[metrics-bugs] #26081 [Metrics/Analysis]: Unusual increase in unique .onion v2 services

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#26081: Unusual increase in unique .onion v2 services
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 Reporter:  computerfreak     |          Owner:  metrics-team
     Type:  defect            |         Status:  closed
 Priority:  Medium            |      Milestone:
Component:  Metrics/Analysis  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal            |     Resolution:  fixed
 Keywords:                    |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                    |         Points:
 Reviewer:                    |        Sponsor:
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Changes (by karsten):

 * status:  new => closed
 * resolution:   => fixed


Comment:

 Unfortunately, this is not something we can find out.

 The onion service directories reported higher numbers of unique onion
 service addresses in their statistics than on the days before. We cannot
 say who published these onion service descriptors, or how these additional
 50,000 unique addresses were related.

 What we can do is look into possible issues on the statistics evaluation
 side. I just looked at the underlying aggregated data, and I cannot find
 anything unusual. I think the number really went up from around 70,000 to
 around 120,000.

 If I had to guess, I'd say that these additional addresses are caused by
 an application that uses lots of onion services for its operation. It
 could be that a new application was announced on these days or that an
 existing application was somehow made more widely known. I doubt that
 these services are created by a small number of users. But in the end this
 is just guessing.

 Closing, because there's nothing we can do here.

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/26081#comment:1>
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