Safeguarding the Tor network: our commitment to network health and supporting relay operators

Recently, we've identified some operators associated with a high-risk, for-profit scheme. This financial scheme is promising monetary gains with cryptocurrency tokens, and is operated by third parties without the endorsement or approval of The Tor Project. We consider these relays to be harmful to the Tor network for a number of reasons, including that certain of the relays do not meet our requirements, and that such financial schemes present a significant threat to the network's integrity and the reputation of our project as they can attract individuals with malicious intent, put users at risk, or disrupt the volunteer-driven spirit that sustains the Tor Community.

As part of our assessment and due diligence into the matter, we engaged with relay operators and were often presented with scenarios in which relay operators associated with this scheme were putting themselves at risk by lacking the awareness of what project they were actually contributing to or operating relays in unsafe or high-risk regions. It has become clear to us that this scheme is not beneficial to the Tor network or the Tor Project. Which is why we proposed the rejection of those relays to our directory authorities who voted in favor of removing them.

This recommendation is further rooted in the fundamental principles of the Tor network: collaboration, the commitment to fight internet censorship and pervasive surveillance---and having the highest priority be to safeguard people's access to privacy and anonymity online. By removing relays associated with this for-profit scheme, the Tor network not only protects its users from potential harm but also reinforces its commitment to maintain a trusted and community-driven network. Upholding these principles is essential to ensure that Tor remains a safe and reliable tool for users seeking privacy and anonymity online.