How Tor Helps Both Dissidents and the Police 122
Al writes "Technology Review has a in-depth article about the anonymous networking software Tor and how it is helping dissidents spread information in oppressive regimes such as Syria, Zimbabwe and Mauritania, and opening up the unfiltered web for users in many more countries. In China, for instance, the computers found in some web cafes are configured to use Tor automatically. Interestingly, some police agencies even use the software to hide their activity from suspects. As filtering becomes ever more common in democratic countries such as the US, perhaps Tor (and similar tools such as I2P), will become even more valuable."
As with most technology (Score:5, Insightful)
It cuts both ways.
You can use a knife for cooking, mugging or for police action.
But the more problematic criminals are also the ones that are most likely to be aware of this and be careful with what and who they trust.
And the most careful persons in organized crime have sometimes only been relying on trusted messengers that have been doing all their communication. That to avoid wiretaps.
Where is it common in the US?? (Score:2, Insightful)
Ok, where and when in the US did filtering become 'common'??
I'm hearing about it becoming common in other western countries...and am afraid it will happen here, but, I'm not aware of it being common here?
Re:Great article but (Score:3, Insightful)
As far as I can tell, much like any legal issue, most of what you'll find as far as legal discussion is mainly a lot of "Well, such-and-such may or may not apply here. Please consult your lawyer."
As if we all just have consitutional (if you're in the US) lawyers on retainer. I wish people would just give some advice, even though it will not be authoritative.
For some specific dissembling on this topic, you can also see freenet's legal FAQ [freenetproject.org].
Re:As with most technology (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Is TOR really make web surfing anonymous? (Score:1, Insightful)
Exit nodes can easily sniff everything you transmit across the unencrypted web. That's why you don't use it for anything requiring secrets.
If you're worried about it, use the darknet:
http://eqt5g4fuenphqinx.onion/
Re:what do you mean? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you do choose to report it, be sure to report it in an anonymous manner. The reporter will be the first suspect, and the easiest mark for a conviction.
Re:Is TOR really make web surfing anonymous? (Score:2, Insightful)
Yes, this is a weakness. Hopefully multiple alphabet soup agencies from different countries will get this idea and end up competing with each other. An arms race of diminishing returns to get a bigger chunk of the Tor network just means we'll have plenty of free Tor bandwidth on the gov't dime.
Protip: You can edit the Tor config or source code to pick geographically diverse nodes yourself.
Democratic... (Score:3, Insightful)
As filtering becomes ever more common in democratic countries such as the US [...]
I'm wondering for a long time, if you really still can call the US and many other (eg European) states "democratic".
I mean, has the choice between two variants of the same shit still the right to call itself this?
I'm very lucky, that things like Tor, and research around it, still exist. It might soon be our only chance of freeing ourselves from a regime of total control.
Re:As with most technology (Score:5, Insightful)
I believe "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" to be a just tenet but it must also have before it that "Absence of the law may be in some cases."
In other words the government must put forward the laws of the land for free and make them available for the public otherwise the public is not being ignorant but instead the law is being absent.
If I make a law and never tell the people whom will be governed by it then it is as just to enforce that law as if the law were never made.
Privacy is the next killer app (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:As with most technology (Score:3, Insightful)
And if ascertaining what the law says requires a full-time research staff just to answer SIMPLE questions?
i'm just sick (Score:3, Insightful)
of idiots hyperfocused on western domestic "crimes" while the taliban takes over nuclear pakistan
but of course, this is no reason to focus your criticisms outside the west, right? because what goes on in pakistan is after all totally the west's fault
(smacks forehead)
Re:you honestly believe that? (Score:1, Insightful)
It seems your reality doesn't co-exist with the parents', or mine. "Posturing upper middle class suburban poser"? Are there such people like that left in Amerika? I haven't seen many middle-class for a while.
You might be surprised to find that feelings of oppression by law enforcement are common in people that aren't rich enough to drive a Lexus, or related to the local polital families. I've personally been on the receiving end of a police raid without a warrant, and held almost a week without charges being filed. That was in Dallas, Texas. I moved from there to smaller towns and found that the "quality" of the legal system was fairly constant. In Wichita, Kansas I learned that noone got away with murder ... except the city cops. So many people died in custody that they didn't even bother reporting it in the news if the family couldn't raise enough of a public outcry. Investigations always found the police or guards either innocent, or "under-trained". Small towns in Missouri, California, Oklahoma, and Tennessee aren't any better. I've talked with men that resigned their seat on the judges bench because they couldn't stand the institutionalized corruption any more.
You might want to see how the poorer people (a rapidly growing demographic) are treated by the cops, then you might re-think who serves whom. You think people join the police force to serve the public? Maybe at first, but eventually you wind up with a force full of bullies with badges. They are the enforcers for the local lawyers, judges, and city councilmen, sometimes a church pastor or local businessman gets in on the action.
It's just like the mob, but they have "the law" on their side. I've actually known drug dealers that kept their word, and had a higher level of self-respect and personal honor than members of the local police force. The dealer wouldn't lie to you unless he caught you lying to him, first. The police are given a blank check to lie to "suspects" (anybody), but make it a serious crime for anyone to (even inadvertantly) lie to them.
And yes, I am posting AC because I've no desire to be made into an example. I've seen enough of those, thankyou.
Re:As with most technology (Score:2, Insightful)
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse" is one tenet of our justice system which might as well read instead, "fuck the people"
Now that's quotable! The Law of Fuck the People has corollaries like:
We can watch anything you do just in case it's bad.
We can abduct you in the middle of the night without charge and hold for you as long as we feel like.
We can't torture you legally here so we'll take you in secrecy to a jurisdiction where we can get away with it.
No President will ever stand up for the Constitution and prosecute predecessors who allowed these things to happen.
We (the Government) will never prosecute ourselves.
We are a smart convergence of powerful interests that masquerades as democracy. You, the citizen, deserve what you get from us.
We create demons that keep you afraid so we stay strong.
Eat your Cheesey Poofs, drink beer, watch TV and STFU.