Swati Khandelwal reports the departure of Lucky Green from the Tor project will result in the loss of several critical Tor nodes and require an update to Tor code. (Core Tor Contributor Leaves Project; Shutting Down Important Tor Nodes)
Here’s the Tonga (Bridge Authority) Permanent Shutdown Notice in full:
Dear friends,
Given recent events, it is no longer appropriate for me to materially contribute to the Tor Project either financially, as I have so generously throughout the years, nor by providing computing resources. This decision does not come lightly; I probably ran one of the first five nodes in the system and my involvement with Tor predates it being called “Tor” by many years.
Nonetheless, I feel that I have no reasonable choice left within the bounds of ethics, but to announce the discontinuation of all Tor-related services hosted on every system under my control.
Most notably, this includes the Tor node “Tonga”, the “Bridge Authority”, which I recognize is rather pivotal to the network
Tonga will be permanently shut down and all associated crytographic keys destroyed on 2016-08-31. This should give the Tor developers ample time to stand up a substitute. I will terminate the chron job we set up so many years ago at that time that copies over the descriptors.
In addition to Tonga, I will shut down a number of fast Tor relays, but the directory authorities should detect that shutdown quickly and no separate notice is needed here.
I wish the Tor Project nothing but the best moving forward through those difficult times,
–Lucky
As I mentioned in Going Dark With Whisper? Allies versus Soul-Mates it is having requirements other than success of a project that is so damaging to such efforts.
I could discover that IS is using the CIA to funnel money from the sales of drugs and conflict diamonds to fund the Tor project and it would not make any difference to me. Even if core members of the Tor project knew that and took steps to conceal it.
Whether intended or not, the only people who will benefit from Lucky’s decision will be opponents of personal privacy and the only losers will be people who need personal privacy.
Congratulations Lucky! You are duplicating a pattern of behavior that destroyed the Black Panthers, the SDS and a host of other groups and movements before and since then.
Let’s hope others don’t imitate Lucky’s “I’ll take my ball and go home” behavior.