that contain malicious code that will attempt to take over visiting machines, and the downloaded software is fake and equally dangerous to run.
Shava Nerad, Development Director for the Tor Project said, "I am disgusted that criminals who want to recruit more machines for their illegal activities should trade on our reputation for providing privacy on the Internet. Fortunately we already have systems in place so that people can verify that they are downloading the official software. But this is a distraction from our work that we could do without." ====
This attack does not, as reported elsewhere, download a trojaned version of Tor *or* use our network. All it (ab)uses is our reputation.
Last week, a few Tor exit-node servers were seized by the German police in a massive sting against child pornography. From our friends on the ground in Germany, we hear that dozens and dozens of machines may have been seized.
So far as we know only six of those were Tor servers. We have heard from the server operators. None of them has been charged.
This is not a "crackdown" on Tor, as has been widely reported. We expect and hope that the volunteer Tor server operators in Germany will get their equipment back after this has blown over, and there will be no action against Tor.
Please contact me for more information at my work --
Shava Nerad executive director The Tor Project shava -at- freehaven -dot- net
Do you folks know that there are organizations trying to help people get access, get literate, get wired, fix up old computers, and so on?
My organization, Oregon Public Networking, helps people in rural Oregon get wired. We train them. We fix up old computers. Sometimes we help teach them to read and write, too. Sometimes we help them find social services, on or off the net.
There's probably a community network, or community technology center near you. If not, I can help you start one.
Now, I'm not talking to the free market libertarian crew, here. I'm talking to the people who believe in equity of opportunity, and that people want to help themselves but don't know how.
Even as staunch a capitalist as Carnegie knew that when he funded public libraries and turned them into a given of the American landscape -- in the past hundred years. Horace Mann did that when he started free public education, less than 200 years ago in this country.
Where would y'all have been without libraries and schools? Well, public networking, and access to computers is the next thing like that. It's our generation's gift.
So check out the material at Oregon Public Networking, especially the part with real stories of how people help themselves with net access, and check out my inet99 paper on public policy and the digital divide.
And if you'd like to help me, I could use some help putting together a slash-based community at digitaldivide.org, as a more friendly space to discuss how to help the people who *aren't* making money on this gig.
The net is empowering. If you want to keep it to yourself, that's your option, but I think it's selfish and fearful. There are a lot of us who believe that everyone should have the opportunity to make the most of their life, and we should all be helping each other live better.
Slashdot Mirror
...and lived to tell the tale (on Gamasutra)
um. If you care about anonymity, you can disable most of that in the browser. I recommend Firefox for the best nuanced control of these parameters.
There's a good guide here:
http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/projects/guide/
yrs,
Shava Nerad
former Tor staff, current volunteer
Actually, if you look at how Tor works, the links are encrypted and tunneled together such that it is nearly impossible to trace a well formed route -- of course, assuming flash or a torrent client aren't giving up your IP within the data packets before it enters or after it exits the cloud.
You should think about learning more about how Tor works at http://torproject.org -- it's a lot more than a simple 3-hop proxy.
yrs,
Shava Nerad
former Tor staff, current volunteer
Sorry, didn't log in on the above comment -- but I'm not really anonymous or cowardly, just slack...:)
Shava
Running a Tor server is not illegal in Germany.
We deplore the treatment of our German volunteer at the hands of his law enforcement authorities. No one should be subject to such unjustified treatment.
The irony of all of this is that the actual Tor server involved in their putative investigation was 500 miles away in a colocation facility. Did they consult a network security forensics expert at all?
Tor is used by journalists, bloggers, human rights groups and many others for good ends. It acts as a "caller-ID block" mechanism for your Internet address. This is a basic element of Internet privacy, and is used by many individuals around the globe -- including military personnel and law enforcement.
But again and again we have seen Tor server operator volunteers harassed by law enforcement officials who are not adequately trained in Internet security.
We encourage law enforcement to contact us to better understand how Tor can help law enforcement, and how law enforcement can distinguish a Tor server -- which is no more liable, as far as we know, for the traffic that crosses it than any ISP, router, or switch that passes traffic without taking responsibility for the content of the traffic.
Shava Nerad
Development Director
The Tor Project
This attack is not using our network or our software, only abusing our reputation. We sent this release to slashdot and others, days ago:
r ifyingSignatures
====
The Tor Project, a US non-profit organisation producing Internet
privacy software, is issuing an urgent warning about a spam email
being circulated as a fake promotion for their software.
The real Tor software provides privacy on the Internet to journalists,
bloggers and human rights activists all over the world. The spam email
promotes the virtues of the software, but then directs people to a
series of fake websites that contain malicious code that will attempt
to take over visiting machines, and the downloaded software is fake
and equally dangerous to run.
The real website is hosted at http://tor.eff.org/ and the Tor
software can be downloaded from there. Users are able to check that
they have received the official version by following the instructions
at: http://wiki.noreply.org/noreply/TheOnionRouter/Ve
Shava Nerad, Development Director for the Tor Project said, "I am
disgusted that criminals who want to recruit more machines for their
illegal activities should trade on our reputation for providing
privacy on the Internet. Fortunately we already have systems in place
so that people can verify that they are downloading the official
software. But this is a distraction from our work that we could do
without."
====
This stuff makes us sad. But you won't even get a trojanned client, just a trojan. And the page you click through to will try to exploit holes in your browser security, so don't even click through.
Yrs,
Shava Nerad
Development Director
The Tor Project
We sent this notice to slashdot days ago as a story, but it wasn't apparently interesting enough to post then...
r ifyingSignatures
====
The Tor Project, a US non-profit organisation producing Internet
privacy software, is issuing an urgent warning about a spam email
being circulated as a fake promotion for their software.
The real Tor software provides privacy on the Internet to journalists,
bloggers and human rights activists all over the world. The spam email
promotes the virtues of the software, but then directs people to a
series of fake websites that contain malicious code that will attempt
to take over visiting machines, and the downloaded software is fake
and equally dangerous to run.
The real website is hosted at http://tor.eff.org/ and the Tor
software can be downloaded from there. Users are able to check that
they have received the official version by following the instructions
at: http://wiki.noreply.org/noreply/TheOnionRouter/Ve
Shava Nerad, Development Director for the Tor Project said, "I am
disgusted that criminals who want to recruit more machines for their
illegal activities should trade on our reputation for providing
privacy on the Internet. Fortunately we already have systems in place
so that people can verify that they are downloading the official
software. But this is a distraction from our work that we could do
without."
====
This attack does not, as reported elsewhere, download a trojaned version of Tor *or* use our network. All it (ab)uses is our reputation.
Shava Nerad
Development Director, The Tor Project
Hi! I'm part of the Tor (not TOR btw) crew, and I'd say we're here too. Maybe even longer than the Anonymizer folks, but no problem.
shava -at- torproject -dot- org
Please check out http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/anonymous/2007/02/26/ the-rumors-of-our-demise/ for The Tor Project's official response to this paper.
Shava Nerad
executive director
The Tor Project
Last week, a few Tor exit-node servers were seized by the German police in a massive sting against child pornography. From our friends on the ground in Germany, we hear that dozens and dozens of machines may have been seized.
So far as we know only six of those were Tor servers. We have heard from the server operators. None of them has been charged.
This is not a "crackdown" on Tor, as has been widely reported. We expect and hope that the volunteer Tor server operators in Germany will get their equipment back after this has blown over, and there will be no action against Tor.
Please contact me for more information at my work --
Shava Nerad
executive director
The Tor Project
shava -at- freehaven -dot- net
Hey, if you look on douglasadams.com today, in the shop section, the video is available. No DVD tho.
0 001/
URL is: http://douglasadams.studiostore.com/product/VMDGA
They do have NTSC and PAL tho.
Shava
http://www.upcomingmovies.com/hitchhikersguide.htm l
Touchstone Pictures/Disney
Jay Roach (in fact from Austin Powers)
Who knows when/if it'll actually happen?
But yes, it's tied up at least...;)
Shava Nerad
http://www.eMerchandise.com/
TV/movie schwag
Do you folks know that there are organizations trying to help people get access, get literate, get wired, fix up old computers, and so on?
My organization, Oregon Public Networking, helps people in rural Oregon get wired. We train them. We fix up old computers. Sometimes we help teach them to read and write, too. Sometimes we help them find social services, on or off the net.
There's probably a community network, or community technology center near you. If not, I can help you start one.
Now, I'm not talking to the free market libertarian crew, here. I'm talking to the people who believe in equity of opportunity, and that people want to help themselves but don't know how.
Even as staunch a capitalist as Carnegie knew that when he funded public libraries and turned them into a given of the American landscape -- in the past hundred years. Horace Mann did that when he started free public education, less than 200 years ago in this country.
Where would y'all have been without libraries and schools? Well, public networking, and access to computers is the next thing like that. It's our generation's gift.
So check out the material at Oregon Public Networking, especially the part with real stories of how people help themselves with net access, and check out my inet99 paper on public policy and the digital divide.
And if you'd like to help me, I could use some help putting together a slash-based community at digitaldivide.org, as a more friendly space to discuss how to help the people who *aren't* making money on this gig.
The net is empowering. If you want to keep it to yourself, that's your option, but I think it's selfish and fearful. There are a lot of us who believe that everyone should have the opportunity to make the most of their life, and we should all be helping each other live better.
Peace,
Shava Nerad
shava@efn.org