On 01/20/2014 05:08 PM, tor@gmx.info wrote:

I have set up a tor relay with no exit functionality yet. Having read through the documentation and general legal hints, I am still unsure of the legal situation in Germany. Are there some of you guys who had contact with hosting providers because of abuse claims? Is there anything you can share? Are pure relays safe to use or are the hosting providers still clueless?

Non-exit relays consume bandwidth. That's all they do, and depending on the ISP that alone might be something they don't like, especially those with "unlimited/unmetered" cheap VPS. Apart from that, hosting providers can and should stay "clueless" about what you do.

For exits, see https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/TorExitGuidelines

On Tue, Jan 21, 2014 at 12:08 AM, tor@gmx.info wrote:

Are pure relays safe to use or are the hosting providers still clueless?

This may come across as hostile, it is not intended as such.

The hosting providers are as clueless as we are. If, despite your research of the law in Germany, you are unsure, why should the hosting providers take a risk.?

You and I are risking our time and a server contract, they are risking their businesses,

PS: I run a Data Centre in Singapore, from where I run exit-relays. I have received two police visits in 2013. I am OK with that, I am willing to take the trouble to explain. But if it was a customer of mine who did it, without telling me, I would have been angry.