[tor-bugs] #3261 [Analysis]: Analyze how wrong our bridge usage statistics are

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#3261: Analyze how wrong our bridge usage statistics are
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 Reporter:  karsten   |          Owner:  karsten                
     Type:  project   |         Status:  assigned               
 Priority:  major     |      Milestone:  Sponsor F: July 1, 2012
Component:  Analysis  |        Version:                         
 Keywords:            |         Parent:                         
   Points:            |   Actualpoints:                         
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Comment(by karsten):

 The tech report is now available [https://metrics.torproject.org/papers
 /bridge-report-usage-stats-2012-04-30.pdf here].

 I'm now more convinced that the way how bridges report their statistics to
 the bridge authority is not our problem.  It's the way how we derive user
 numbers from unique IP addresses which is totally broken.  We should try
 an approach that's similar to how we count directory requests on directory
 mirrors.

 Revised schedule:

  - June 30: Write a proposal for new bridge statistics based on counting
 directory requests per day and country.  Implement the proposal, get it in
 mergeable state, and test it on three own bridges that don't publish the
 new statistics to the bridge authority yet.  Evaluate whether the new
 statistics can improve our user number estimates, and if so, enable
 reporting to the bridge authority and prepare deployment on all new
 bridges.
  - October 31: If the new statistics have been deployed as expected, re-
 evaluate them based on a larger fraction of bridges reporting them to the
 bridge authority.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/3261#comment:15>
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