[VHFcontesting] Contest rules and rovering

[Nate Duehr]

Nate Duehr wrote:
> I think it's important that the list know this is no "ordinary" list 
> troll.
> 
> Whoever it is, they used the Tor proxy anonymizer/onion-router network 
> (http://tor.eff.org) as a method of hiding who they really are, and then 
> from there, used a Hotmail account.
> 
> Hotmail reported in the headers...
> X-Originating-IP: [128.197.11.30]
> 
> That resolves to the Tor server in the Computer Science department at 
> Boston University.
> 
> 30.11.197.128.in-addr.arpa. = cs-tor.bu.edu.

Just as an interesting side-note for us network technology buffs... 
sorry if it's a bit OT for the VHF list, but I'm sure folks here are 
into this stuff, at least some of us...

SANS is reporting this story today, which shows how people running Tor 
servers can end up in hot water by mistake.  Definitely going to be 
interesting, as it becomes more popular to do illegal things through 
that network.

  --Tor Server Operator Interrogated, Released
(September 16, 2007)
A German man who operated a Tor server was held and interrogated by
police in connection with a bomb threat that was traced to traffic
through his server.  Alexander Janssen was ultimately released, but says
he will no longer run a Tor server.  The Tor project anonymizes Internet
traffic by sending it over a random route through independently operated
servers.  The police acknowledged that they made a mistake.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/16/bomb_threat_leads_police_to_raid_tor_operator/print.html

I don't think the Internet community at large will appreciate the 
"freedom of speech", over the "keeping bad people from doing bad things 
with it" reality for very long.

But then again, the "community" I remember the Internet to be, really 
hasn't been much of a "community" for a long time.  The only way it 
remains so, is if people are civil and admins don't allow bad behavior.

(Thanks to Gene for agreeing that the posting was way off the deep end 
and removing that "person"'s account from the list.)

Tor is a challenge/opportunity (depending on your viewpoint) when it 
comes to ethics/morals, as this list has seen first-hand.

But ultimately, its the people using it -- not the technology -- who are 
at fault.  People want to be anonymous for both good and bad reasons. 
Tough nut to crack.

Nate WY0X