Proposed student project

["Chris Akins" <chris.hexx@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello all.

 

I’ve been thinking about doing a Tor-related project for my Senior Thesis at the University of Cincinnati, and I just wanted to check that I wouldn’t be duplicating existing efforts, that the idea makes sense, etc. The basic idea is to build a zero-configuration Tor relay in hardware that sits between the home user’s router and their computer. Two plugs: one to the outside world, one to the computer.

 

The relay would automatically handle all the configuration details, and render interception almost impossible, barring subversion of the target machine. The hope is that being able to buy or build a tangible plug-and-play guarantee of privacy and anonymity would drastically lower the barriers to entry for normal (that is, non-technical) users. As a bonus, offloading the computational burden of encryption and decryption would allow those with lower-end machines to benefit.

 

So – does this sound at all feasible to the more experienced minds here? Am I asking for trouble from some unsuspected quarter?

I look forward to receiving your feedback, and thank all responders in advance. Brainstorming re: implementation is also welcome.

 

Many thanks,

Chris