Legal Directory of Help for relay operators

Andrew Lewman andrew at torproject.org
Fri Jan 15 17:26:37 UTC 2010


I posted the current list of law firms and legal support groups willing
to help you as a tor relay operator, in case you get into trouble, at
https://blog.torproject.org/blog/start-tor-legal-support-directory.

Fortunately, very few people that run exit relays experience any sort of
 interaction with law enforcement.  The vast majority of Tor traffic is
mundane and innocuous Internet traffic.  It's the exceptions we're
focused on.  Helping you or your lawyer find the help you need, when you
need it is the point of the Legal Support Directory.  Until now, you had
to know someone, or figure out how to call me to ask for help.  Many
people have done the latter.  My entire involvement is to introduce you
to one of the groups on the list.  I'm not a lawyer.  I can't give advice.

In some countries and jurisdictions, the police knock politely and ask
to talk to you about something your IP address may have done to someone
else.  In other countries, they come with a militarized police force at
4 am, kick down your door, and confiscate anything that looks like a
computer.  In both situations, while the excitement level may be
different, your next steps may depend upon what advice you are given, if
you are charged with anything, and how experienced your lawyer/solicitor
is with the legal details of the situation.

One thing is consistent, people who go through either interaction with
law enforcement end up more dedicated to running a relay than before.

If you know of others who wish to join the Directory, please have them
contact me.

-- 
Andrew Lewman
The Tor Project
pgp 0x31B0974B

Website: https://torproject.org/
Blog: https://blog.torproject.org/
Identi.ca: torproject



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