[Freedombox-discuss] Identity UI

[Ted Smith]

On Mon, 2012-06-25 at 10:00 +0200, Michiel de Jong wrote:
> Pros of Tor:
> - it is the only (or at least the most mature) option we know of to
> not inadvertently disclose your geographical position. Since
> freedombox is for a large part about privacy-by-design, that seems to
> be a strong argument
> - if freedombox has Tor on it, and a significant number of boxes get
> sold and deployed, then freedombox is helping Tor (Tor only works well
> if there are a lot of nodes), which i think is in itself good.

This is only true if some large part of those nodes are also Tor relays,
contributing bandwidth back to the network. 

> - compared with the reverse proxy + ssl cert solution, it's more
> decentralized.
> 
> Cons of Tor:
> - it might be too resource-heavy to run on some of the hardware (so
> may make the default model more expensive)

Tor runs on commodity routers and Android phones, so unless the
Freedombox is expected to be a high-bandwidth relay, I think we're fine
here.

> - some people may consider running a Tor node illegal, and even if
> it's not illegal, you will probably have to be prepared to deal with
> take-down notices from your ISP. Of course, as more people run Tor
> nodes, this burden is shared among more people, so putting it into
> Freedombox would actually help to solve this problem.

This is only true if the Tor nodes deployed in Freedomboxen are *EXIT*
relays. 

You don't need to run as a relay or especially not as an exit relay to
host a hidden service.

> - Tor is a powerful tool, and every tool can be a weapon. I think its
> merit as a tool outweighs its power as a weapon, but even so, i
> wouldn't want to force other people to run a Tor node without properly
> knowing what it is. Everybody has a right to understand (explained in
> laymen's terms, if necessary) what software is running on the hardware
> they own. So if we put Tor into freedombox, we should IMHO add some
> documentation that explains "your freedombox will make your internet
> connection into a channel of free speech for others, and may help
> activists in suppressed regimes speak their mind without being
> prosecuted.". So i would word it positively, but at least not make a
> secret of how powerful the installed software of freedombox is. Simply
> as a consumer's right (please don't flame me for this one). :)

Again, this is only an issue if for some reason the default configuratin
is to relay traffic, which is unnecessary for hosting a hidden service.

Also, I question the necessity of an explanation that's so vague as to
be not quite real.
-- 
Sent from Ubuntu
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