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UX team monthly meeting notes, Feb 9th
by Duncan Larsen-Russell 09 Feb '21

09 Feb '21

Hello! Thanks everyone who made it to today's UX team monthly meeting, and we're looking forward to seeing you all again in March. Here are the minutes: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-02-09-13.58.log… <http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-02-09-13.58.log…> During today’s meeting we introduced a new project for the UX team: S103 – Collaborative ResistancE to Web Surveillance (CREWS), planned the final details of the upcoming Tor Browser and Snowflake user surveys, onboarded two new user research contributors who we’re very excited to have running their own sessions in the near future, and lastly received an update from josernitos on their developing research project. *** Open IRC meetings happen monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 1400 UTC in #tor-meeting on OFTC. Next meeting will be held on Tuesday 2nd March at 1400 UTC in #tor-meeting on OFTC. Here are the minutes for the meeting of February 9th: Log: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-02-09-13.58.log… <http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-02-09-13.58.log…> Here are the minutes for the meeting of January 12th: Log: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-01-12-13.58.log… <http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-01-12-13.58.log…> Here are the minutes for the meeting of November 10th: Log: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2020/tor-meeting.2020-11-10-13.58.log… <http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2020/tor-meeting.2020-11-10-13.58.log…> Here are the minutes for the meeting of October 13th: Log: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2020/tor-meeting.2020-10-13-13.59.log… <http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2020/tor-meeting.2020-10-13-13.59.log…> -------------------------- Tuesday February 9th 14:00 UTC -------------------------- == What projects are we working on? == S9 - Usability and Community Intervention on Support for Democracy and Human Rights • https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&… S30 - Empowering Communities in the Global South to Bypass Censorship • https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&… S84 - Onion Guides • https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&… == Announcements == * Tor Browser 10.0.9 Release: • https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-1009 * Tor Browser Alpha 10.5.a8 Release: • https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-105a8 == Agenda == 1. New Project: S103 – Collaborative ResistancE to Web Surveillance (CREWS) • https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&… <https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&…> 2. Final planning for the upcoming surveys: * https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research/-/issues/11 <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research/-/issues/11> * https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow…> * Chat about TB lang versions 3. Onboarding for new UR contributors: * Introductions Questions for UR contributors: * Is this your first contribution to the Tor Project? * Where will your research take place? * Who are your audience? Questions for the Tor * What are Tor's research priorities? == Open Call for User Research == Materials and next steps for the contributors who attended today's session: - Subscribe to the UX mailing: • https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo <https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo> - Find out more about user research for Tor on our Community portal: • https://community.torproject.org/user-research/ <https://community.torproject.org/user-research/> - Create an account on Gitlab, browse the UX Research repo, and get up to speed on Tor's personas: • https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research> - Read the guidelines on how to do user research with Tor: • https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research/-/blob/master/README.md <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research/-/blob/master/README.md> - Familiarize yourself with the User Needs Discovery activity: • https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research/-/blob/master/scripts%20and%2… <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/research/-/blob/master/scripts%20and%2…> - Begin to think about the details of your session (i.e. Where are your participants joining the session from? How many will be attending? What materials/support will you need? When will your session take place?) - Lastly: when you're ready, head back to the #tor-ux channel or email the team to review your session plan :) For anyone else who'd like to get involved: the UX team meets monthly on IRC in the #tor-meeting channel on the OFTC network. If you’re not familiar with IRC here are some instructions to get started: https://support.torproject.org/get-in-touch/#irc-help <https://support.torproject.org/get-in-touch/#irc-help>

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The Tor Project job opening - Metrics Team
by Erin Wyatt 05 Feb '21

05 Feb '21

Hello everyone, We have another new job opening to share: Metrics Data Architect (https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/metrics-data-architect/). The job description is attached as a PDF and pasted below in plain text. We are also hoping to fill this position as soon as possible, so please help us spread the word! :) Thank you! Best, Erin Wyatt Director of People Operations ewyatt(a)torproject.org PGP: 35E7 2A9F 6655 45F9 2CB6 6624 BA0C 9400 F80F 91CE https://www.torproject.org | http://expyuzz4wqqyqhjn.onion/ ——————————————>8 Internet Freedom Nonprofit Seeks Metrics Data Architect February 4, 2021 The Tor Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advancing human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free and open source anonymity and privacy technologies, is seeking an experienced Data Architect to take our metrics work to the next level. Tor is for everyone, and we are actively working to build a team that represents people from all over the world — people from diverse ethnic, national, and cultural backgrounds; people from all walks of life. Racial minorities, non-gender-binary people, women, and people from any group that is generally underrepresented in tech are encouraged to apply. This is a full-time remote position. Our Metrics Team has been collecting data since 2004 to help improve the tools we build and learn more about the Tor network. For example, we monitor the number of relays and clients in the network, their respective capabilities, the number of clients connecting via bridges, fluctuations in network speed, etc. Gathering this data results in huge data archives, so we are also working to develop tools to process this data and make it available to everyone. How we achieve our goals: • Robustness (We want to avoid bugs and/or bad design decisions that cause us to miss data) • Timeliness (users need up-to-date network status information) • Scalability (as the network grows, so does our data) • Transparency (our community rightly wants to know what data we're collecting) The most interesting challenge for metrics collection at Tor is how to gather data on an anonymity system without de-anonymizing users. We are integrating the metrics team with a new network health team that will be also focusing on taking care of the health of the Tor network. Additionally, Tor has just begin a large network performance improvement project that will vastly increase network utilization and client performance. There will be close interaction between this role and our performance effort, in the form of ensuring data is collected properly during deployment of new performance features and performance tuning. This will also include producing custom visualizations, doing analysis, and comparisons between historical and current data. The person in this position will work directly with helping us maintain existing systems, and design new systems for gathering and analyzing data. They will help the rest of the teams understand the data available to improve our tools as well as the Tor network's health. The bulk of our code is written in Java, but smaller portions are written in R, Python, PostgreSQL, and JavaScript. Part of this job will be to analyze and fix bugs in our current code and review patches. You will be working with the existing teams in Tor with support and advice on data collection and measurements for their needs in their respective projects. Our main five codebases: • Collector • metrics-lib • Onionoo • Exonerator • metrics-web Requirements: Technical abilities/experience: • Have experience finding your way into existing Java, R, and PostgreSQL-based code bases and the ability to review patches and make changes to fix bugs/smaller enhancements. • Have experience with web application development in the Python programming language. Experience with known frameworks is a plus. • Able to identify shortcomings in our data pipeline and suggest improvements to reduce complexity and future maintenance efforts. • Experience working with Git and Gitlab or similar issue tracking tools. • Ability to learn quickly and can adapt to our current processes; being able to improve future processes for releasing software and operating services. • Understanding of the inherent privacy implications of gathering data in an anonymity system, the security implications of gathering metrics data from semi-trusted relays in the Tor network, and the challenges of processing large amounts of data per day (specifically performance and scalability challenges). • Data analysis: Ability to make sense of data sets and use data analysis tools to find and visualize interesting patterns. • Mathematics: Knowledge of basic statistics. Collaborative requirements: • Ability to work remotely 100% of the time, as synchronization happens via email and/or IRC. • Participation in weekly IRC meetings and monthly team video chats. • Language: write and speak fluent English. • Comfortable posting to a public mailing list or speaking up in a public IRC channel to ask questions, even when you think the question might be obvious or silly. Bonus skills: • Open source experience: You have contributed to an open source project before, and you're accustomed to a pattern of early and frequent releases without attempting to finalize things on your own. • Scientific writing: Experience writing technical reports about data findings. • Networking background: Experience working with networks and measurements in the past. • You support Internet Freedom! To apply, submit a cover letter, your CV/resume (including three professional references), and a link to a code sample or some non-trivial software project you have significantly contributed to. In your cover letter, please include the reason you want to work at the Tor Project. IMPORTANT: Please email application materials in plain text or PDF format to job-metrics at torproject dot org with “Metrics Data Architect” in the subject line. The Tor Project's workforce is smart, committed, and hard working. We currently have a paid and contract staff of around 24 developers and operational support people, plus many thousands of volunteers who contribute to our work. The Tor Project is funded in part by government research and development grants, and in part by individual, foundation, and corporate donations. Salary for this position depends on experience and there is voluntary opt-in salary transparency for employees and contractors. The Tor Project has a competitive benefits package, including a generous PTO policy, 16 paid holidays per year (including the week between Christmas and New Year's, when the office is closed), and flexible work schedule. Insurance benefits vary by employment status and country of residence. The Tor Project, Inc., is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.

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minutes from the sysadmin meeting
by Antoine Beaupré 05 Feb '21

05 Feb '21

Hi everyone, Here's a (somewhat late) report from our monthly sysadmin meeting. # Roll call: who's there and emergencies anarcat, gaba, hiro * hiro will be doing security reboots for [DSA-483][] [DSA-483]: https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4843 # Dashboard review We reviewed the [dashboard][] to prioritise the work in February. [dashboard]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/boards anarcat is doing triage for the next two weeks, as now indicated in the IRC channel topic. # Communications discussion We wanted to touch base on how we organise and communicate, but didn't have time to do so. Postponed to next meeting. Reminder: * Documentation about documentation: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/service/documentation * Policies: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/policy # Next meeting March 2nd, 2021, same time # Metrics of the month * hosts in Puppet: 83, LDAP: 86, Prometheus exporters: 135 * number of Apache servers monitored: 27, hits per second: 182 * number of Nginx servers: 2, hits per second: 3, hit ratio: 0.83 * number of self-hosted nameservers: 6, mail servers: 12 * pending upgrades: 11, reboots: 71 * average load: 0.41, memory available: 1.94 TiB/2.67 TiB, running processes: 520 * bytes sent: 281.62 MB/s, received: 163.47 MB/s * [GitLab tickets][]: 130 tickets including... * open: 0 * icebox: 96 * backlog: 18 * next: 10 * doing: 7 * (closed: 2182) [Gitlab tickets]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/boards I've been collecting those dashboard metrics for a while, and while I don't have pretty graphs to show you yet, I do have this fancy table: | date | open | icebox | backlog | next | doing | closed | |------------|------|--------|---------|------|-------|--------| | 2020-07-01 | 125 | 0 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 2075 | | 2020-11-18 | 1 | 84 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 2119 | | 2020-12-02 | 0 | 92 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 2130 | | 2021-01-19 | 0 | 91 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 2165 | | 2021-02-02 | 0 | 96 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 2182 | Some observations: * the "Icebox" keeps piling up * we are closing tens and tens of tickets (about 20-30 a month) * we are getting better at keeping Backlog/Next/Doing small * triage is working: the "Open" queue is generally empty after the meeting As usual, some of those stats are available in the main Grafana dashboard. Head to <https://grafana.torproject.org/>, change the time period to 30 days, and wait a while for results to render. -- Antoine Beaupré torproject.org system administration

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Anti-censorship meeting notes, 4 February 2021
by Cecylia Bocovich 04 Feb '21

04 Feb '21

Hi everyone! Here are our meeting logs: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-02-04-15.58.html and our meeting pad: Anti-censorship work meeting pad -------------------------------- Next meeting: Thursday February 4th 16:00 UTC Weekly meetings, every Thursday at 16:00 UTC, in #tor-meeting at OFTC (channel is logged while meetings are in progress) == Goal of this meeting == Weekly checkin about the status of anti-censorship work at Tor. Coordinate collaboration between people/teams on anti-censorship at Tor. == Links to Useful documents == Our anti-censorship roadmap: Roadmap: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/anti-censorship/-/boards The anti-censorship team's wiki page: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/team/-/wikis/home Past meeting notes can be found at: https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-project/ Tickets that need reviews: from sponsors we are working on: All needs review tickets: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/anti-censorship/-/merge_requests?s… Sponsor 30 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/4 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/7 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/5 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/6 Sponsor 28 must-do tickets: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/10 possible tickets: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&… Anti-censorship related tickets that we want other teams to fix: https://pad.riseup.net/p/tor-anti-censorship-tickets-keep <-- it will be moved into gitlab with TPO labels <-- do we still need this? The label is 'for anticensorship team' Public bug-reporting pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/tor-anti-censorship-bugs-keep == Announcements == There's a job opening in the anti-censorship team: https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/software-developer-anticensorship/ <-- please apply! Added snowflake and snowflake-webext to anonymous reporting system for GitLab Opened a ticket to update snowflake.torproject.org: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… Does anyone else want an account to be able to approve tickets? == Discussion == == Actions == == Interesting links == MariaV is inviting teams to opt in to an anonymous GitLab reporting system (see 2021-01-27 tor-team email). https://anonticket.onionize.space/ https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/anon_ticket == Reading group == We will discuss "" Questions to ask and goals to have: What aspects of the paper are questionable? Are there immediate actions we can take based on this work? Are there long-term actions we can take based on this work? Is there future work that we want to call out, in hopes that others will pick it up? == Updates == Name: This week: - What you worked on this week. Next week: - What you are planning to work on next week. Help with: - Something you need help with. phw: This week (2020-01-21): Wrapped up persistence layer in rdsys. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/5 Lots of handover work. Filed issue to make Relay Status page link to rdsys's bridge status page. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/metrics/relay-search/-/issues/40003 More work on wrapping up censorship snapshot. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/community/outreach/-/issues/28531 Next week: Help with: cecylia (cohosh): last updated 2020-02-04 Last week: - closed snowflake#40030, things look good for users with symmetric NATs now :) - so many meetings this week x_x - reviewing job applications - started connecting bridgedb with rdsys backend (rdsys#12) - preparing snowflake for sponsor 28 evaluations - gave a talk for matt green's class at JHU - confirmed something is up with proxy-go instances (snowflake#30498) This week: - snowflake overhead/throughput issues (snowflake#40026) - integrate gettor and rdsys (rdsys#32) - provide feedback on sproutsbot - sponsor 28 evaluation prep - connect bridgedb with rdsys backend (rdsys#12) - debug potential issues with standalone proxies (snowflake#30498) Needs help with: arlolra: 2020-10-29 Last week: - Next week: - getting back up to speed - follow ups to #33365 - start on #31201 Help with: - dcf: 2021-02-04 Last week: - archived snowflake-webextension-0.5.3 - reviewed proxy-go throughput logging https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… Next week: Help with: Antonela: 2020-08-27 This week: agix:2021-01-28 Last week: -Research on httpt #4 Next week: -(For sure) finish rdsys #6 Help with: - hanneloresx: 2021-2-4 Last week: - Updated merge request for emma #6 per comment from phw Next week: - Work on bridgestrap #14 Help with: - HashikD: 2021-01-22 This week: - Next week: - Help with: -

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Anti-censorship team monthly report: January 2021
by Cecylia Bocovich 04 Feb '21

04 Feb '21

Anti-censorship team Jan 2021 report ==================================== Snowflake --------- *There was an unexplained 4-day decrease in the number of Snowflake users, almost to zero. https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/anti-censorship-team/2021-January/00… * Changed some domains used by the Snowflake proxy browser extension, to avoid antivirus warnings. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… * Updated version of webrtc dependency to new major version release https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… * Version bump for snowflake in Tor Browser * Reclassified proxies with unknown NAT types to be in the restricted NAT bucket https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… * Prevent proxies from reverting from a known NAT type to an unknown NAT type https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… BridgeDB/rdsys -------------- * Wrapped up documentation that discusses how rdsys tests resources. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/31 * Implemented a pluggable "persistence layer" in rdsys that helps distributors seamlessly store persistent data. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/5 * Summarised long-term plans regarding the future of BridgeDB and rdsys. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/12 * Filed "meta issue" for Salmon and a bunch of new child issues. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/35 * Allowed more granular specification of distribution proportions https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/37 GetTor ------ * Added redaction of email addresses from SMTP error messages before errors are logged. This is to protect personal information from being saved in logs. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/gettor-project/trac/-/iss… * Updated version of GetTor binaries to include fix for meek-azure bug https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/gettor-project/gettor/-/i… * Fixed GetTor's locale parser https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/gettor-project/gettor/-/i… Bridgestrap -------------- * Finally merged the issue we had with Tor going dormant on bridgestrap. In the process we discovered another issue in the way bridgestrap interacted with its Tor controller library. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/bridgestrap/-/issues/12 Other ----- * Default bridges did not work in Tor Browser 10.5a7, but are working again in 10.5a8. The underlying cause was a problem in tor's configuration parsing. https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-105a7 https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-105a8 * Brainstormed ways to build a Web-based version of our censorship analysis tool emma. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/emma/-/issues/4 * Started teaching emma to try more than once if a TCP connection times out. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/emma/-/issues/6 * Published a job opening in the anti-censorship team: https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/software-developer-anticensorship/ * Philipp reviewed research papers for the DNS Privacy Workshop: https://www.ndss-symposium.org/ndss2021/cfp-dns-privacy-workshop/ * We have a wiki page for our anti-censorship reading group: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/team/-/wikis/Anti-censors…

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UX team meeting on February 9th
by Duncan Larsen-Russell 04 Feb '21

04 Feb '21

Hi everyone, Our next User Experience team meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th February at 1400 UTC in #tor-meeting.* During this meeting we'll discuss upcoming work for the UX team across key projects, alongside hosting an open call for user research where we’ll outline ways in which community members can help contribute towards user research for Tor. If you'd like to get involved please feel free to add yourself to the pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/1D8sK8Zy74b_0qclC97I-ux-team-monthly-2020-keep <https://pad.riseup.net/p/1D8sK8Zy74b_0qclC97I-ux-team-monthly-2020-keep> Remember, User Experience team meetings are an open space for discussion around ethical user research, user interface design and the user experience of privacy-enhancing products. See you soon! Duncan [*] https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/team/-/wikis/home <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/ux/team/-/wikis/home>

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Anti-censorship meeting notes, 28 January 2021
by Cecylia Bocovich 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

Hi everyone, Here are our meeting logs: http://meetbot.debian.net/tor-meeting/2021/tor-meeting.2021-01-07-15.58.html and our meeting pad: Anti-censorship work meeting pad -------------------------------- Next meeting: Thursday January 28th 16:00 UTC Weekly meetings, every Thursday at 16:00 UTC, in #tor-meeting at OFTC (channel is logged while meetings are in progress) == Goal of this meeting == Weekly checkin about the status of anti-censorship work at Tor. Coordinate collaboration between people/teams on anti-censorship at Tor. == Links to Useful documents == Our anti-censorship roadmap: Roadmap: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/anti-censorship/-/boards The anti-censorship team's wiki page: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/team/-/wikis/home Past meeting notes can be found at: https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-project/ Tickets that need reviews: from sponsors we are working on: All needs review tickets: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/anti-censorship/-/merge_requests?s… Sponsor 30 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/4 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/7 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/5 https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/6 Sponsor 28 must-do tickets: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/milestones/10 possible tickets: https://gitlab.torproject.org/groups/tpo/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&… Anti-censorship related tickets that we want other teams to fix: https://pad.riseup.net/p/tor-anti-censorship-tickets-keep <-- it will be moved into gitlab with TPO labels <-- do we still need this? The label is 'for anticensorship team' Public bug-reporting pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/tor-anti-censorship-bugs-keep == Announcements == There's a job opening in the anti-censorship team: https://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/software-developer-anticensorship/ <-- please apply! Default bridges are supposed to work again in Tor Browser 10.5a8 https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-105a8 \o/ == Discussion == == Actions == January 2021 monthly report: https://pad.riseup.net/p/mmoiMFOsC0MKLtL7zhc6 == Interesting links == MariaV is inviting teams to opt in to an anonymous GitLab reporting system (see 2021-01-27 tor-team email). https://anonticket.onionize.space/ https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/anon_ticket == Reading group == We will discuss "" Questions to ask and goals to have: What aspects of the paper are questionable? Are there immediate actions we can take based on this work? Are there long-term actions we can take based on this work? Is there future work that we want to call out, in hopes that others will pick it up? == Updates == Name: This week: - What you worked on this week. Next week: - What you are planning to work on next week. Help with: - Something you need help with. phw: This week (2020-01-21): Wrapped up persistence layer in rdsys. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/rdsys/-/issues/5 Lots of handover work. Filed issue to make Relay Status page link to rdsys's bridge status page. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/metrics/relay-search/-/issues/40003 More work on wrapping up censorship snapshot. https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/community/outreach/-/issues/28531 Next week: Help with: cecylia (cohosh): last updated 2020-01-28 Last week: - bump version of snowflake in tor-browser (tor-browser-build#40212) - improved logging for standalone proxies (snowflake#30498) - reviewed and deployed gettor/trac!16 - edits to snowflake survey (snowflake#40007) - generalized distribution proportions for rdsys (rdsys#37) - work on anti-censorship hiring - upgraded snowflake broker and bridge machines (https://www.sudo.ws/alerts/unescape_overflow.html) - adjusted how proxies handle NAT type checks (snowflake-webext#20) - knowledge transfer about bridgedb This week: - snowflake overhead/throughput issues (snowflake#40026) - integrate gettor and rdsys (rdsys#32) - provide feedback on sproutsbot - sponsor 28 evaluation prep - pick up some rdsys tickets? Needs help with: - review of snowflake!27 arlolra: 2020-10-29 Last week: - Next week: - getting back up to speed - follow ups to #33365 - start on #31201 Help with: - dcf: 2021-01-28 Last week: - reviewed plan to reclassify unknown NAT as restricted https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… Next week: - review proxy-go throughput logging https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/anti-censorship/pluggable-transports/snow… Help with: Antonela: 2020-08-27 This week: agix:2021-01-28 Last week: -Research on httpt #4 Next week: -(For sure) finish rdsys #6 Help with: - hanneloresx: 2021-1-28 Last week: - Finished gettor #34058 - Submitted merge request for emma #6 Next week: - Start on bridgestrap #14 Help with: - HashikD: 2021-01-22 This week: - Next week: - Help with: -

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minutes from the sysadmin meeting: 2021 roadmap adopted
by Antoine Beaupré 26 Jan '21

26 Jan '21

TL;DR: the 2021 roadmap was adopted, see the details here: <https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/roadmap/2021> Followup of the [last meeting][] to complete the work on the 2021 roadmp. [last meeting]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/meeting/2021-01-19 # Roll call: who's there and emergencies anarcat, gaba, hiro [Problem with gmail][], not a rush but priority. [problem with gmail]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/issues/40149 # Roadmap review We looked at the [draft 2021 roadmap proposal][] anarcat sent last week. [draft 2021 roadmap proposal]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/roadmap/2021 ## Need to have / nice to have / non-goals * need to prioritise fixing the blog (formatting, moderation), but those fixes will probably not come before Q3, because of capacity * we decided to *not* retire schleuder: hiro fixed a bunch of stuff yesterday, it should work better now. no need to retire it as we will still want encrypted mailing lists in the future * service admins; let's not reopen that discussion * added the bullseye upgrade to "nice to have", but not a hard priority for 2021 (and will be, along with the python3 upgrade, for 2022) * search.tpo (#33106) and "web metrics" (#32996) are postponed to 2022 * people suggested retiring "testnet" in the survey, but we don't quite know what that is, so we presumably need to talk with the network team about this * we agreed to cover for some metrics: we updated [ticket 40125][] with the remaining services to reallocate. covering for a service means that TPA will reboot services and allocate disk/ram as needed, but we are not in a position to make major reengineering changes [ticket 40125]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/issues/40125 ## Quarterly prioritization * there's a lot in Q1, but a lot of it is actually already done * sponsor 9 requires work from hiro, so we might have capacity problems We added a few of the "needs to have" in the quarterly allocation to make sure those are covered. We agreed we'd review the global roadmap every quarter, and continue doing the monthly "kanban board" review for the more daily progress. # Next meeting Going back to our regular programming, i have set a recurring meeting on tuesdays, 1500UTC on the first tuesday of the month, for TPA. # Metrics of the month Skipped because last meeting was a week ago. ;) -- Antoine Beaupré torproject.org system administration

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Anti-Censorship Team Update & Job Opening
by Erin Wyatt 20 Jan '21

20 Jan '21

Hello everyone, We have an update and a new job opening to share! 1. Cecylia Bocovich (cohosh), presently our developer on the Anti-Censorship Team, will stepping up to lead the team as Philipp moves on. Thank you, Cecylia! 2. With the upcoming vacancy on the Anti-Censorship Team, we have a new job opening! You can find the job description pasted below, attached as a PDF, and on our website athttps://www.torproject.org/about/jobs/software-developer-anticensorship/. We are hoping to fill this position as soon as possible, so please help us spread the word! :) Thank you! Best, Erin Wyatt Director of People Operations ewyatt(a)torproject.org PGP: 35E7 2A9F 6655 45F9 2CB6 6624 BA0C 9400 F80F 91CE https://www.torproject.org | http://expyuzz4wqqyqhjn.onion/ ----------------------------->8 Internet Freedom Nonprofit Seeks Software Developer for Anti-Censorship Team The Tor Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advancing human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free and open source anonymity and privacy technologies, is seeking an experienced Software Developer to take our anti-censorship work to the next level. This developer will be tasked with improving the user experience and process of finding alternate routes to the Tor network when global censorship events block access to the Tor network. A personal commitment to free and open source software and the application of advanced programming skills for the greater good is essential. This is a full-time remote position. This developer position will be an integral part of our Anti-Censorship Team. Main responsibilities for this position are: - Continue development of our bridge distribution system, rdsys. - Maintain and improve the pipeline that distributes bridges to censored users. - Evaluate and incorporate new pluggable transports. - Collaborate with other teams in the Tor Project, external software projects (e.g. OONI), and research groups to move forward anti-censorship technology. Required qualifications: - Experience with designing, implementing, testing, and reviewing complex codebases (ideally in Go and Python). - Ability to work in a self-directed and independent way. - Comfortable with working remotely, across time zones. - Strong familiarity with computer science fundamentals. - Familiarity with Internet security and censorship circumvention technologies. Preferred qualifications: - Familiarity with reading research papers and turning research ideas into prototypes. - Understanding of the Tor pluggable transport ecosystem and the censorship circumvention research space. - Past contributions to and familiarity with the practices of free software projects. - Passion and dedication to Internet freedom is an added plus. To apply, submit a cover letter, your CV/resume (including three professional references), and a link to a code sample or some non-trivial software project you have significantly contributed to. In your cover letter, please include the reason you want to work at the Tor Project. IMPORTANT: Please email application materials in plain text or PDF format, if possible, to job-anticensor at torproject dot org with “Anti-Censorship Developer” in the subject line. Tor is for everyone, and we are actively working to build a team that represents people from all over the world — people from diverse ethnic, national, and cultural backgrounds – people from all walks of life. We encourage applications from BIPOC, non-cis people, women, and from people in any group that is underrepresented in tech. The Tor Project's workforce is smart, committed, and hard working. We currently have a paid and contract staff of around 24 developers and operational support people, plus many thousands of volunteers who contribute to our work. The Tor Project is funded in part by government research and development grants, and in part by individual, foundation, and corporate donations. Salary for this position depends on experience and there is voluntary opt-in salary transparency for employees and contractors. The Tor Project has a competitive benefits package, including a generous PTO policy, 16 paid holidays per year (including the week between Christmas and New Year's, when the office is closed), and flexible work schedule. Insurance benefits vary by employment status and country of residence. The Tor Project, Inc., is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.

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minutes from the sysadmin meeting
by Antoine Beaupré 20 Jan '21

20 Jan '21

Hi! It feels so strange to say that this year around, but... happy new year everyone! Let's hope we can do better this time around. ;) Here's your first sysadmin report for 2021, hopefully we'll keep you informed of our progress steadily in the coming year. Right now we're working on the roadmap and, even though we asked you for feedback in the user survey, it's still time to steer us in the good direction. We have a meeting coming up where we're likely to set that more in stone, so now is a good time if you forgot to respond to the survey... Now onto the minutes. Agenda: - Roll call: who's there and emergencies - Dashboard review - Roadmap 2021 proposal - 2020 retrospective - Services survey - Goals for 2021 - Other discussions - Next meeting - Metrics of the month # Roll call: who's there and emergencies present: hiro, gaba, anarcat [GitLab backups are broken][]: it might need more disk space than we need. just bump disk space in the short term, consider changing the backups system, in the long term. [GitLab backups are broken]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/issues/40143 # Dashboard review We [reviewed the dashboard][], too much stuff in January, but we'll review in February. [reviewed the dashboard]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/boards # Roadmap 2021 proposal We discussed the [roadmap project][] anarcat worked on. We reviewed the 2020 retrospective, talked about the services survey, and discussed goals for 2021. [roadmap project]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/roadmap/2021 ## 2020 retrospective We reviewed and discussed the [2020 roadmap evaluation][] that anarcat prepared: [2020 roadmap evaluation]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/roadmap/2021#2020-roadma… * **what worked?** we did the "need to have" even through the apocalypse, staff reduction and all the craziness of 2020! success! * **what was a challenge?** * monthly tracking was not practical, and hard to do in Trac. things are a lot easier with GitLab's dashboard. * it was hard to work through the pandemic. * **what can we change?** * do quarterly-based planning * estimates were off because so many things happened that we did not expect. reserve time for the unexpected, reduce expectations. * ticket triage is rotated now. ## Services survey We discussed the [survey results analysis][] briefly, and how it is used as a basis for the roadmap brainstorm. The two major services people use are GitLab and email, and those will be the focus of the roadmap for the coming year. [survey results analysis]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/roadmap/2021#survey-resu… ## Goals for 2021 * email services stabilisation ("submission server", "my email end up in spam", CiviCRM bounce handling, etc) - consider [outsourcing email services][] * gitlab migration continues (Jenkins, gitolite) * simplify / improve puppet code base * stabilise services (e.g. gitlab, schleuder) [outsourcing email services]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/wikis/howto/submission#cost Next steps for the roadmap: * try to make estimates * add need to have, nice to have * anarcat will work on a draft based on the brainstorm * we meet again in one week to discuss it # Other discussions Postponed: metrics services to maintain until we hire new person # Next meeting Same time, next week. # Metrics of the month Fun fact: we crossed the 2TiB total available memory back in November 2020, almost double from the previous report (in July), even with the number of hosts in Puppet remained mostly constant (78 vs 72). This is due (among other things) to the new Cymru Ganeti cluster that added a whopping 1.2TiB of memory to our infrastructure! * hosts in Puppet: 82, LDAP: 85, Prometheus exporters: 134 * number of Apache servers monitored: 27, hits per second: 198 * number of Nginx servers: 2, hits per second: 3, hit ratio: 0.86 * number of self-hosted nameservers: 6, mail servers: 12 * pending upgrades: 3, reboots: 0 * average load: 0.29, memory available: 2.00 TiB/2.61 TiB, running processes: 512 * bytes sent: 265.07 MB/s, received: 155.20 MB/s * [GitLab tickets][]: 113 tickets including... * open: 0 * icebox: 91 * backlog: 20 * next: 12 * doing: 10 * (closed: 2165) [Gitlab tickets]: https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/tpa/team/-/boards Now also available as the main Grafana dashboard. Head to <https://grafana.torproject.org/>, change the time period to 30 days, and wait a while for results to render. -- Antoine Beaupré torproject.org system administration

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