What's new in Tor 0.2.9.8?

blog.torproject.org

47 pointsrahiel3 comments

Looks like it's 3 main things:

* Each directory authority generating a random hash at midnight, a "global random value", no info on how this will be used yet.

* "Single" Onion services, dropping the anonymity requirement on specifically configured Onion Services to improve bandwidth (Possibly motivated by Facebook?)

* Dropping the TAPS handshake in favor of NTOR handshake.

> * "Single" Onion services, dropping the anonymity requirement on specifically configured Onion Services to improve bandwidth (Possibly motivated by Facebook?)

Had to read the reasoning twice before i understood what was going on. Its about big sites that have a .onion presence giving up anonymity they do not require to offer higher access speed to, still anonymous, users.

I guess Facebook could be a factor, but Single Onion services are useful for all non-anonymous providers who want to service Tor users. Users stay anonymous and if they got the right .onion URI, they can be sure to communicate with the right service without any certificate authority or so.

There has been a talk about this topic at last years CCC: "Tor onion services: more useful than you think" https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7322-tor_onion_services_more_use...

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