Tor Project - Surf online anonymously?

[Advaita]

Dear Cassiopeia-Forum,

here is an article that I wrote on another Forum, concerning the Tor Project. I guess it doesn't keep up with the high standart of research in this Forum, but since I didn't find anything on the Tor project using the search function, I guess it's still better than nothing. And as the organizations and my quotes speak for themselves, I guess people can use this for their own further research, if the topic is important to them.


On their website, the Tor project says:

Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis

source: _https://www.torproject.org/index.html.en

Sounds good? Well, I had a look at their sponors. Here's what I wrote on the other Forum:

Hey guys

the Tor Project was presented to us as a means to surf the internet with more anonimity. This is a nice idea, but nothing more than an idea. In my opinion, it has to be banned into the world of wishful-thinking.
Let's have a look at the funding of the Tor Project, as listed on their own site. I am leaving out those organization that seem ok, allthough they should be researched too in a later time.
The most interesting sponsors are to me:

- Google
- Naval Research Laboratory
- DARPA and ONR via Naval Research Laboratory

source: https://www.torproject.org/about/sponsors.html.en

Some money was sponsored by organisations that seem ok, I am not mentioning those. Some I do not know, and I am not going to research all of them them because I am too lazy. Let's just have a closer look at a sample of those organizations listed on the Tor Projects own website.

Most money was spend by an "anonymous North American NGO" (which one, the trilateral commission? ) an the "Broadcasting Board of Governors".

Why would an NGO want to stay anonymous??? Probably, to hide something. But well, here we can still only suggest that "something is foul in the state of Tor Project".
What is the "Broadcasting Board of Governors"?
Wikipedia says:

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for all non-military, international broadcasting sponsored by the U.S government. It was previously a department within the United States Information Agency until 1999.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasting_Board_of_Governors

United States Information Agency:

The United States Information Agency (USIA), which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were given to the newly-created Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Information_Agency

Seems to me like one main sponsor doesn't want us to know who he is, whereas the other main sponsor is one of the US main governmental propaganda organs.

Next: "National Science Foundation via Drexel University"

Drexel University is located at Philadelphia. The "National Science Foundation" is a US Government agency

The NSF's director, deputy director, and the 24 members of the National Science Board (NSB)[2] are appointed by the President of the United States, and confirmed by the United States Senate. The director and deputy director are responsible for administration, planning, budgeting and day-to-day operations of the foundation, while the NSB meets six times a year to establish its overall policies.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Science_Foundation

Next: NLnet Foundation

Stichting NLnet was formally established as a "stichting" (Dutch for foundation) in February 1989. In November 1994 Stichting NLnet created NLnet BV (a Dutch Limited liability corporation) as a commercial operating subsidiary and so incorporated the first internet service provider in The Netherlands. In 1996 the internet provision services company was acquired by UUnet, which had just became a subsidiary of MFS. MFS was acquired shortly thereafter by Worldcom, which then initiated a takeover bid on MCI.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLnet

I didn't research on Worldcom and so on, because it becomes highly complicated. I guess doing some research here makes NLnet highly suspicious nonetheless.

Well, now for the chocolates, who have we got here?
The "Naval Research Laboratory"? Are you f**king kidding me??? A military organization is actually funding the Tor Project??? And you still trust them? (There's more below)

Next: An anonymous North American ISP
Oh, an anonymous Internet Service Provider. And who owns the "Internet Service Providers"?

Next: Google and also Google Summer of Code

No comment. We all know what Google does ;)


On the list of "Past Sponsors", we find among others:

DAARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military. DARPA has been responsible for funding the development of many technologies which have had a major effect on the world, including computer networking, as well as NLS, which was both the first hypertext system, and an important precursor to the contemporary ubiquitous graphical user interface.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA

(highlights by me)

I hope you all know what that means.

Well that was it. I want to conclude with the seal of the "Information Awareness Office (IAO)", which was a Project iniciated by DAARPA.

 

[eternusphoenix]

Thanks for the information here. I never thought to look up who was behind tor. It's a good reminder to always look for who is behind the "alternative."

 

[Advaita]

Yes, expect Cointel everywhere...

 

[D69]

We have covered it partially.
T0R is just another pseudo anonymity tool:

Here you have few threads:

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,18446.msg218749.html#msg218749
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,15926.msg136833.html#msg136833
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,19800.msg195154.html#msg195154

 

[Guardian]

Yes, expect Cointel everywhere...

Yup, MANY of the tools we use were developed by/for a Military force.. the Internet, our computers, TVs. Radios, even our cigarettes are a product of war in one way or another.

I kinda figured this is because we're in a war, we've always been in a war...and probably always will be?

 

[dannybananny]

I kinda figured this is because we're in a war, we've always been in a war...and probably always will be?

Not always I think, everything is in some kind of balance, war is preceded by peace, peace by war, always is I think to wide word that is not in line with our knowledge, because we don't know our past and one life can't be called always because we can only speak about this life, not mentioning that everyone had part of life when they weren't really "fighting". But when talking about Work I think here on this plane it can be called "war" but I think it depends on perception, maybe on some higher plane it's the essence of being. Maybe here also it isn't so about fighting or working against but listening to yourself and understanding.