Hi,

I'm happy to finally announce version 1 of the ContactInfo Information Sharing Specification:

https://github.com/nusenu/ContactInfo-Information-Sharing-Specification
This is an effort that started in 2017 as you can see on github.

...

regards,
nusenu

Hi Nunsenu

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to look at the issue of malicious relay operators and come up with some potential approaches for addressing it.

If I understand correctly your objective is to increase the level of effort required to run a relay, at least when it comes to the larger relays. I assume that you assume that if more effort is required then malicious relay operators will shut down and go elsewhere?

I do not feel the proposed verification measures will make a malicious relay operators life sufficiently more difficult unfortunately.

Malicious relay operators already expend relatively large amounts of money and presumably effort to do their thing; the example you gave initially talked about a potentially malicious operator providing up to 23% of exit capacity - that must be a very expensive already surely?

I can't help but feel that the issue of malicious operators could perhaps be better addressed by

1) Having a valid email contact address for any given relay as you already suggest; and

2) Having each operator join this mailing-list (using the above email address) and introduce, anonymously or otherwise, themselves and their relay(s).

To have either the guard or exit flags on your relay you would need to complete the aforementioned 2 steps. In cases where there are concerns over a relay or set of relays then there would be a transparent and public forum where those concerns can be both raised and (hopefully) addressed, i.e. this mailing list.

I get that it is not as interesting as a more technical approach but IMHO it would be more effective and could be implemented almost immediately and is actually not that easy to game compared to technical solutions.

Anyway these are just my thoughts.

Thanks again for taking the time to look at the problem.

yours

M Wang

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