Re: technical solution for censorship [was: UK internet filtering]

[Scott Bennett <bennett@xxxxxxxxxx>]

     On Mon, 8 Dec 2008 16:21:47 -0500 "Gregory Maxwell" <gmaxwell@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 4:07 PM, Scott Bennett <bennett@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>[snip]
>>     That some people have found tor to be helpful in bypassing censorial
>> regimes' efforts is one of the nicer unintended consequences of tor's design,
>> but such use is fallout from, not motivation for, the design.
>
>I thought a driving idea behind TOR was to bring together people with
>different goals but a common need (or at least a set of tightly
>related needs) so that we form a larger anonymity pool and benefit
>from common investment in infrastructure.
>
     Yes, all of that is helpful, as is spelled out on the tor project's web
pages.  But all of that is not the goal, but rather in aid of the goal.  This
is also quite clear on those same web pages.

>Many Tor users regard some of the uses to be unfortunate but tolerable
>side effects.  I run nodes primarily because I want to help people
>avoid censorship, I regard anonymity (except to the extent that it is
>needed to avoid effective censorship) to be socially detrimental
>collateral damage. (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/)

     Those are *your* goal and view, but they are not the goal or view of
the project.  If you remain in any confusion over the goal of the project,
please go to the project's web site and read what is posted there.  It was
posted in order that interested persons might understand what the developers
are doing and why.
>
>So when you use Tor to achieve anonymity you should be thankful that
>there are other people who use the same tools to avoid censorship.
>
     Indeed I am.  And, although I use tor and run a relay primarily in aid
of the same goal as that of the project, I do not see that your goal is
detrimental to "society".  If you stop to consider that "society" is just a
label referring to many individuals, it may make it easier to understand
that anonymity in itself is not detrimental to those individuals, but rather
that it protects those same individuals


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
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