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No Conspiracy Theory Needed: Tor Created for U.S. Gov't Spying
Network World ^ | 03/28/11 | Ms. Smith

Posted on 03/29/2011 1:54:23 PM PDT by george76

An interesting discussion started on tor-talk about Iran cracking down on "web dissident technology" before Cryptome posted, "TOR Made for USG Open Source Spying Says Maker."

There is an interesting post on Cryptome, TOR Made for USG Open Source Spying Says Maker, in which one of Tor's creators, Michael Reed, says to look at why the government created Tor from a common sense point-of-view instead of as conspiracy theory.

The Tor Project is free software that lets people be anonymous online but it's not an invisibility cloak that's meant to protect privacy. People use Tor to be anonymous for all kinds of different reasons, from regular users, to journalists, dissidents, whistleblowers, corporations, overseas military field agents, and even law enforcement to list out a few. Surfing with Tor is supposed to anonymize traffic; in the same way that Tor can keep your IP from showing up on a web log, it can keep a government or law enforcement IP address from showing up on web logs during online surveillance.

...

Then the EFF was brought into the mix and EFF's Senior Staff Technologist Seth Schoen pointed out military uses for Tor are listed on the "About Tor" page. In fact, at the very top of the page, it states that the Naval Research Laboratory originally developed the onion routing program "for the primary purpose of protecting government communications."

Just as the Internet was originally developed by DARPA for military communication, people who follow Tor probably knew that the onion router was started by the military.... "Claiming this US spying role for Tor is well known is a crock of slop, but then spies lie all the time..." There's more but I won't quote it here because of the foul language.

(Excerpt) Read more at networkworld.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: cryptome; darpa; opensource; spying; tor; usg

1 posted on 03/29/2011 1:54:26 PM PDT by george76
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To: george76

This only scratches the surface. There are many things going on with this product. It is a basic platform, but you can build other things on top of it. You don’t have to tell anyone you’re building them, either. Who know what the Russian hackers are up to?


2 posted on 03/29/2011 2:00:49 PM PDT by proxy_user
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To: george76

sfl


3 posted on 03/29/2011 6:49:46 PM PDT by phockthis
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To: rdb3; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; GodGunsandGuts; CyberCowboy777; Salo; Bobsat; JosephW; ...

4 posted on 03/30/2011 4:58:12 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: ShadowAce

Over the years, I’ve always loved your ‘Tech Ping’ graphics.

...Not so sure about this one.

Maybe it’ll grow on me.....


6 posted on 03/30/2011 5:02:26 AM PDT by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: KoRn

heh—I went for the “grunge graffiti” look this time.


7 posted on 03/30/2011 5:14:17 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: george76

Anonymizers have always troubled me. The underlying premis may be sound, but who’s to say that they aren’t set up by the government. What a perfect way to get one stop shopping for all your Internet investigative needs.

Instead of having to hunt down individuals, have them come to you. You end up with a complete centrralized log of all their clandestine Internet activities.


8 posted on 03/30/2011 5:48:55 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: KoRn; ShadowAce

I concur. I do like changing it up from time to time though, but this one just isn’t very pleasing on my eye. If other’s like it...great—it’s only a personal preference.


9 posted on 03/30/2011 6:36:04 AM PDT by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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To: for-q-clinton; KoRn

Hmm. OK. Yours are the only two pieces of feedback I’ve received so far. I’ll switch it out to something else.


10 posted on 03/30/2011 6:47:58 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: ShadowAce; KoRn; for-q-clinton
heh—I went for the “grunge graffiti” look this time.

No offense, but I concur...I hope the graffiti gets painted over soon. :-)

11 posted on 03/30/2011 7:35:31 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: ShadowAce
Hmm. OK. Yours are the only two pieces of feedback I’ve received so far. I’ll switch it out to something else.

Oops...didn't see this.

In any case, thanks (for switching out, as well as for maintaining the ping list!)

12 posted on 03/30/2011 7:36:33 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: ShadowAce

Looks neat,...and it has that cloud thingy...


13 posted on 03/30/2011 9:43:39 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

You seem to be in the minority.. :)


14 posted on 03/30/2011 9:50:40 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: ShadowAce
Seems to happen now and then.

But I am flexible!

I just appreciate your efforts,....thanks !

15 posted on 03/30/2011 10:28:26 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach ( Support Geert Wilders)
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