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Tor is funded directly by the US govt. Something like 60-80% of their annual million-dollar budget. Maybe being superstitious isn't helpful, but in this insta

Tor is funded directly by the US govt. Something like 60-80% of their annual million-dollar budget. Maybe being superstitious isn't helpful, but in this instance, I'm not so sure Tor is able to be relied on. A proxy server won't work for the same reason a personal server wouldn't work. It's tied to you eventually, either through a paper trail or a packet trail. Oh, and drop the condescending attitude, okay?

betterunix 13y ago
"Maybe being superstitious isn't helpful, but in this instance, I'm not so sure Tor is able to be relied on." Tor has been analyzed extensively by cryptographers and security researchers; there is literally a mountain of published research about it. It is operated by an independent organization. I would be more cautious about the Linux kernel, a vastly larger codebase that could and probably does have numerous back doors, than about Tor. "A proxy server won't work for the same reason a personal server wouldn't work. It's tied to you eventually, either through a paper trail or a packet trail." Which is why it is below anonymous remailers and Tor on my list. Proxy servers are better than nothing at all.
- sillysaurus 13y ago
  Tor has been analyzed extensively by cryptographers and security researchers; there is literally a mountain of published research about it. And that research says that if an entry node and an exit node are both under control of an adversary, then that adversary can deannonymize the target. I don't know enough about it, but I know that deannonymizing someone is a matter of resources, not a matter of ability. And the USG has a lot of resources.
  - jborica 13y ago
    Much in the same way that communicating insecurely with 90% of your contacts is not going to help PGP keep your emails encrypted, requesting sites from outside of the tor network is not going to help keep your internet usage anonymous. It's a problem of behavior and adoption rate

betterunix 13y ago

"Maybe being superstitious isn't helpful, but in this instance, I'm not so sure Tor is able to be relied on." Tor has been analyzed extensively by cryptographers and security researchers; there is literally a mountain of published research about it. It is operated by an independent organization. I would be more cautious about the Linux kernel, a vastly larger codebase that could and probably does have numerous back doors, than about Tor. "A proxy server won't work for the same reason a personal server wouldn't work. It's tied to you eventually, either through a paper trail or a packet trail." Which is why it is below anonymous remailers and Tor on my list. Proxy servers are better than nothing at all.

sillysaurus 13y ago
Tor has been analyzed extensively by cryptographers and security researchers; there is literally a mountain of published research about it. And that research says that if an entry node and an exit node are both under control of an adversary, then that adversary can deannonymize the target. I don't know enough about it, but I know that deannonymizing someone is a matter of resources, not a matter of ability. And the USG has a lot of resources.
- jborica 13y ago
  Much in the same way that communicating insecurely with 90% of your contacts is not going to help PGP keep your emails encrypted, requesting sites from outside of the tor network is not going to help keep your internet usage anonymous. It's a problem of behavior and adoption rate