This is pretty dirty...
Plenty of Bitcoin users use Tor to access the Internet and the deep web. Up until now there was nothing particularly wrong with that, but a new ruling may change that scenario altogether. If this ruling is to be approved, any federal magistrate judge can issue a search and seizure warrant for anyone who uses Tor or similar software to remain anonymous on the Internet.
Source: http://themerkle.com/fbi-can-obtain-a-warrant-if-you-run-tor-come-december/
Given that Tor carries so much traffic that is suspect it makes sense they would do this. Provided they have to obtain a warrant then I don't see this being too much of a problem.
This is not really an issue they need to have probable cause to get one. And tor is not enough
I hope the US congress do fight it.
Snip from the article
> As a result, the FBI can then legally search computers running Tor remotely, even if they have no idea where the machine is located or what it is being used for. Simply having anonymity software installed on a computer would be reason enough for the FBI to investigate that user to “combat cyber crime.”
So running a TOR or an exit node would allow the FBI to search your PC it seems. How about open WiFi networks that lets TOR connect ? Seems messy.
Re-reading that article I would have to agree. I think this might simply be a case of speeding up access to warrants for the FBI so that as they track something and it hops to a new machine they can keep on the trail.
I just can't see this being used for mass-surveillance or completely unjustified invasions of privacy - like you say it get messy.
There is an irony that the tor project was initiated by one branch of the US federal government as a good thing and now another fights against it as a bad thing. It kind of symbolizes the political bun-fighting you always hear about in the US government.
All I'm reading is:
"FBI can obtain a warrant for people hiding their identity"
Get your shit together FBI, a lot of people use Tor for non malicious activities.
This one of those times when the FBI thinks that just because bad people use something that means that everybody using that thing must be bad as well.
Good ole FBI cum hoc ergo propter hoc logic.
I thought I recall reading something about TOR getting funding from the US government. This makes no sense at all if that's the case.
from what I remember TOR it self has no funding from the government. however the torrent protocol(aka P2P) TOR uses was created by the military.
personally I find TOR is a much better tool to get around region blocks then a privacy tool.
Yeah, these sorts of things I don't mind as long as we stay within the bounds of "no unreasonable searches and seizures." Taking stuff without asking is not okay; taking stuff through proper traditional legal process, even if it's stuff on a nontraditional form of communication, is okay.
people are so fucking stupid
at this rate why dont they just give us all our government mandated internet service that they look in on you at all times with and just call it a fucking day
So what software is on the list? The writing makes it sound like the 'similar software' could be loosely defined.
Today it's Tor....tomorrow it will be anyone caught using a proxy, the free internet is coming to a end. RIP
I could easily see them taking VPNs regarded as the same. If we wanted to get technical, couldn't Adblock and HTTPs everywhere be considered the same type of software?
You're probably right, the good ole' days are indefinitely coming to an end.