EFF asks: Please run Tor relays for worldwide free speech protection

[Michel Bauwens]

EFF is about to roll out a campaign to encourage organizations and
individuals to run Tor relays.  For those of you that don't know, Tor is
software and a network of volunteers worldwide that help people be
anonymous online by masking IP addresses.  Individuals (like many bloggers
in authoritarian regimes) need the Tor network to communicate safely.
Unfortunately, the people who need Tor the most are often not in a
position to run Tor relays and contribute to the Tor network. Those of us
who care deeply about online privacy can make a tangible impact by
participating in the Tor network.

EFF is reaching out to privacy and free speech organizations and asking
them to join us in helping to grow the Tor network.  We're hoping that by
working together as a movement, we can make a significant impact in the
size of the Tor network - and help people worldwide safeguard their online
privacy.

To participate, organizations need to set up a Tor relay. All relays
count, including exit nodes, bridges and middle nodes.  EFF has created an
instructional video on setting up a Tor relay and we're updating our legal
FAQ to provide a more detailed analysis about how U.S. law applies to Tor.
Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jmj4bILqiY

Organizations that participate in our challenge will be thanked on our
social media accounts and promoted on our website.  We are emailing you
now because we'd like to give the human rights community a head-start.
It's our hope that when we roll out this campaign next week, the initial
participants will be the many organizations in the human rights community
who are working hard to defend human rights on the Internet.

Please  contact Rainey Reitman, EFF Activism Director ([e-mail]) and
Eva Galperin ([e-mail]) about this campaign and please do not hesitate
to ask her any questions about the campaign. And, please do not promote
this campaign out of this list until we launch next week. Thanks!