Looking to interview Tor relay operators (online or at FOSDEM)
Hello, I am a researcher at the University of Namur (Belgium), and some of our research focuses on Tor. Recently, we started to investigate how Tor relay operators install and keep their relays up to date. This research was motivated by the (somewhat recent) policy of the Tor Project to exclude outdated relays from the network. As part of this research, we would like to interview relay operators to understand how they install and keep Tor up to date and what they think of the Tor Project policy. If you run, or used to run, Tor relay(s) and are willing to dedicate ~30 minutes of your time, let us know! Your participation will inform our current research about how Tor relay operators manage their relay(s). It will also provide community feedback to the Tor Project about their policy once our results are published. Interviews can be done either online (during the week of 2-6 February 2026, via Framatalk https://framatalk.org/abc/en/) or in person during FOSDEM in Brussels (31 January & 1 February 2026, https://fosdem.org/2026). To participate: - Contact me via email (jules.dejaeghere@unamur.be, PGP 0xEB4CC38446E3F82F) or Signal (@julesd.01) - Specify how you want to participate (online via Framatalk, or in person at FOSDEM) and what time slots work for you In practice: - The interview will be audio recorded for analysis by the research team - You can stop the interview at any time, and your answers will be deleted - The interview can be held either in English or in French You'll find attached the full consent form we will ask participants to sign, which describes how the data collected will be processed. If you have any additional questions, you can contact me. Regards, Jules Dejaeghere -- *Jules DEJAEGHERE* PhD Student · Researcher Computer Science Faculty jules.dejaeghere@unamur.be https://directory.unamur.be/staff/jdejaegh Université de Namur ASBL Rue de Bruxelles 61 - 5000 Namur Belgium Let’s respect the environment together. *Only print this message if necessary!*
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 Hello.
I am a researcher at the University of Namur (Belgium), and some of our research focuses on Tor. Recently, we started to investigate how Tor relay operators install and keep their relays up to date.
Every operator is different, so it'll be hard to come up with a single archetypal relay operator. Some large operators push out a custom and immutable system from templates that cannot be remotely controlled, just replaced, others use Ansible for automated deployment, others manually set everything up and do periodic manual upgrades, and still others just throw Debian + unattended-upgrades at the problem and call it a day. You're also going to select an unrepresentative sample if you require voice recordings from relay operators. I'm sure there are many, myself included, who would only participate if it could be done anonymously over text on Tor. Regards, forest -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- iHUEARYKAB0WIQQtr8ZXhq/o01Qf/pow+TRLM+X4xgUCaXAO+AAKCRAw+TRLM+X4 xm+yAP9crHW6C7pAT74+/g7IT/0e93HdwnqGADgRh+w7GrpI3gEAj/+jkOfiM7QI RDho/oflBGCMbRQq9jtOjhME0BAcvAw= =A+Iz -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Hello,
On 20. Jan 2026, at 16:05, Jules Dejaeghere via tor-relays <tor-relays@lists.torproject.org> wrote:
I am a researcher at the University of Namur (Belgium), and some of our research focuses on Tor. Recently, we started to investigate how Tor relay operators install and keep their relays up to date. This research was motivated by the (somewhat recent) policy of the Tor Project to exclude outdated relays from the network.
What do you mean with "somewhat recent"? This has been done since at least 2011 for security reasons, for compatibility reasons much longer. Cheers Sebastian
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 Hello. Sebastian Hahn wrote:
What do you mean with "somewhat recent"? This has been done since at least 2011 for security reasons, for compatibility reasons much longer.
I suspect he's referring to the recent choice to mark a minor upgrade as critical. I think it was the update from .18 to .19? Whatever it was, it led to a large number of relays getting a flag on Tor Metrics indicating that they were dangerously out of date and not recommended. Regards, forest -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- iHUEARYKAB0WIQQtr8ZXhq/o01Qf/pow+TRLM+X4xgUCaXBX7wAKCRAw+TRLM+X4 xhjrAQCstYA6/Pnd0CJf2CDewAr2gPLGtdmspGCE4+q2Y3lfWAEAgFCDZstE5tSI 6M6XYzooRr0Y5pEp/fnJtS7v/cEgvwA= =Yr0W -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
On 21. Jan 2026, at 05:36, forest-relay-contact--- via tor-relays <tor-relays@lists.torproject.org> wrote:
Sebastian Hahn wrote:
What do you mean with "somewhat recent"? This has been done since at least 2011 for security reasons, for compatibility reasons much longer.
I suspect he's referring to the recent choice to mark a minor upgrade as critical. I think it was the update from .18 to .19? Whatever it was, it led to a large number of relays getting a flag on Tor Metrics indicating that they were dangerously out of date and not recommended.
Well, this is quite different, as getting a notification about running a version which is no longer recommended does not mean the relay is excluded from participating in the network in any way. Also, that's not a new policy, we've been doing recommended version updates for well over a decade now - and it was always possible to recommend a fresh update, whether that coincides with a new major version or not. Cheers Sebastian
Hello, Thanks for your feedback.
Every operator is different, so it'll be hard to come up with a single archetypal relay operator. Some large operators push out a custom and immutable system from templates that cannot be remotely controlled, just replaced, others use Ansible for automated deployment, others manually set everything up and do periodic manual upgrades, and still others just throw Debian + unattended-upgrades at the problem and call it a day.
We are aware that operators have varying practices for their relays. That is one reason we want to interview operators: to learn what setups are actually used. If something does not come up in interviews, that does not mean it does not exist. But all the setups we learn about are actual setups from operators.
You're also going to select an unrepresentative sample if you require voice recordings from relay operators. I'm sure there are many, myself included, who would only participate if it could be done anonymously over text on Tor. Indeed. Announcing it here, on the tor-relays mailing list, will also reach only a subset of the people we could interview. That is something we will keep in mind when analyzing the responses.
If you or anyone else prefers to have the interview over text on Tor, we can arrange that. We can offer the interview over Matrix text chat, but I am not sure whether it supports connecting from Tor easily. I am also open to suggestions that would make you comfortable having the interview. Regards, Jules Dejaeghere
On 21-01-2026 10:00, Sebastian Hahn via tor-relays wrote:
On 21. Jan 2026, at 05:36, forest-relay-contact--- via tor-relays<tor-relays@lists.torproject.org> wrote:
Sebastian Hahn wrote:
What do you mean with "somewhat recent"? This has been done since at least 2011 for security reasons, for compatibility reasons much longer. I suspect he's referring to the recent choice to mark a minor upgrade as critical. I think it was the update from .18 to .19? Whatever it was, it led to a large number of relays getting a flag on Tor Metrics indicating that they were dangerously out of date and not recommended. Well, this is quite different, as getting a notification about running a version which is no longer recommended does not mean the relay is excluded from participating in the network in any way. Also, that's not a new policy, we've been doing recommended version updates for well over a decade now - and it was always possible to recommend a fresh update, whether that coincides with a new major version or not.
Cheers Sebastian Hello,
The "somewhat recent" policy I refer to is the Relay EOL policy [1], first announced in 2019 [2]. We are interested in the systematic removal of relays that reached end-of-life from the network. The policy is not very recent (6 years old), but compared to the history of Tor, this is relatively recent. Some Tor versions were already excluded from the network before this policy because of security issues or bugs, but our main interest here is the 2019's Relay EOL policy. Regards, Jules Dejaeghere [1] https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/network-health/team/-/wikis/Relay-EOL-poli... [2] https://blog.torproject.org/removing-end-life-relays-network/
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 Hello. Jules Dejaeghere wrote:
If you or anyone else prefers to have the interview over text on Tor, we can arrange that. We can offer the interview over Matrix text chat, but I am not sure whether it supports connecting from Tor easily. I am also open to suggestions that would make you comfortable having the interview.
Matrix supports Tor just fine. I'd be fine with that. I'm sure there are others here who would be as well, since Matrix is not unpopular. I'm not a particularly massive relay operator, running only ~40 relays, but I do have the second most diverse set of relays on the network, so my own relay management requirements are definitely not the same as an operator who sets up their own AS and has a dozen identical dedis that they use exclusively for Tor. I'd be happy to give my perspective. Regards, forest -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- iHUEARYKAB0WIQQtr8ZXhq/o01Qf/pow+TRLM+X4xgUCaXDRTwAKCRAw+TRLM+X4 xiF8AQDIcjonpHU1nyFg7bB5W760mp6gGhcK8eF3x8EdFkptnwD/Y3xouUV8a1zx XcvGsDoU6iw/IBbvReLOuDSXFk5TBQQ= =/E56 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Hello! I have a couple of questions. On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 04:05:23PM +0100, Jules Dejaeghere via tor-relays wrote:
As part of this research, we would like to interview relay operators to understand how they install and keep Tor up to date and what they think of the Tor Project policy. If you run, or used to run, Tor relay(s) and are willing to dedicate ~30 minutes of your time, let us know!
I understand that interviewees will have their real name recorded and associated to their answers, through the consent form. I wonder: 1. Will any real name be disclosed publicly (e.g. in the publication, or during presentations)? 2. If so, will it be publicly associated with the interview? Also, will the resulting scientific contribution be available for free, at least for the interviewees? Thanks, -- Eldalië My public key is attached. Please, use it and provide me yours!
Hello, The consent form indeed asks for "Full Name" on the last page. This is part of the University's template, but collecting the real full name of participants is not a strong requirement in our case. This field could be anything that the person can then provide or prove ownership of to exercise their rights listed in point 10. For example, this could be the email address you used to contact me, provided that you use the same address if you want to exercise your rights. To answer your questions: 1. The real names won't be disclosed. 2. As we won't disclose the names, it will not be associated with the interview. We don't plan to include the full transcript of the interviews either, as those are likely to contain elements that could identify participants. Instead, when relevant, we'll quote the parts of the interview that are relevant and not identifying. When quoting, we'll assign a number to each participant to help the reader link quotes that are from the same participant. E.g. "I use Debian for all my relays and generally check on them about once a month for updates" - Participant 5. We plan to publish in a conference with an open-access policy, so the resulting contribution will be accessible for free. On top of that, our University has a "green open-access policy": we are required to put our research results on the institutional website, which is also accessible for free (https://researchportal.unamur.be/en/). I hope this answers your questions. Regards, Jules Dejaeghere On 21-01-2026 14:55, Eldalië wrote:
Hello! I have a couple of questions.
On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 04:05:23PM +0100, Jules Dejaeghere via tor-relays wrote:
As part of this research, we would like to interview relay operators to understand how they install and keep Tor up to date and what they think of the Tor Project policy. If you run, or used to run, Tor relay(s) and are willing to dedicate ~30 minutes of your time, let us know!
I understand that interviewees will have their real name recorded and associated to their answers, through the consent form. I wonder:
1. Will any real name be disclosed publicly (e.g. in the publication, or during presentations)? 2. If so, will it be publicly associated with the interview?
Also, will the resulting scientific contribution be available for free, at least for the interviewees?
Thanks,
Hello, We are still looking for relay operators willing to share their experience on how they install and keep their relays up to date. We already received a few positive responses (thanks to those who responded), but we still have available time slots. Available time slots are generally in the morning (at UTC+1) during the week of 2-6 February 2026, but we can adapt to your schedule if needed. The original call for participants is quoted below. Here are a few answers to questions we received that might help you decide whether you want to participate. - You don't need to operate many relays to participate: a single relay is fine (and we'd like your input); 20+ relays is also interesting to hear about. - We can have the interview over a text only channel if you prefer: Matrix or another service you are comfortable using. - The "Full Name" field in the consent form can be filled with any identifier you are comfortable sharing (an email address, for example). We also had people sign a PGP message stating that they agree with the form, so that might be an option. - We do not intend to publish the full transcript of the interview: we will instead quote relevant excerpts when presenting our results. To participate: - Contact me via email (jules.dejaeghere@unamur.be, PGP 0xEB4CC38446E3F82F), Signal (@julesd.01), or Matrix (@juliusone:matrix.org) - Specify how you want to participate (voice call via Framatalk, text only, or in person at FOSDEM) and what time slots work for you Attached are the consent forms: consent-form.pdf for voice interviews (online or at FOSDEM) and consent-form-text.pdf for text only interviews. If you have any additional questions, you can contact me. Regards, Jules Dejaeghere On 20-01-2026 16:05, Jules Dejaeghere wrote:
Hello,
I am a researcher at the University of Namur (Belgium), and some of our research focuses on Tor. Recently, we started to investigate how Tor relay operators install and keep their relays up to date. This research was motivated by the (somewhat recent) policy of the Tor Project to exclude outdated relays from the network.
As part of this research, we would like to interview relay operators to understand how they install and keep Tor up to date and what they think of the Tor Project policy. If you run, or used to run, Tor relay(s) and are willing to dedicate ~30 minutes of your time, let us know!
Your participation will inform our current research about how Tor relay operators manage their relay(s). It will also provide community feedback to the Tor Project about their policy once our results are published.
Interviews can be done either online (during the week of 2-6 February 2026, via Framatalk https://framatalk.org/abc/en/) or in person during FOSDEM in Brussels (31 January & 1 February 2026, https://fosdem.org/2026).
To participate: - Contact me via email (jules.dejaeghere@unamur.be, PGP 0xEB4CC38446E3F82F) or Signal (@julesd.01) - Specify how you want to participate (online via Framatalk, or in person at FOSDEM) and what time slots work for you
In practice: - The interview will be audio recorded for analysis by the research team - You can stop the interview at any time, and your answers will be deleted - The interview can be held either in English or in French
You'll find attached the full consent form we will ask participants to sign, which describes how the data collected will be processed. If you have any additional questions, you can contact me.
Regards, Jules Dejaeghere
--
*Jules DEJAEGHERE* PhD Student · Researcher Computer Science Faculty
jules.dejaeghere@unamur.be https://directory.unamur.be/staff/jdejaegh
Université de Namur ASBL Rue de Bruxelles 61 - 5000 Namur Belgium
Let’s respect the environment together. *Only print this message if necessary!*
participants (4)
-
Eldalië -
forest-relay-contact＠cryptolab.net -
Jules Dejaeghere -
Sebastian Hahn