Suggestion: Many OR-ports would improve the network

[vikingserver at gmail.com]

The problem with Tor is that it's so terribly easy to stop. It's a piece
of cake to stop it for network admins and regimes that doesn't allow
freedom of speech.
For Tor to be able to allow freedom of speech and freedom of
information, it has to be unstopable.

Right now, it's mostly good for home users in the western world,
military and business users that want to use it for privacy reasons.
The Tor network could fill an important role against oppression in the
muslim countries and communist countries, and later in the EU.
Right now it really only helps home users in the relatively free world,
and a few others behind badly configured restrictive networks. Well
configured restrictive networks can easily stop Tor access.

A Tor client behind a restrictive firewall/proxy doesn't even reach the
dirservers, and has no way of connecting to the Tor network. Meaning
it's almost useless as a tool to allow freedom of speech in the whole world.

Decentralized popular P2P with a wide variety of ports and
"hubs/nodes/servers" are more successfull then Tor at helping persons in
oppressed countries.
Tor has to become better in order to allow users in the whole world to
reach every website in the world. But perhaps the goals is just to allow
traffic in the western world from non restrictive networks?

/Viking

Cat Okita skrev:
> On Thu, 14 Jun 2007, Nick Mathewson wrote:
>> On Sat, Jun 09, 2007 at 03:28:09PM +0200, vikingserver at gmail.com wrote:
>>> Is there a plan for TOR servers to be able to announce several OR-ports
>>> and DIR-ports?
>>
>> There sorta is.  It's been a "nice-to-have" for a while, and I think
>> it's a good idea.  Somebody should specify and implement it.  If
>> there's a decent spec and patch on an 0.2.0.x timeframe, I'd love to
>> check it in.
>>
>> Here's what would need to be in the proposal:
>>
>>  - Some way to configure which address:port combinations to listen
>>    on, and/or which to advertise.
>
> I'd also like to see some discussion of the effect this is likely to have
> in environments that need to ban or limit Tor.  Speaking only for
> myself, in an environment where I need to keep a lid on Tor usage,
> having to chase port settings around makes it more likely that I'm
> going to
> move from limiting Tor to just plain banning it.
>
> cheers!
> ==========================================================================
>
> "A cat spends her life conflicted between a deep, passionate and profound
> desire for fish and an equally deep, passionate and profound desire to
> avoid getting wet.  This is the defining metaphor of my life right now."
>