Tor?

If Google Proxy is blocked, as per the discussion in January, I imagine it's the same policy for Tor, which I came to ask about.

I've recently started using Tor wherever possible, after a series of discussion with net privacy and privacy law experts. The biggest reason, to me, is that until encrypted communication becomes standard, the very act of seeking out privacy will draw attention; only when it becomes the standard will it truly provide privacy. It therefore is incumbent on all of us who wish to see true freedom of speech everywhere to help contribute to this climate, in which everyone uses privacy tools as much as possible.

If this opens up too much abuse/spamming, I understand why individual websites have this policy. I will note, though, that there are many, many VPNs and similar in existence, and have seldom gone online without using one, even if I've only recently discovered Tor, so the effect is likely to ban only those who are using free encryption, which is a perhaps undesirable externality.

Our registration form states:


Neither proxies nor Tor are welcome here for a variety of reasons, just one of which is that we have had to deal with a great many attacks on the site and all have been mediated either via TOR or anonymising proxies. In addition, when we did allow proxies it was constantly abused by those who, as soon as they'd viewed 500 (that was the limit at the time) items they simply re-registered and created another account rather than bother to make a single comment.

As to the so-called "privacy law experts", if they think we're going to have actual "encrypted communication" as standard any time soon I'd like some of what they're smoking.

As to the first, I understand.

As to the second ... the barriers to using encryption are knowledge, accessibility, and fear of drawing attention. The first two are becoming less difficult to overcome all the time (thanks in part to things like Tor!) and the third is eroded by increased frequency of use.

It's entirely fair for you to block Tor from here, of course (and I will never understand why some people find it easier to set up fake accounts or download a VPN than just to, y'know, comment occasionally) but I do hope its use, more broadly, continues to spread.

Right now, like it or not, the majority of people using TOR, at least nearly all of those that I come across on a regular basis, are using it for less than legitimate reasons. I'm sure that's not always the case but in my own experience, rather than whatever the current academic view proposes, it appears to be the reality most of the time.

Well, define "less than legitimate." Some of them are no doubt doing truly vile things, like kiddie porn or murder for hire (although I think there are still more stealthy, or more layered, things for doing that?) Some are arranging to purchase pot, or to download NBC sitcoms, which is illegal in some jurisdictions, but according to many not immoral. (According to many, of course, it is the laws against that which are immoral.) And some are using it to pass along information that the powers that be would like to keep hidden, which is illegal and illegitimate from their perspective, but arguably a great service to humanity.

This is one reason why I've started using it, and encouraging others to do likewise: so as to provide cover for people communicating in oppressive regimes, or exposing war crimes, or corruption at the highest levels. I suppose one could argue it's also providing cover for the questionable (pot and piracy practitioners) and the downright vile, but they're doing alright for themselves regardless. I myself will not make a difference, but if 10% of all internet users use Tor, whether they're emailing their in-laws, browsing recipes, or ordering groceries online, it will end up changing the climate of online privacy over time.

Well I'll restrict my comments to the only thing I have direct influence over here which is this site. TOR, VPN and proxy users will be blocked whenever they are discovered. We're a spanking fiction site and to the best of my knowledge there's no-one using the site to expose war crimes or bring down the government, nor as far as I'm aware purchase weed or provide any kind of service to humanity, unless of course you include the provision of spanking fiction as a service to humanity. What there is, however, are frequent attacks on the site for whatever reason, some mild, some serious, and some a downright PITA which cause a great deal of inconvenience. Then there are the endless would-be spammers.

It's a slightly time-consuming business but we're now using what I guess you could call heuristic software that over time detects and blocks such ip addresses. In addition, because with TOR, proxies etc multiple people end up using the same ip address, those doing naughty things end up having the same ip address as those who are merely trying to hide their IP address. I note, for example, four websites have already blocked the proxy address that you're using.

Since this is the LSF Help forum rather than a discussion regarding the merits or demerits of hiding one's ip address I think it best to close the discussion at this point. Those wishing to discuss it further are free to do so on Smalltalk.