Seattle police raid home of privacy activists who maintain Tor anonymity network node

Seattle police raid home of privacy activists who maintain Tor anonymity network node

TOR NetworkPolice in Seattle have raided a couple's home looking for child pornography, because they run an exit node for the Tor anonymity network Tor Network

Police in the US are continuing to raid the homes of people who operate exit nodes for the Tor anonymity network, most recently searching the condo belonging to a pair of outspoken privacy activists in Seattle.

On 30 March, Seattle Privacy Coalition cofounders Jan Bultmann and David Robinson were woken up at 6.15am at their condominium by a team of six detectives from the Seattle Police Department with a search warrant looking for child pornography, according to Seattle's alternative weekly newspaper The Stranger.

The married couple were made to sit outside the apartment while the police searched their property and examined their electronic equipment. In the end, police acknowledged that no child pornography was found, so Bultmann and Robinson were not arrested, and none of their assets were seized.

Nevertheless, the experience left the couple shaken and upset, particularly since many "hints and comments [were] made about our cars, our jobs, our histories... revealing that we were thoroughly researched".

The Tor anonymity network

The Tor network (named after The Onion Router project), is used by many people around the world to disguise their web traffic and ensure anonymity. While some people use it for legitimate reasons because they have privacy concerns, many other users who venture into the Dark Web also use it too.

The Dark Web is a section of the internet not discoverable by conventional means, such as through a Google search or by directly entering a website URL. As the websites are hidden, they are perfect for cybercriminals, who list thousands of goods and services for sale on secret underground marketplaces, including narcotics, chemicals, firearms and counterfeit goods, in addition to adverts for services such as hacking, gambling and sports betting.

The Tor technology consists of software that anonymises and redirects internet traffic through a worldwide network of relays, comprised of volunteers who set up their computers as Tor exit nodes, in order to offer at least three layers of encryption, whereby the source and the final destination of the Tor path is completely anonymised.

Confusing Tor exit node operators with cybercriminals

Researchers at King's College London recently found in a new study that 57% of all the websites hidden on the Dark Web are actively facilitating criminal activity such as the sale of drugs, illicit finance and extreme pornography.

And unfortunately, because some bad people use Tor to encrypt their traffic and disguise their activities on the Dark Web, when US law enforcement trace the IP address of said user, it will reflect the IP address of the exit node that Tor randomly assigns to the user, meaning the police think that whoever operates the node is the perpetrator of the crime.

In 2013, William Weber, an IT administrator in Austria, was found guilty of funnelling child pornography through one of his seven global Tor exit relays, given three years' probation and a €30,000 ($34,146, £23,750) bill for court and legal fees. Even though he was not the one doing the funneling, prosecutors found him responsible. He went bankrupt from defending himself in court and thus could not appeal the ruling.

And in April 2015, a man in Indianapolis who ran a Tor node remotely in a German data centre, paying for hosting with a company based in St Louis, was alerted by his wife that their family home had been swarmed by FBI agents holding automatic weapons at 5am, searching for unauthorised access of a computer, theft of trade secrets and conspiracy to steal trade secrets. Nothing came of the raid, but a desktop computer running Linux and a household server were seized.

Since Tor has now been around since 2002 and had its first stable release in 2015, law enforcement agencies must be slowly catching on that IP addresses don't always lead you to culprits, the going is slow and it is still happening.

Views: 84

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"With all due respect this guy comes off as a drunken asshole and he didn't even  know who…"
21 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Was a Planned Civil War Averted?

We are living in sadly historic times where good and evil are in battle all the time. Not that this…See More
yesterday
Sandy posted a photo
yesterday
Less Prone posted a video

President Trump addresses U.N. General Assembly - FULL SPEECH

President Donald Trump speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.Full video here: https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/preside...
yesterday
Burbia posted a video

2 MIN AGO: Western Provinces MAJOR New WEXIT Announcement - Canada EXPLODES!

In a stunning turn of events, Western provinces just made a major new WEXIT announcement — and it’s shaking the foundations of Canadian unity. Is Western sep...
Saturday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

How You Provoke a Civil War

In the world of counter intelligence which is simply one aspect of many pertaining to asymmetrical…See More
Friday
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"I don't follow as much with Josh Reeves than I use to. He seems to be a documentary producing…"
Friday
Burbia posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

DONATE-paypal-dayglow76@yahoo.comCashapp-reevesradioVenmo-Josh-Reeves-61FILMS AND AUDIOBOOKS DOWNLOAD STORE-https://store.payloadz.com/results/242828-josh-re...
Friday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Thursday
tjdavis posted a video

CHARLIE KIRK VIDEO THAT KEEPS GETTING REMOVED OFF OF SEVERAL PLATFORMS

I had not planned to share this publicly, but I believe Advar, who spoke with Charlie Kirk while I was very ill, would have wanted me to. After my interview ...
Thursday
pohonemas33 team commented on Chris of the family Masters's photo
Thumbnail

Gold-Coast-Message

"untuk bermain slot, kamu cukup kunjungi situs kacang99 pasti langsung gacor"
Wednesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Wednesday
Burbia posted a blog post

Former President Trump?

When was this article written? It is attributed to Victor Davis Hanson. He is a Fellow at Hoover…See More
Sep 22
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Don’t Go Hunting For Bigfoot

It is October 19, 2019 at 5:46 AM. This will be the last time any visual evidence of Mark is seen…See More
Sep 22
tjdavis posted a video

Most Corrupt Series: Elizabeth Warren | Forgotten History

Elizabeth Warren has built her reputation as a "reformer", but her political career has also drawn sharp criticism. Questions have been raised about her fina...
Sep 19
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Ashrams and Moonies Perfect Case for Mind Control
"less prone, Thanks for your support Buddy! "
Sep 18
Doc Vega posted a photo

main-thumb-ti-6724328-100-cnsgqkrgkrhyeyyerazynmuwoplecnbx

When will they put Trump on Mt. Rushmore?
Sep 18
Doc Vega's 4 blog posts were featured
Sep 18
Burbia's blog post was featured

Charlie Kirk Assassination

September 10th 2025 in Utah Turning Point USA CEO has been assassinated. Coincidentally,  answering…See More
Sep 18
Charles Magus's blog post was featured

FURTHER PROOF OF WALK-INS! Prisoners of the Dulce Base by Sherry Shriner

There is a real connection between the Cabal and what is happening at this Undergroung…See More
Sep 18

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted