The prosecution evidence and official statements looks less convincing than alibi evidence taken in the context of the details of the charges as reported by press and how the charges changed over time.
The charge is not related to Tor project per se; it is about allegedly distributing incitement to violent riots.
By some of the reports, the defense version includes one of Dmitry’s computers being trojan-ed and used as just a proxy. By some other reports he did run an exit node.
Arrest with confiscation of allegedly used electronics (approximately all the electronics in the apartment) did not affect the appearance of further related incitements under the same nickname in any way.
I hope he is OK. It sounds like he was not even running an exit node. If relay operators are now criminalized that means I am being criminalized as well.
I always said it was weak on the legal side. All they have to do is ban and block anonymizing technology that doesn’t include lawful intercept. Then, by definition, any use or operation of a Tor node becomes illegal. They might add contributing to the software to the list. There goes Tor Project’s funding. A few, big countries doing this… esp U.S… makes most of Tor disappear esp on the high-bandwidth side. This risk is why it was so important in Bittorrent battles to show the protocol was used for legitimate, even commercial, content.
The biggest reason this probably hasn’t happened was correctly reported in that news article that pissed the project off. I can’t remember the media outlet but it pointed out it was primarily funded by intelligence-oriented organizations. Tor is both a problem for our TLA’s and a weapon those same organizations use to achieve their goals. So, them taking it out hurts them. Given the ease of legally destroying it, I’m guessing that Five Eyes dependence on it is only reason they’re not banning it. Germany is tight with them even if not in no-spy agreement. BND just as shady. You might be safe if you’re country’s police and intelligence agencies are using it like my country’s do.
Note: There’s enough variables at play that my analysis is on incomplete information. Still take precautions preferably using a 3rd party host for it. Who knows what legislatures or executives will do.
(Russian is my native language)
The arrest is in Russia.
The prosecution evidence and official statements looks less convincing than alibi evidence taken in the context of the details of the charges as reported by press and how the charges changed over time.
The charge is not related to Tor project per se; it is about allegedly distributing incitement to violent riots.
By some of the reports, the defense version includes one of Dmitry’s computers being trojan-ed and used as just a proxy. By some other reports he did run an exit node.
Arrest with confiscation of allegedly used electronics (approximately all the electronics in the apartment) did not affect the appearance of further related incitements under the same nickname in any way.
I hope he is OK. It sounds like he was not even running an exit node. If relay operators are now criminalized that means I am being criminalized as well.
I always said it was weak on the legal side. All they have to do is ban and block anonymizing technology that doesn’t include lawful intercept. Then, by definition, any use or operation of a Tor node becomes illegal. They might add contributing to the software to the list. There goes Tor Project’s funding. A few, big countries doing this… esp U.S… makes most of Tor disappear esp on the high-bandwidth side. This risk is why it was so important in Bittorrent battles to show the protocol was used for legitimate, even commercial, content.
The biggest reason this probably hasn’t happened was correctly reported in that news article that pissed the project off. I can’t remember the media outlet but it pointed out it was primarily funded by intelligence-oriented organizations. Tor is both a problem for our TLA’s and a weapon those same organizations use to achieve their goals. So, them taking it out hurts them. Given the ease of legally destroying it, I’m guessing that Five Eyes dependence on it is only reason they’re not banning it. Germany is tight with them even if not in no-spy agreement. BND just as shady. You might be safe if you’re country’s police and intelligence agencies are using it like my country’s do.
Note: There’s enough variables at play that my analysis is on incomplete information. Still take precautions preferably using a 3rd party host for it. Who knows what legislatures or executives will do.
A sad state of affairs.