Tor Expects Problems After Key Node Manager Leaves

Tor developer Sebastian Hahn expects the anonymous network to face problems after the departure of Lucky Green, who has long supported the project. On his departure, Green announced that he would also disable the important Tonga node, which is under his control.

Hahn writes in an internal email that disabling the node will cause “a serious disruption to the bridge ecosystem” because users don’t update their Tor versions very often. The Tonga node is a so-called ‘bridge authority’ and is an important part of the anonymous network. Hahn goes on to say that before the node shutdown date, August 31, there must be a new bridge authority in place along with an update to Tor.

According to Hahn, the party that has to offer the new node will have to be ‘very reliable’ and be able to provide a stable service. In a farewell message over the weekend, Lucky Green only said he was withdrawing support for the Tor project “due to recent events.” He adds that he has “no other choice within the ethical boundaries” and that in addition to the Tonga node, he also disables a number of relays. He gave no further details.

The Tor board was recently completely renewed after Jacob Appelbaum resigned. The former Tor leader did this after complaints of sexual harassment. A Tor bridge is an access point to the anonymous network, which is not publicly known. This measure has been taken so that these access points cannot be blocked, for example by an isp.