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4) #include "head.wmi" TITLE="Legal FAQ for Tor Relay Operators"
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10) <h2>Legal FAQ for Tor Relay Operators</h2>

11) <hr>

12) <p>FAQ written by the Electronic Frontier
13) Foundation (<a href="http://www.eff.org/">EFF</a>). Last updated 25 Apr 2005.</p>
14) 
15) <p><strong>NOTE:</strong> This FAQ is for informational purposes only
16) and does not constitute legal advice.  EFF has not analyzed any
17) particular factual situation or laws in drafting this FAQ. Our aim is
18) to provide a general description of the legal issues surrounding
19) Tor in the United States.  Different factual situations and different legal
20) jurisdictions will
21) result in different answers to a number of questions.  Therefore, please
22) do not act on this information alone; if you have any
23) specific legal problems, issues, or questions, seek a complete review of
24) your situation with a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.
25) </p>
26) 
27) <p>Also, if you received this document from anywhere besides <a
28) href="https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html">https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html</a>,
29) it may be out of date. Follow the link to get the latest version.</p>
30) 

31) <hr>

32) 
33) <a id="Lawsuits"></a>
34) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#Lawsuits">Has anyone ever been sued for running Tor?
35) </a></h3>
36) 
37) <p><strong>No.</strong> Further, we believe that running a Tor node,
38) including a Tor exit node that allows people to anonymously send and
39) receive traffic, is lawful under U.S. law.</p>
40) 
41) <a id="IllegalPurposes"></a>
42) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#IllegalPurposes">Should I use Tor,
43) or encourage the use of Tor, for illegal purposes
44) such as spamming, harassment, distribution of child porn, or copyright
45) infringement?</a></h3>
46) 
47) <p><strong>No.</strong> Tor has been developed to be a tool for free
48) speech, privacy, and human rights.  It is not a tool designed or intended
49) to be used to break the law, either by Tor users or Tor relay
50) operators.</p>
51) 
52) <p>We further recommend that you not keep any potentially illegal files
53) on the same machine you use for Tor, nor use that machine for any illegal
54) purpose.  Although no Tor relay in the US has ever been seized, nor any relay
55) operator sued, the future possibility cannot be ruled out. If that
56) happens, you will want your machine to be clean.</p>
57) 
58) <a id="Promise"></a>
59) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#Promise">Can EFF promise that I won't get
60) in trouble for running a Tor relay?</a></h3>
61) 
62) <p><strong>No.</strong> All new technologies create legal uncertainties,
63) and Tor is no exception to the rule. Presently, no court has ever considered any
64) case involving the Tor technology, and we therefore cannot guarantee
65) that you will never face any legal liability as a result of running a
66) Tor relay. However, EFF believes so strongly that those running Tor
67) relays shouldn't be liable for traffic that passes through the relay
68) that we're running our own Tor relay.
69) </p>
70) 
71) <a id="Represent"></a>
72) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#Represent">Will EFF represent me if I get
73) in trouble for running a Tor relay?</a></h3>
74) 
75) <p><strong>Maybe.</strong> While EFF cannot promise legal representation
76) of all Tor relay operators, it will assist relay operators in
77) assessing the situation and will try to locate qualified legal counsel
78) when necessary.  Inquiries to EFF for the purpose of securing legal
79) representation or referrals should be directed to staff attorney Kevin
80) Bankston (bankston at eff.org or US +1 (415) 436-9333 x 126). Such
81) inquiries will be kept
82) confidential subject to the limits of the attorney/client privilege.
83) Note that although EFF cannot practice law outside of the U.S., it will
84) still try to assist non-U.S. relay operators in finding local
85) representation.</p>
86) 
87) <a id="DevelopersAreNotLawyers"></a>
88) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#DevelopersAreNotLawyers">Should I contact
89) the Tor developers when I have legal questions about Tor or to inform
90) them if I suspect Tor is being used for illegal purposes?</a></h3>
91) 
92) <p><strong>No.</strong> Tor's core developers, Roger Dingledine
93) and Nick Mathewson, are available to answer technical questions, but
94) they are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice.  Nor do they have any
95) ability to prevent illegal activity that may occur through Tor relays.
96) Furthermore, your communications with Tor's core developers are
97) not protected by any legal privilege, so law enforcement or civil
98) litigants could subpoena and obtain any information you give to
99) them.</p>
100) 
101) <a id="RequestForLogs"></a>
102) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#RequestForLogs">If I receive a request from
103) law enforcement or anyone else for my Tor relay's logs, what should
104) I do?</a></h3>
105) 
106) <p><strong>Educate them about Tor.</strong> In most instances, properly
107) configured Tor relays will have no useful data for inquiring parties,
108) and you should feel free to educate them on this point.  To the extent
109) you do maintain logs, however, you should not disclose them to any third
110) party without first consulting a lawyer.  In the U.S., such a disclosure
111) may violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and relay
112) operators outside of the U.S. may be subject to similar data protection
113) laws.</p>
114) 
115) <p>You may receive legal inquiries where you are prohibited by law from
116) telling anyone about the request.  We believe that, at least in the
117) U.S., such gag orders do not prevent you from talking to a lawyer,
118) including calling a lawyer to find representation.  Inquiries to EFF for
119) the purpose of securing legal representation should be directed to staff
120) attorney Kevin Bankston (bankston at eff.org or US +1 (415) 436-9333
121) x126). Such inquiries
122) will be kept confidential subject to the limits of the attorney/client
123) privilege.</p>
124) 
125) <p>EFF is currently working on informational materials to help you
126) respond to the most likely types of legal requests or notices, so watch
127) this space.</p>
128) 
129) <a id="DMCA"></a>
130) <h3><a class="anchor" href="#DMCA">My ISP/University/etc just sent me
131) a DMCA notice. What should I do?</a></h3>
132) 
133) <p>The EFF has written a <a
134) href="tor-dmca-response.html">short template</a>
135) to help you write a response to your ISP/University/etc, to let them
136) know about the details of DMCA safe harbor, and how Tor fits in. Note
137) that this only refers to a U.S. jurisdiction.</p>
138) 
139) <p>If you like, you should consider submitting a copy of your notice
140) to <a href="http://www.chillingeffects.org/">Chilling Effects</a>. This
141) will help us recognize trends and issues that the lawyers might want to
142) focus on. Chilling Effects encourages submissions from people outside
143) the United States too.</p>
144) 
145) <p>EFF is actively seeking Tor relay operators willing to stand up
146) and help set a clear legal precedent establishing that merely running
147) a node does not create copyright liability for either node operators
148) or their bandwidth providers. If you want to be the EFF's test case,

149) <a href="https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2005-October/016301.html">read