torservers.net is an independent network of non-profit organisations that provide

nodes In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a Vertex (graph theory), vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics *Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two ...

to the Tor anonymity network. The network started in June 2010 and currently transfers up to 7.4GB/s (~59.2Gb/s) of exit node traffic as of May 2022. Torservers.net is known for operating servers with high network bandwidth and running them as exit

in the Tor network, which helps increase its speed and capacity. The group additionally helps provide lawyers for relay operators along with arranging operator meetups.

Funding

While Tor is

free software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, no ...

that anyone can run, successful operation of Tor nodes may require technical expertise, access to high-bandwidth, and can involve legal complications in some jurisdictions. The Torservers.net network accepts financial donations as a way to sponsor additional nodes.

Bavarian Raid

On June 20, 2018,

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n police raided the home of the board members of the German non-profit Zwiebelfreunde, "Friends of the Onion," (part of torservers.net). Zwiebelfreunde helps collect donations from Europe for various non-commercial providers such as

Riseup Riseup is a volunteer-run collective providing secure email, email lists, a VPN service, online chat, and other online services. This organization was launched by activists in Seattle with borrowed equipment and a few users in 1999 or 2000, and q ...

.net. The police claim the raid was prompted by a blog post from an unrelated activist that promised violence against an upcoming

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...

convention in

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

. The blog post was published on a website that used a Riseup.net e-mail address. Riseup Collective is based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

in the United States, and reported publicly that Zwiebelfreunde does not run its service. On August 23 the German court at Landgericht München ruled that the raid and seizures was illegal. The hardware and documentation seized had been kept under seal, and purportedly were neither analyzed nor evaluated by the Bavarian police.

Members

Associated Whistleblowing Press The Associated Whistleblowing Press (AWP) is a not-for-profit information agency based in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to the defense of human rights by promoting transparency, freedom of information and speech, whistleblowing and investigative jo ...

(Belgium) *

Access Now Access Now is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 with a mission to defend and extend the digital civil rights of people around the world. Access Now supports programs including an annual conference on Human Rights (RightsCon), an index ...

(USA) *

Calyx Institute The Calyx Institute is a New York-based 501(c)(3) research and education nonprofit organization formed to make privacy and digital security more accessible. It was founded in 2010 by Nicholas Merrill, Micah Anderson, and Kobi Snitz. History ...

(USA) *Zwiebelfreunde e.V. (Germany) * Hart Voor Internetvrijheid (Netherlands) *

Library Freedom Project The Library Freedom Project teaches librarians about surveillance threats, privacy rights, and digital tools to thwart surveillance. In 2015 the Project began an endeavour to place relays and, particularly, exit nodes of the Tor anonymity network ...

(USA) *

Noisebridge Noisebridge is an anarchistic maker and hackerspace located in San Francisco, inspired by European hackerspaces Metalab and c-base in Berlin. It describes itself as "a space for sharing, creation, collaboration, research, development, mentori ...

(USA)

External links

Official website

References

Tor (anonymity network) Organizations established in 2010 Privacy organizations {{Org-stub