[tor-talk] Illegal Activity As A Metric of Tor Security and Anonymity

[Michael Wolf]

On 6/29/2014 4:20 PM, Mark McCarron wrote:
> Mike,
> 
> Thanks for the input, but this end-to-end traffic analysis is a well documented problem by the Tor devs themselves.  Although, what is missing from the devs statements is more revealing, namely that it can be fixed by removing visibility of one of the ends.  

I'm well aware that it's a well documented problem.  The only person to
suggest otherwise was Mark McCarron, less than an hour before your last
email:

> It still seems to me that the marketing focus is given to a myriad of exposure techniques, but this global view is buried as a footnote.  Even though, it is the most important element.

This is why people don't take you seriously.  You can't claim that the
problem is well documented at the same time you claim it's buried as a
footnote.

Adding to the list of overt hand-waving, we have: "it can be fixed by
removing visibility of one of the ends".  That statement is as
meaningful as "we can prevent AIDS by making everyone immune to AIDS."
Great, do you have a vaccine?  A more productive statement would be "It
can be fixed by implementing X as specified in paper Y, written by Z".
Bonus points if you're "Z".

> One must ask why that statement is missing and why it was never implemented.

If it is as trivial as you suggest, why haven't you submitted a patch?
Care to dodge this question twice?

BTW, it was not lost on me that you failed to respond to anything I said
in my previous email.  How do Snowden and the "Tor Stinks" slides fit
into your "Tor was designed to fit into a niche role in the US security
apparatus" conspiracy theory?

> FYI, I am a security specialist.  I've previously worked with the Australian Federal Government designing software and infrastructure security for multi-million dollar projects to support National Security.  In fact, I do most of my consultancy work for government.

... and you claim that Roger has a conflict of interest.  If what you've
said is true, one needn't be a conspiracy theorist to suggest you might
have ulterior motives for trying to discredit the Tor Project.


-- Mike