Re: Old Handle Re: Mephistro (@ Matt Bryant) - this will upset Badger
"....As for the idea of keeping them running and directing people to a fake Tor network, that would be possible, but it would be awful brash......" Politicians actually like those big gestures that are supposed to give the masses the idea they are doing something useful. And Obambi is in his final term with a lame-duck Congress, he is 'building his legacy' (see immigration, Cuba), so some of us are already playing a game of 'guess the policy lurch' where we place bets on which bit of political silliness/'vision' he tries next. The pool was 5:1 on some form of forced Isreali-Arab settlement, 4:1 on gun control through ammo taxation, and only 2:1 on either "saving the Interweb" or pardoning Chelsea Manning. Surprisingly, given the level of cynicism prevalent in the group, using the new USN's laser cannon to draw his likeness on the surface of the moon (a Mount Rushmore in space) is currently lagging at 1:20 against.
".....It's not like it would go unnoticed." OK, so if the TOR network gets hijacked by 'The Man' and word gets round, how is that bad for 'The Man'? Those without 'evil intent', such as businesses and activists in Third World countries, may grumble about "NSA intrusion" but will probably still use it anyway. Legitimate businesses using TOR want protection from business rivals and corrupt regimes, not the NSA or FBI, and activists hiding from oppressive dictators are usually the ones the State Department wants to help anyway (remember, that was what TOR was originally designed for by the US authorities). But those with 'evil intent' (pirates, drug-dealers, e-criminals and terrorists) will probably stop using it, which law enforcement will see as a prevention-of-crime win. Those who are just paranoid and stop using it are both too small a group and too minor in importance to carry any political weight. The NSA might grumble about the loss of information TOR probably gives them, but they can then shift resources and start to look for and target any "TOR2.0" groups that spring up on the Dark Web.
Now, extend the idea one step further - if the Gubbermint has control of the TOR network but lets the people use it (in a policed manner), and you setup a new "TOR2.0", the political logic will be "that must mean with evil intent".....
Merry Christmas all!
Biting the hand that feeds IT
