[tor-talk] Question for those who say "Tor is pwned"

[Joe Btfsplk]

On 6/20/2016 7:10 PM, Roger Dingledine wrote:
>
> If you want to read a lot more on this topic -- including how Tor's
> design changed in response and how it still needs to change -- check
> out the blog post here:
>
> https://blog.torproject.org/blog/improving-tors-anonymity-changing-guard-parameters
>
> (Also, yes, this mailing list has gotten out of control. We are all
> distracted doing more urgent things, but I think we should soon find
> the time anyway to proceed to the "clean up our lists" plan.)
>
> --Roger
Thanks.  Very sincere questions arise - is the reason Tor / Tor Browser 
doesn't / hasn't change(d) yet to counter the worst of threats - often 
large players or states controlling or monitoring too much of the 
network, mainly because of difficulty of coding the changes - meshing w/ 
rest of the code?  I truly appreciate what Tor Project does, but if I 
lived in a hostile state, I'd be afraid for my life to use Tor Browser.
* Or, are solution(s) deemed "good enough" typically difficult to 
conceive, much less implement?
* BEcause large nations have massive brain power & almost limitless funds?
* A lack of Tor man power (lack of funds), brain drain to the NSA / FBI; 
kibosh by the navy on changes?   Or several, or other reasons?

We've read for many years now, how countries - or cooperating countries 
-  devoting enough time & money may well de-anonymize some or many 
users, depending.
I posed that question / theory many yrs B.S.  (before Snowden) & I know 
relatively little about *fine* details on packet timing, etc.  I'm not a 
coder.  (That idea was shot down __immediately & decisively__ by Tor 
mgmt). :)
Yrs later, we're still talking about same exact problem(s) - some 
improvements, several of which many advanced users & "researchers" say 
may still be woefully inadequate.  That we're "whistling past the 
graveyard."
Note:  "Just because someone says something repeatedly with conviction, 
doesn't make it true."  For anyone.
Thanks.