back to article Tor takes off the gloves after sustained staffer harassment

The Tor project has revealed that one of its team has been subjected to “a sustained campaign of harassment for the past several months” and declared it will no longer tolerate such activity on the Tor network. In a strongly-worded post, Tor's “arma”, aka Roger Dingledine, says the female staffer “is not alone and her …

  1. Khaptain Silver badge

    Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

    Is there a paradoxical element to this being a Tor member that I have completely missed or is this just another cyber bullying article. I can't quite catch the drift of the article, I am having a slow morning.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

      "'Women who work on Tor endure serious threats'"

      Just get a coffee vending machine instead then...

      1. Afernie

        Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

        ""'Women who work on Tor endure serious threats'"

        Just get a coffee vending machine instead then..."

        I know you'll be needing a few coffees to keep you going with all the code and bug fixes you're no doubt continually contributing to the Tor project, in between bouts of recreational sexist trolling.

      2. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

        @The orignal AC

        I understand the reference to coffee since I am having a slow morning but you lost me with the quoted text..

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

          "I understand the reference to coffee since I am having a slow morning but you lost me with the quoted text.."

          It's something else that women in the office are useful for if they don't fit under your desk...

          1. gnasher729 Silver badge

            Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

            If there is any woman under your table, I hope she has a pair of scissors and knows how to use them.

            1. Preston Munchensonton
              Trollface

              Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

              "If there is any woman under your table, I hope she has a pair of scissors and knows how to use them." Of course, it would probably help her to have a microscope too...

            2. Fatman

              Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

              If there is any woman under your table, I hope she has a pair of scissors machete and knows how to use them it.

              FTFY!!!

          2. Psyx
            Thumb Down

            Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

            "It's something else that women in the office are useful for "

            Infinitely more uses than you, then.

          3. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

            I'll be sure to tell the female boss of the company I work for where she should be. NOT.

            You, sir, are a genuine asshole. I repeat the sentiments of the earlier poster who regretted not being able to send shocks instead of down votes.

      3. Law

        Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

        ""'Women who work on Tor endure serious threats'"

        Just get a coffee vending machine instead then..."

        If only I could send electric shocks rather than a down vote...

        1. Khaptain Silver badge

          Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

          I really deserve a slap in order to wake up, I didn't even understand what the original AC was actually referring to... I honestly thought he was referring to coffee in order that I wake myself up....

          I just re-read the comment and undersood what he really meant, "facepalm for me"....

          1. sisk
            Thumb Up

            Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

            I just re-read the comment and undersood what he really meant, "facepalm for me"....

            Let that be a lesson for you. No commenting before your first cup.

            Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go make some coffee.

          2. Shadow Systems

            @Khaptain

            I gave you an UpVote for being mature enough to admit when you had made the mistake. The trolling AC deserves a swift application of HVAC via alligator clamps across the earlobes, but since the site hasn't implemented the functionality yet to deliver electric shocks instead of mere DownVotes, I'll UpVote you & give Kudo's for your admission.

            *Hands over a large tankard of coffee & a pastry*

            1. jgarbo
              Headmaster

              Re: @Khaptain

              Er, it's kudos, no apostrophe.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Cyber Bullying or a Paradox?

          "If only I could send electric shocks rather than a down vote..."

          Let's try at least...

          >BZZZZZZT<

  2. PCS

    "....“devise ways to concretely support people who suffer from online harassment” and hopes the post sparks “ larger public conversation about online harassment” that moves more organisations to act."

    So they (Tor) are going to do what? Give the affected people a group hug and say "There there. It's not as bad as you think". I'm sure that'll greatly help to change trolling habits. NOT.

    How about banning? Naming and shaming? Publishing IP addresses? (maybe Anon could do something useful for a change with that information?)

    1. Khaptain Silver badge

      Ironic

      Removing anonymity from TOR , now thats ironic, could we then rename it to "The Orthodox Ring".

      1. solo

        Re: Ironic

        Not ironic. It's a perfect opportunity to target making every end user service, like banking, emails and even FB-Twatters-G+ anonymous. Why should trolls know whom they are targeting.

    2. AsherGoldbergstein

      "How about banning? Naming and shaming? Publishing IP addresses? (maybe Anon could do something useful for a change with that information?)"

      Your solution to the problem of someone getting their feelings hurt online is for the 'harassers' personally identifiable information to be posted publicly? By a company whose mission is to provide 'absolute anonymity'? You're hilarious.

      1. gnasher729 Silver badge

        Clearly anyone harassing Tor staff is actively working to make "absolute anonymity" impossible and therefore deserves to be outed to the highest degree possible. And if the harasser gets their feelings hurt in the process, that's justice.

      2. sisk

        Your solution to the problem of someone getting their feelings hurt online is for the 'harassers' personally identifiable information to be posted publicly? By a company whose mission is to provide 'absolute anonymity'? You're hilarious.

        Actually it makes sense. How many people do you know who'd willing act like your typical troll if they didn't have anonymity? The tactic works. Case in point: google Curtis Woodhouse Twitter Troll.

        1. Oninoshiko

          "Actually it makes sense. How many people do you know who'd willing act like your typical troll if they didn't have anonymity? The tactic works. Case in point: google Curtis Woodhouse Twitter Troll."

          Except that it undermines everything TOR is about. They might as well close up shop and go home.

          1. Indolent Wretch

            I'm not sure everything TOR is about is allowing people to make anonymous rape and murder threats because they hate women.

    3. Vociferous

      > maybe Anon could do something useful

      Come on. Misogyny on the net -- it IS Anon.

  3. Mondo the Magnificent
    Coat

    Time to call in....

    the TerminaTor!

    Strange that it's "only" women who work on the Tor project that get harassed

    With all this "anonymity" that Tor offers, you'd expect anyone associated with the Tor Project to be a little lower profile about what they do/contribute to this project, after all many authoritarian governments see Tor as major threat to their control and monitoring of all things Internet..

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Time to call in....

      Agreed.

      GCHQ must be laughing their arse off.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Time to call in....

      Shouldn't more Tor developers contribute anonymously (like Truecrypt, Freenet, or whatevercoin) regardless of whether they are men or women? Since there are no details about the harassment in this article, I wonder why this campaign happened anyway. It's not abuse at the workplace, which is what I expected when I clicked on the article. Is it an attempt to smear or criticise Tor? This isn't systemd flamewars, it's probably more like a GCHQ disinformation campaign. Is there a specific reason why a Tor woman would be targeted? More context is needed.

      1. Indolent Wretch

        Re: Time to call in....

        I assume it's more likely a TOR woman would be targeted because the world is full of misogynist arseholes.

        And why should a TOR developer contribute anonymously if they don't wish to? Why shouldn't people be allowed to take pride in their work and have their name attached to it?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Love Handles....

    ....None of this would have been a problem if the lady in question had used a 'handle' that wouldn't have aroused any suspicion......something like.....er.....'Thors Jockstrap' or 'I Like Bitches',etc.

    Dint think it through did you luv?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Afernie
      Trollface

      Re: Love Handles....

      "....None of this would have been a problem if the lady in question had used a 'handle' that wouldn't have aroused any suspicion......something like.....er.....'Thors Jockstrap' or 'I Like Bitches',etc."

      Or I suppose she could really throw them off the scent by anonymously posting attention-seeking and infantile crap on online forums like this one. If I pull off that Guy Fawkes mask will you actually prove to be the lady in question, hiding in plain sight? I'm guessing Occam's Razor provides a simpler explanation.

    3. Psyx
      Flame

      Re: Love Handles....

      "....None of this would have been a problem if the lady in question had used a 'handle' that wouldn't have aroused any suspicion."

      So, to avoid harassment, women should have to pretend to be men, and if they let slip that they're a women, it's all their fault?

      Fucking pathetic, aren't you?

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Love Handles....

      @AC - are you the same as the earlier AC? I really do hope that there aren't two such loathsome specimens around.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Love Handles....

      At least those names would make the harassment claims easier to take seriously than "wounded girl".

  5. Shadow Systems

    Re Microscopes under the desk

    I didn't know they had managed to get Electron Microscopes down that far to fit them under desks! Color me impressed!

  6. lucki bstard

    'that women, people of color, and others face against sexism, racism, homophobia and other bigotry'

    Can that be changed to discriminate against anyone. Not just identify a group of people and say 'these you cannot attack' and then identify another group as 'these you can attack'.

  7. rpark

    Gloves Off !

    Word UP !

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Anyway, back to the point

    I read the statement a few times and as far as I can tell, the main thing that they are going to do is "fuck all".

  9. This post has been deleted by its author

  10. Chris G

    Restrain yourself

    From down voting the moron AC with the coffee machine remark, having such a tiny dick and an intellect to go with it has made him crave attention even if it's only down votes.

    Perhaps he has no idea how to operate a coffee machine and too stupid to learn.

    Some woman or women must have seriously affected his self esteem, he must have deserved it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Restrain yourself

      We really need to see some of these abusive posts to tell if this was a GCHQ op, trolling, or something else. Compared to other tech groups that have been shit on by trolls lately, what has the Tor Project done to piss off a portion of the userbase? Is it the supposed security issues? The downfall of Freedom House and Silk Road clones? Very few of the users should be interested in interacting with the developers anyway.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Restrain yourself

      Coffee machine ergo dick. It follows

  11. AlanKurtz

    Context matters

    Interested readers who desire context and specifics of this case are invited to:

    https://storify.com/ShrillBrigade/geronimo

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Context matters

      Pretty confusing just scrolling through it. What a clusterfuck.

      Will El Reg back the Tor developer doxette or the Snowden/Greenwald/Tor haters?

  12. Vociferous

    Anonymous uses TOR?

    Whodathunk.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What is really going on at TOR?

    https://storify.com/endomorphosis/government-passes-sopa-amendment

    https://8chan.co/gamergate/res/67979.html

  14. jgarbo

    Why call an asshole Sir? Surely Asshole is sufficient title.

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