[tor-talk] Revolt Against Tor Over Rape Claims, Process, Board, Etc

[Zenaan Harkness]

On Thu, Aug 18, 2016 at 08:07:17PM +0200, Sebastian G. <bastik.tor> wrote:
> 18.08.2016, 07:28 grarpamp:
> > https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/765933853143859200
> > 8:30 AM - 17 Aug 2016
> > Tor revolt over rape claims...
> 
> Why wikileaks?


0) The processes and actions done and upheld by those carrying seats
   of power in Tor Inc, with respect to Jacob Applebaum, are abhorrent.

   Justice has been denied to all involved.

   Serious problems have been caused to those who are genuine and or
   potentially genuine victims, and these problems continue to be
   perpetuated by those with authority in Tor Inc.

   Lies and deceptions have been ignored, outright denied, or otherwise
   perpetuated under the aegis of Tor Inc.

   Abhorrent behaviour has been ignored, upheld or indeed to a casual
   observer, have resulted in promotions of authority within Tor Inc.

   All these things are an absolute disgrace and those with authority in
   Tor Inc ought be fundamentally ashamed of the approach you have taken
   and continue to uphold:
      - implicitly,
      - tacitly,
      - and explicitly.



1) Tor is on topic for public consciousness around online privacy,
   anonymity, etc. and your question implies a fundamental missing of
   this fundamental point, and our fundamental needs in a democracy,
   and therefore the significance of that which is occurring at
   Tor Inc and within "the Tor community".

   The available options for those seeking a higher discourse are few
   and far between.

   The significance of the fundamental problems that are occurring as we
   speak, within Tor Inc and the Tor community, is deep, of deep
   concern, and is seen by far more than the mere few who take steps to
   highlight the wrongs and or to improve the situation.



2) Wikileaks is much harder to censor, unlike other recent publications
   e.g. the call for a 24 hour boycott of the Tor network was swiftly
   censored.

   There is an evident campaign to censor genuine and sincere, and
   needed actions and communications in regards to this whole affair.



3) Some of those with power in Tor Inc appear, to some of us in
   "the tor community" as being one or more of the following:

   -  fundamentally compromised ( e.g. lawyer, also "victim", also
      "investigator" - are you absofiretrucking serious??!!!??!! )

   -  covering for other compromised Tor Inc power brokers

   -  tacitly consenting to evidently compromised Tor Inc power
      brokers by ignoring, and or focussing on how to "massage" the
      "public message" so as to "minimize damage" (to what? to Tor Inc?
      What about damage to principles? damage to the community? damage
      to the dreams and intentions of hundreds of unspoken folks who
      gave their good intent, their hearts and often their time and
      money to contribute to the Tor network???)

   -  refusing to call a spade a spade

   -  evidently compromised due to covering for other Tor Inc power
      brokers who have demonstrated fundamental sociopathic and/ or
      highly objectionable actions, behaviour and words



4) Wikileaks has public mindshare and visibility.



5) Getting published on Wikileaks makes it much harder for those who
   want to appear clean-faced (Dingledine etc) to ignore the fundamental
   problems which have happened, are continuing to happen, and are, to
   the eye of this not so humble observer:
      - ethically objectionable,
      - compromised
      - and fundamentally problematic in oh so many ways!!!



Time to grow up folks. Own the damn mess. Clean up your shit. Get rid of
those individuals who are evidently compromised in ways that can not be
tolerated.


Fail to take these steps and you will forever lose your ability to claim
"we did our best" or "we didn't see what we were doing".


If you cannot see, and you refuse to see when the problems are pointed
out, you will have none but yourselves to blame. Many of us are doing
our best to point out fundamental problems, and we get either banned
from the public discussion (Juan, Afalex and others), booted from the
community or Tor Inc (Jacob Applebaum and implicitly quite a number of
others it has turned out - it's all coming out in the wash in that
grande olde thing called the Internet - you might have heard of that?)
or shouted at to "get off the cross, we got work to do".


Yes, you sure do... plenty of work to clean up this mess - continue to
pretend it does not exist at your peril.


By holding yourselves out as a "leading light" of free speech, dissodent
speech, genuine anonymity and or privacy whilst online, and also a
purportedly fundamentally ethical approach to the activities Tor Inc
purports to champion,

   -  you have been,
   -  are,
   -  and shall continue to be,

held to a high standard. This is not your option. Tor Inc is not a
"normal" company - none of you (employees of Tor Inc) are held by us in
the Tor community as "normal" employees or "regular" folks - we have
been, are, and shall continue to hold you to a higher standard than we
hold "normal" capitalist 'pigs' to.

That also means you suffer a far greater disgrace, and far more
publicly, than most other normal people ever would suffer.

And this is simply how it is - it is not something you have any control
over. It is we, the Tor community, who choose how to hold our so called
and purported (even though self elected) "leaders".


You have no choice in the standard we hold you to.


You have no choice in the consequences in our minds and in our hearts
when you fall from the grace we previously assumed you to be in.


You have absolutely no choice in the long term default consequences in
our respective consciousnesses, each of us individually, of how we hold
each and every one of you in the face of your words, your actions, and
your non-actions.


And take good notice - it is perhaps most often your non-actions, which
demonstrate your tacit support for evils done, which have the greatest
consequences in our consciousness.


Meet our (!!) standard and you shall stand as heroes.


Fail to meet our standard and you and your purported principles shall
forever be "the ones who fell from grace, disgraced themselves and
disgraced the community, spitting on the very principles we all held to
be sacred and inviolable".


   Your time is close to running out.


Your sincerely,
With absolute, unequivocal, and unshakable conviction,
Zenaan Harkness,
Victoria, Australia