A depository library in a diminished New Hampshire Ithiel Town started to help cyberspace users around the world surf anonymously using Tor . Until the Department of Homeland Security raised a red flag .
Since Edward Snowden expose the extent of online surveillance by the U.S. authorities , there has been a upsurge of initiatives to protect users ’ privacy .
But it has n’t taken long for one of these efforts — aprojectto equip local libraries with technology defend anonymous Internet surfriding — to campaign up against resistance from jurisprudence enforcement .
In July , theKilton Public Libraryin Lebanon , New Hampshire , was the first depository library in the country to become part of the anonymous Web surfing serviceTor . The library allow Tor users around the world to bound their Internet traffic through the library , thus masking users ’ locations .
before long after state potency received an e-mail about it from an agent at the Department of Homeland Security .
“ The Department of Homeland Security set out in touch with our Police Department , ” said Sean Fleming , the library director of the Lebanon Public Libraries .
After a meeting at which local constabulary and metropolis functionary discussed how Tor could be exploited by felon , the library pulled the plug on the project .
“ Right now we ’re on pause , ” said Fleming . “ We really were n’t anticipating that there would be any controversy at all . ”
He said that the library dining table of trustees will vote on whether to become the service back on at its meeting on Sept. 15 .
Used in inhibitory authorities by dissenter and journalist , Tor is consider a important peter for freedom of locution and number the State Departmentamong its top donor . But Tor has been a irritant in the side of jurisprudence enforcement ; National Security Agency documents made public by Snowden have revealed the agency ’s frustration that it could only identify a “ very minor fraction ” of Tor users .
The idea to install Tor services in depository library issue from Boston librarian Alison Macrina’sLibrary Freedom Project , which direct to instruct libraries how to “ protect patron ’ right to search Modern musical theme , no matter how controversial or subversive , unfettered by the pernicious effects of online surveillance . ” ( The Library Freedom Project isfunded by Knight Foundation , which also provide funding to ProPublica . )
After Macrina convey a privacy grooming session at the Kilton library in May , she verbalize to the librarian about also limit up a Tor relay race , the mechanics by which users across the net can hide their identicalness .
The program library board of trusteesunanimously approvedthe plan at its meeting in June , and the relay was set up in July . But after ArsTechnicawroteabout the pilot project and Macrina’splan to install Tor relays in librariesacross the nation , police force enforcement got involve .
A special agent in a Boston DHS berth send on the clause to the New Hampshire police , who forwarded it to a sergeant-at-law at the Lebanon Police Department .
DHS spokesman Shawn Neudauer said the factor was simply providing “ profile / situational knowingness , ” and did not have any verbatim middleman with the Lebanon police or depository library . “ The habit of a Tor internet browser is not , in [ or ] of itself , illegal and there are logical determination for its use , ” Neudauer said , “ However , the protections that Tor offer can be attractive to criminal enterprisingness or role player and HSI [ Homeland Security Investigations ] will proceed to pursue those individuals who seek to use the anonymizing engineering science to further their outlaw activity . ”
When the DHS inquiry was brought to his attention , Lt . Matthew Isham of the Lebanon Police Department was concerned . “ For all the good that a Tor may allow as far as language , there is also the reprehensible side that would take reward of that as well , ” Isham said . “ We feel we needed to make the city mindful of it . ”
Deputy City Manager Paula Maville said that when she learned about Tor at the merging with the law and the librarian , she was implicated about the serving ’s association with deplorable activities such as pornography and drug trafficking . “ That is a care from a public relations perspective and we want to get those fear on the table , ” she said .
Faced with police and city concern , depository library film director Fleming concur to turn off the Tor relay race temporarily until the circuit board could reconsider . “ We need to find out what the biotic community thinks , ” he said . “ The only group that have been represented so far are the Police Department and City Hall . ”
Fleming say that he is now realizing the downside of being the first examination web site for the Tor initiative .
“ There are other libraries that I ’ve get word that are concerned in participating but nobody else desire to be first , ” he say . “ We ’re lone right on now . ”
This articlefirst appeared on ProPublicaand is republished here under Creative Commons licence .
Image bytelmo32under Creative Commons permit .
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