Re: *Theoretical* question to the Tor project leader

[Roger Dingledine <arma@xxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 12:39:51AM +0700, Roy Lanek wrote:
> Dear Mr. Roger Dingledine, I am sure you are a strictly honest person and
> researcher. Because of it, I ask, and wonder: how hard is to lead the Tor
> Project from a prestigious university in the USA ... incorruptibly, given the
> sensitivity per se of the object of Tor: anonymity?

Well, first of all, The Tor Project is a separate organization organized
as a US non-profit. Tor is not "at" MIT.

> Ditto within the universities--who depends from funds for their
> researchers--and the academia [recommendations] more in general.

Tor's funding comes from a wide variety of sources:
https://www.torproject.org/sponsors

and it's exactly this diversity of funding that makes us able to make our
own decisions and do the right thing. So far nobody has tried to strongarm
us into change this approach. But we do have to make sure that when we
accept funding, we only agree to do things that we already want to do.

> How is it a MIT?
>  What could I
> expect as an explicit answer from you: --everything is going like a charm-- or
> --don't ask--?

I wouldn't say it's easy, but things are going pretty well overall,
especially considering the variety of governments and corporations
that are trying harder to censor their Internet and/or track all their
citizens.

Or perhaps you are looking for
https://wiki.torproject.org/noreply/TheOnionRouter/TorFAQ#Backdoor
?

> Dear Mr. Dingledine, already thought at visiting ... say Louvain-la-Neuve? ;)

No, but most of the Tor development team was in Leuven last week. So we
do get out of the US.

Hope that helps.
--Roger