Proposal: Tor - online anonymity, privacy, and security
Not that I don't think this is an interesting idea but doesn't it feel like this could easily become a place that attracts a lot of crime
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1This is not a question in the first place. It is very vague and should be reworded in a more specific way, so that it can receive answers and not general theoric statements. e.g. "Doesn't Tor enable criminals to do bad things?" torproject.org/docs/faq.html.en#Criminals– blauCommented Jul 2, 2013 at 8:09
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1torproject.org/docs/faq-abuse.html.en– asheeshrCommented Jul 2, 2013 at 12:19
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Someone can easily use information they found on stackoverflow to hack into some top security computer system. Should we do away with stackoverflow as well?– rurouniwallaceCommented Jul 21, 2013 at 19:05
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4 Answers
Stack Exchange covers this explicitly and clearly in the Terms Of Service (emphasis mine) :
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So, we as users, can rightfully close, edit, delete, and report to Stack Exchange, any content that may be construed as illegal. Stack Exchange may or may not take further action depending on need. Also, such users can be suspended and/or accounts deleted by site Moderators if need be.
In fact, in most cases, it will be our responsibility as a community to ensure that such content gets handled appropriately as the Stack Exchange Community Team will not be able handle every single such case.
I think a simple policy for such content could be to first flag for closing. If it is then definitively found to be illegal, it should be deleted. Otherwise, it should be closed but not deleted. Any accounts posting such content could then be considered for suspension on a case to case basis.
EDIT: The TOS specifically covers illegal content. The intent to engage in illegal activities is not covered by the TOS and will depend entirely on community formed guidelines. The policy listed in the paragraph above could be used in this case, as well.
I think it would be wrong to say that such questions are not welcome here. Why would they not be welcome? I can understand people worry about illegal use of tor. It's important to tell them that this is just the one thing they see. Show them what we all would not have today, if there was no anonymity. Technology, knowlege. Laws were also changed for the better because people were constantly doing "illegal" (on paper) things. Find examples. Transport the value of anonymity. And besides, a little faith in your fellow people is required i think :)
I am sure we will see questions about using Tor to do illegal things online. When that happens, I think it's important for us to make it clear that such questions are not welcome on the page by voting and commenting. We will also have an FAQ that we can point to.
I don't think this will be a real issue. Every now and then we will get a question that is obviously a blatant attempt at supporting an illegal activity, and we can close them as such.
We deal with similar concerns regarding Emulators and piracy-related questions on Arqade (Gaming.SE). Quoting Agent86 on this topic:
...outright discussions of piracy, EULA/TOS violations [snip] are off topic, but most of the rest of the legal questions surrounding gaming, we leave alone. For instance, emulation and issues with emulators are considered fine and on-topic...
... while we can sometimes easily determine if an action a gamer can take is or is not in violation of an agreement/law, there's no way for us to say that a particular game is following the law or not, or even what laws apply to it.
If I were to relate this back to Tor, I would say that Tor itself, like emulators, is not illegal. If we were to get questions about using Tor for blatant illegal activities, then we can act on that on a per-question basis - close, edit, downvote etc.
