back to article Tor Project: Anonymity ain't free, folks. Pony up

The programmers behind internet privacy tool Tor are asking supporters to donate money to bankroll future development. The software project has kicked off a fundraising effort to enhance the online anonymizing network, which is used by whistleblowers, journalists, criminals, normal folk, privacy-conscious netizens, and many …

  1. gollux
    Black Helicopters

    Anonymity wants to be free...

  2. MrDamage Silver badge

    old fashioned check

    So they're accepting moudly bits of lumberjack shirts?

    Cheque. It's not that hard to spell, anf causes absolutely no confusion as to the meaning of the word.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Re: old fashioned check

      I think you mean mouldy. I don't think moudly is a word, but I haven't chequed it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: old fashioned check

        Anf and, or maybe the other way round.

        1. MrDamage Silver badge

          Re: old fashioned check

          Muphry's Law strikes again.

          I suppose that's what happen when you have 8 browser tabs open on a mobile and you're typing faster than the phone is capable of rendering the input on screen.

          1. BenR

            Re: old fashioned check

            I really really REALLY hope "Muphry's Law" was a deliberate mistake...

            1. MrDamage Silver badge

              Muphry's Law

              It's similar to Murphy's Law, but it applies to grammar/spelling nazis.

              Basically, it dictates that those who seek to correct someone else's spelling or grammar, will make a mistake themselves.

            2. TopCat62

              Re: old fashioned check

              No, Muphry's Law is a thing.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry's_law

    2. Your alien overlord - fear me

      Re: old fashioned check

      Americans eh !!!

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nice idea, but

    I would think the donor list to be of more interest to some than those of the members of Ashley Madison or the EDL. The latter, mere titillation, the former, ??? who knows.

  4. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Surely all those paedoes, terrorists and drug dealers should be ponying up.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    interesting list

    of the donors you have there. Care if we take a look?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm...

    I'm not averse to donating a little cash to keep Tor running, as on balance I think it does more good than it does harm, however, I don't fancy belatedly finding myself in an orange jumpsuit for this, much as I love Cuba.

    Any ideas? And no, thanks, but I'll not be suckered into a 419 variant by sending the money on to a third party.

    1. Old Handle

      Re: Hmmm...

      Buy either a pre-paid debit card or a money order with cash and use that.

  7. User McUser
    Happy

    And it's Tax Deductible too

    From https://www.torproject.org/donate/donor-faq.html.en:

    If you pay taxes in the United States, your donation to Tor is tax deductible to the full extent required by law. The tax ID number for the Tor Project is 20-8096820.

  8. BenR

    "Though the Tor Project has found itself at odds with the US government for criminal activity taking place on the network"

    Isn't this almost exactly the same as saying the (open) internet itself should be in trouble because of illegal activity on it?

    1. BenR

      ... or that roads are illegal because they're used in the commission of a crime? (Such as speeding at one extreme, to getaway driving at the other?)

      ... or that pharmaceuticals are illegal because of heroin and cocaine?

      ... or (especially for the Americans) saying that guns are illegal because they are used in hundreds of thousands of violent crimes every year?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The gullible

    ..will get fleeced.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    I pay taxes

    I pay taxes, and US.gov pays TOR. I was a bit surprised to learn that's still happening. It's like Mozilla w/rt Google then Yahoo: if you're gonna take from them, don't expect anything from your users (as they're shuffling toward the coatroom...)

    I want to like TOR, but having given it another look in the last few weeks I'm not impressed. It's not slow, it's excruciatingly slow. And considering their primary funding sources, I can't trust their intentions. Sorry.

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