updated eff tor legal faq
Roger Dingledine

Roger Dingledine commited on 2014-06-05 04:16:48
Zeige 1 geänderte Dateien mit 165 Einfügungen und 142 Löschungen.


(no big substantive changes)

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@@ -10,99 +10,108 @@
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 <h2>The Legal FAQ for Tor Relay Operators.</h2>
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 <hr>
12 12
 
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-<p>FAQ written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (<a
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-href="https://www.eff.org">EFF</a>). Last updated August 24, 2011.</p>
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-<p>NOTE: This FAQ is for informational purposes only and does not
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+<p><strong>FAQ written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Last
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+updated April 21, 2014.</strong></p>
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+
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+<p><em>NOTE: This FAQ is for informational purposes only and does not
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 constitute legal advice. Our aim is to provide a general description of
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 the legal issues surrounding Tor in the United States. Different factual
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 situations and different legal jurisdictions will result in different
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 answers to a number of questions. Therefore, please do not act on this
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-information alone; if you have any specific legal problems, issues, or
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-questions, seek a complete review of your situation with a lawyer
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-licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.</p>
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-<p>Also, if you received this document from anywhere besides the EFF web
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-site or <a
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+information alone; if you have any specific legal problems, issues,
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+or questions, seek a complete review of your situation with a lawyer
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+licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.</em></p>
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+
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+<p>Also, if you received this
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+document from anywhere besides the EFF web site or <a
25 27
 href="<page eff/tor-legal-faq>">https://www.torproject.org/eff/tor-legal-faq.html</a>,
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 it may be out of date. Follow the link to get the latest version.</p>
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-<p>Got a DMCA notice? Check out our <a
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-href="<page eff/tor-dmca-response>">sample response
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-letter!</a></p>
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+
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+<p>Got a DMCA notice? Check out our <a href="<page
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+eff/tor-dmca-response>">sample response letter</a>!</p>
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+
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 <h2>General Information</h2>
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-<p><b>Has anyone ever been sued or prosecuted for running Tor?</b></p>
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-
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-<p><b>No</b>, we aren’t aware of anyone being sued or prosecuted in the
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-United States for running a Tor relay.  Further, we believe that running
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-a Tor relay &#8212; including an exit relay that allows people to
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-anonymously send and receive traffic &#8212; is lawful under U.S.
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-law.</p>
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-<p><b>Should I use Tor or encourage the use of Tor for illegal
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-purposes?</b></p>
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+
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+<h3>Has anyone ever been sued or prosecuted for running Tor?</h3>
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+
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+<p><b>No</b>, we aren't aware of anyone being sued or prosecuted in the
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+United States just for running a Tor relay. Further, we believe that
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+running a Tor relay &mdash; including an exit relay that allows people to
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+anonymously send and receive traffic &mdash; is legal under U.S. law.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Should I use Tor or encourage the use of Tor for illegal purposes?</h3>
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+
40 44
 <p><b>No.</b> Tor has been developed to be a tool for free expression,
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 privacy, and human rights. It is not a tool designed or intended to be
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 used to break the law, either by Tor users or Tor relay operators.</p>
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-<p><b>Can EFF promise that I won't get in trouble for running a Tor
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-relay?</b></p>
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+
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+<h3>Can EFF promise that I won't get in trouble for running a Tor
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+relay?</h3>
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+
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 <p><b>No.</b> All new technologies create legal uncertainties, and Tor
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-is no exception. Presently, no court has ever considered any case
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-involving the Tor technology, and we therefore cannot guarantee that you
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-will never face any legal liability as a result of running a Tor relay.
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-However, EFF believes so strongly that those running Tor relays
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-shouldn't be liable for traffic that passes through the relay that we're
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-running our own middle relay. </p>
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-
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-<p><b>Will EFF represent me if I get in trouble for running a Tor
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-relay?</b></p>
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-<p><b>Maybe.</b> While EFF cannot promise legal representation for all
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-Tor relay operators, it will assist relay operators in assessing the
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-situation and will try to locate qualified legal counsel when necessary.
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-Inquiries to EFF for the purpose of securing legal representation or
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-referrals should be directed to our intake coordinator (<a
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-href="mailto:info@eff.org">info@eff.org</a> or US +1 (415) 436-9333).
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-Such inquiries will be kept confidential subject to the limits of the
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-attorney/client privilege. Note that although EFF cannot practice law
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-outside of the United States, it will still try to assist non-U.S. relay
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-operators in finding local representation.</p>
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-<p><b>Should I contact the Tor developers when I have legal questions
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+is no exception. We cannot guarantee that you will never face any legal
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+liability as a result of running a Tor relay. However, EFF believes so
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+strongly that those running Tor relays shouldn't be liable for traffic
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+that passes through the relay that we're running our own middle relay.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Will EFF represent me if I get in trouble for running a Tor relay?</h3>
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+
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+<p><b>Maybe.</b> While EFF cannot promise legal representation for all Tor
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+relay operators, it will assist relay operators in assessing the situation
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+and will try to locate qualified legal counsel when necessary. Inquiries
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+to EFF for the purpose of securing legal representation or referrals
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+should be directed to our intake coordinator by sending an email to <a
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+href="mailto:info@eff.org">info@eff.org</a> . Such inquiries will be kept
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+confidential subject to the limits of the attorney/client privilege. Note
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+that although EFF cannot practice law outside of the United States,
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+it will still try to assist non-U.S. relay operators in finding local
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+representation.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Should I contact the Tor developers when I have legal questions
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 about Tor or to inform them if I suspect Tor is being used for illegal
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-purposes?</b></p>
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+purposes?</h3>
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+
68 74
 <p><b>No.</b> Tor's developers are available to answer technical
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 questions, but they are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice. Nor do
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 they have any ability to prevent illegal activity that may occur through
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-Tor relays. Furthermore, your communications with Tor's developers are
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-not protected by any legal privilege, so law enforcement or civil
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-litigants could subpoena and obtain any information you give to
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-them.</p>
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-<p>You can contact <a href="mailto:info@eff.org">info@eff.org</a> if you
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-face a specific legal issue. We will try to assist you, but given EFF's
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-small size, we cannot guarantee that we can help everyone.  </p>
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-
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-<p><b>Do Tor's core developers make any promises about the
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-trustworthiness or reliability of Tor relays that are listed in their
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-directory?</b></p>
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+Tor relays. Furthermore, your communications with Tor's developers
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+are not protected by any legal privilege, so law enforcement or civil
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+litigants could subpoena and obtain any information you give to them.</p>
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+
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+<p>You can contact <a href="mailto:info@eff.org">info@eff.org</a> if
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+you face a specific legal issue. We will try to assist you, but given
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+EFF's small size, we cannot guarantee that we can help everyone.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Do Tor's core developers make any promises about the trustworthiness
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+or reliability of Tor relays that are listed in their directory?</h3>
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+
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 <p><b>No.</b> Although the developers attempt to verify that Tor relays
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-listed in the directory maintained by the core developers are stable and
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-have adequate bandwidth, neither they nor EFF can guarantee the personal
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-trustworthiness or reliability of the individuals who run those relays.
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-Tor's core developers further reserve the right to refuse a Tor relay
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-operator's request to be listed in their directory or to remove any
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-relay from their directory for any reason.</p>
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+listed in the directory maintained by the core developers are stable
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+and have adequate bandwidth, neither they nor EFF can guarantee the
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+personal trustworthiness or reliability of the individuals who run those
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+relays. Tor's core developers further reserve the right to refuse a Tor
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+relay operator's request to be listed in their directory or to remove
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+any relay from their directory for any reason.</p>
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+
89 96
 <h2>Exit Relays</h2>
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+
90 98
 <p>Exit relays raise special concerns because the traffic that exits
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 from them can be traced back to the relay's IP address. While we believe
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-that running an exit is legal, it is statistically likely that an exit
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-relay will at some point be used for illegal purposes, which may attract
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-the attention of private litigants or law enforcement. An exit relay may
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-forward traffic that is considered unlawful, and that traffic may be
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-attributed to the operator of a relay. If you are not willing to deal
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-with that risk, a bridge or middle relay may be a better fit for you.
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-These relays do not directly forward traffic to the Internet and so
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-can't be easily mistaken for the origin of allegedly unlawful
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-content.</p>
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+that running an exit relay is legal, it is statistically likely that an
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+exit relay will at some point be used for illegal purposes, which may
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+attract the attention of private litigants or law enforcement. An exit
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+relay may forward traffic that is considered unlawful, and that traffic
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+may be attributed to the operator of a relay. If you are not willing to
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+deal with that risk, a bridge or middle relay may be a better fit for
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+you. These relays do not directly forward traffic to the Internet and so
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+can't be easily mistaken for the origin of allegedly unlawful content.</p>
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+
101 109
 <p>The Tor Project's blog has some excellent <a
102 110
 href="https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tips-running-exit-node-minimal-harassment">recommendations</a>
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-for running an exit with as little risk as possible. We suggest that you
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-review their advice before setting up an exit relay.</p>
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-<p><b>Should I run an exit relay from my home?</b></p>
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+for running an exit with as little risk as possible. We suggest that
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+you review their advice before setting up an exit relay.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Should I run an exit relay from my home?</h3>
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 <p><b>No.</b> If law enforcement becomes interested in traffic from your
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 exit relay, it's possible that officers will seize your computer. For
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@@ -112,26 +122,29 @@ your home Internet connection. </p>
112 122
 href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/GoodBadISPs">commercial
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 facility</a> that is supportive of Tor. Have a separate IP address for
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 your exit relay, and don't route your own traffic through it.</p>
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+
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 <p>Of course, you should avoid keeping any sensitive or personal
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-information on the computer hosting your exit relay, and you never
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-should use that machine for any illegal purpose.</p>
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-<p><b>Should I tell my ISP that I'm running an exit relay?</b></p>
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-<p><b>Yes.</b> Make sure you have a Tor-friendly ISP that knows you're
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-running an exit relay and supports you in that goal. This will help
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-ensure that your Internet access isn't cut off due to abuse complaints.
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-The Tor community maintains a <a
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+information on the computer hosting your exit relay, and you never should
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+use that machine for any illegal purpose.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Should I tell my ISP that I'm running an exit relay?</h3>
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+
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+<p><b>Yes.</b> Make sure you have a Tor-friendly ISP that
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+knows you're running an exit relay and supports you in that
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+goal. This will help ensure that your Internet access isn't
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+cut off due to abuse complaints. The Tor community maintains a <a
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 href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/TheOnionRouter/GoodBadISPs">list</a>
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-of ISPs that are particularly Tor-savvy, as well as ones that
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-aren't.</p>
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+of ISPs that are particularly Tor-savvy, as well as ones that aren't.</p>
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+
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+<h3>Is it a good idea to let others know that I'm running an exit relay?</h3>
126 140
 
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-<p><b>Is it a good idea to let others know that I'm running an exit
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-relay?</b></p>
129 141
 <p><b>Yes.</b> Be as transparent as possible about the fact that you're
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-running an exit relay. If your exit traffic draws the attention of the
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-government or disgruntled private party, you want them to figure out
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-quickly and easily that you are part of the Tor network and not
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+running an exit relay. If your exit traffic draws the attention of
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+the government or disgruntled private party, you want them to figure
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+out quickly and easily that you are part of the Tor network and not
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 responsible for the content. This could mean the difference between
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 having your computer seized by law enforcement and being left alone.</p>
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+
135 148
 <p>The Tor Project <a
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 href="https://blog.torproject.org/blog/tips-running-exit-node-minimal-harassment">suggests</a>
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 the following ways to let others know that you're running an exit
... ...
@@ -143,77 +157,88 @@ the computer is an exit relay.</li>
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 href="https://gitweb.torproject.org/tor.git/blob_plain/HEAD:/contrib/tor-exit-notice.html">this</a>
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 to explain that you're running an exit relay that's part of the Tor
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 network.</li>
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-
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-<li>If possible, get an <a href="https://www.arin.net">ARIN</a>
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+<li>If possible, get an <a href="https://www.arin.net/">ARIN</a>
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 registration for your exit relay that displays contact information for
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-you, not your ISP. This way, you'll receive any abuse complaints and can
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-respond to them directly. Otherwise, try to ensure that your ISP
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+you, not your ISP. This way, you'll receive any abuse complaints and
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+can respond to them directly. Otherwise, try to ensure that your ISP
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 forwards abuse complaints that it receives to you.</li>
152 165
 </ul>
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-<p><b>Should I snoop on the plaintext traffic that exits through my Tor
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-relay?</b></p>
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+
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+<h3>Should I snoop on the plaintext traffic that exits through my Tor
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+relay?</h3>
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+
155 170
 <p><b>No.</b> You may be technically capable of modifying the Tor source
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 code or installing additional software to monitor or log plaintext that
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-exits your relay. However, Tor relay operators in the United States can
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-possibly create civil and even criminal liability for themselves under
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-state or federal wiretap laws if they monitor, log, or disclose Tor
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-users' communications, while non-U.S. operators may be subject to
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-similar laws. Do not examine the contents of anyone's communications
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-without first talking to a lawyer.</p>
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-<p><b>If I receive a subpoena or other information request from law
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-enforcement or anyone else related to my Tor relay, what should I
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-do?</b></p>
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+exits your relay. However, Tor relay operators in the United States
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+can possibly create civil and even criminal liability for themselves
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+under state or federal wiretap laws if they monitor, log, or disclose
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+Tor users' communications, while non-U.S. operators may be subject
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+to similar laws. Do not examine anyone's communications without first
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+talking to a lawyer.</p>
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+
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+<h3>If I receive a subpoena or other information request from law
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+enforcement or anyone else related to my Tor relay, what should I do?</h3>
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+
166 182
 <p><b>Educate them about Tor.</b> In most instances, properly configured
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-Tor relays will have no useful data for inquiring parties, and you
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-should feel free to educate them on this point. To the extent you do
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-maintain logs, however, you should not disclose them to any third party
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-without first consulting a lawyer. In the United States, such a
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-disclosure may violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and
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-relay operators outside of the United States may be subject to similar
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-data protection laws.</p>
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+Tor relays will have no useful data for inquiring parties, and you should
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+feel free to educate them on this point. To the extent you do maintain
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+logs, however, you should not disclose them to any third party without
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+first consulting a lawyer. In the United States, such a disclosure may
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+violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and relay operators
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+outside of the United States may be subject to similar data protection
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+laws.</p>
174 190
 
175 191
 <p>You may receive legal inquiries where you are prohibited by law from
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-telling anyone about the request. We believe that, at least in the
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-United States, such gag orders do not prevent you from talking to a
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-lawyer, including calling a lawyer to find representation. Inquiries to
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-EFF for the purpose of securing legal representation should be directed
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-to our intake coordinator (info at eff.org or US +1 (415) 436-9333).
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-Such inquiries will be kept confidential subject to the limits of the
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-attorney/client privilege.</p>
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-<p>For more information about responding to abuse complaints and other
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-inquiries, check out the <a
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-href="<page docs/faq-abuse>">Tor Abuse
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-FAQ</a> and the collection of <a
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+telling anyone about the request. We believe that, at least in the United
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+States, such gag orders do not prevent you from talking to a lawyer,
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+including calling a lawyer to find representation. Inquiries to EFF
195
+for the purpose of securing legal representation should be directed to
196
+our intake coordinator (info at eff.org) Such inquiries will be kept
197
+confidential subject to the limits of the attorney/client privilege.</p>
198
+
199
+<p>For more information about responding to abuse
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+complaints and other inquiries, check out the <a
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+href="<page docs/faq-abuse>">Tor
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+Abuse FAQ</a> and the collection of <a
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 href="https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/TheOnionRouter/TorAbuseTemplates">abuse
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 response templates</a> on the Tor Project’s website.</p>
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-<p><b>My ISP, university, etc. just sent me a DMCA notice. What should I
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-do?</b></p>
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-<p>EFF has written a <a
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-href="<page eff/tor-dmca-response>">short template</a> to help
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-you write a response to your ISP, university, etc., to let them know
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-about the details of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbor,
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-and how Tor fits in. Note that template only refers to U.S.
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-jurisdictions, and is intended only to address copyright complaints that
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-are based on a relay of allegedly infringing material through the Tor
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-node. </p>
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+
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+<p>For information on what to do if law enforcement
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+seeks access to your digital devices, check out EFF’s <a
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+href="https://www.eff.org/wp/know-your-rights">Know Your Rights</a>
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+guide.</p>
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+
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+<h3>My ISP, university, etc. just sent me a DMCA notice. What should
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+I do?</h3>
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+
214
+<p>EFF has written a <a href="<page eff/tor-dmca-response>">short
215
+template</a> to help you write a response to your ISP, university, etc.,
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+to let them know about the details of the Digital Millennium Copyright
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+Act’s safe harbor, and how Tor fits in. Note that template only
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+refers to U.S. jurisdictions, and is intended only to address copyright
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+complaints that are based on a relay of allegedly infringing material
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+through the Tor node.</p>
199 221
 
200 222
 <p>If you like, you should consider submitting a copy of your notice to
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-<a href="https://www.chillingeffects.org">Chilling Effects</a>. This
223
+<a href="https://www.chillingeffects.org/">Chilling Effects</a>. This
202 224
 will help us recognize trends and issues that the lawyers might want to
203 225
 focus on. Chilling Effects encourages submissions from people outside
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 the United States too.</p>
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-<p>EFF believes that Tor relays are protected from copyright liability
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-under the DMCA, although no court has yet addressed the issue in the
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-context of Tor itself. If you are uncomfortable with this uncertainty,
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-you may consider using a <a
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-href="<page docs/faq>#ExitPolicies">reduced
210
-exit policy</a> (such as the default policy suggested by the Tor
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-Project) to try to minimize traffic types that are often targeted in
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-copyright complaints. </p>
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-<p>If you are a Tor relay operator willing to stand up and help set a
214
-clear legal precedent establishing that merely running a relay does not
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-create copyright liability for either operators or their bandwidth
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-providers, EFF is interested in hearing from you. Read more <a
227
+
228
+<p>EFF believes that Tor relays should be protected from copyright
229
+liability for the acts of their users because a Tor relay operator
230
+can raise an immunity defense under the DMCA as well as defenses
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+under copyright's secondary liability doctrines. However, no court
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+has yet addressed these issues in the context of Tor itself. If
233
+you are uncomfortable with this uncertainty, you may consider using
234
+a <href="<page docs/faq>#ExitPolicies">reduced exit policy</a> (such
235
+as the default policy suggested by the Tor Project) to try to minimize
236
+traffic types that are often targeted in copyright complaints.</p>
237
+
238
+<p>If you are a Tor relay operator willing to stand up and help set
239
+a clear legal precedent establishing that merely running a relay
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+does not create copyright liability for either operators or their
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+bandwidth providers, EFF is interested in hearing from you. Read more <a
217 242
 href="https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2005-October/016301.html">here</a>
218 243
 about being EFF's test case.</p>
219 244
 
220 245