Transparency Report Q1 2025

Instead of our usual report on running a privacy infrastructure provider, we feel the current global situation warrants a short vision outlining the current state of affairs concerning privacy and freedom as we navigate the unfolding challenges of 2025.

The first quarter of 2025 was filled with escalating geopolitical tensions, casting a long shadow over the fundamental rights of privacy and other freedoms. The resurgence of populist and authoritarian tendencies in the west, exemplified and accelerated by the United States of America, poses a significant threat to established democratic norms. The weaponization of information, the spread of disinformation and the erosion of trust in democratic institutions create a fertile ground for further privacy violations and restrictions of freedoms.

It is important to recognize that the digital landscape is constantly evolving, and the threats to privacy are becoming more complex. Previously, the situation was fairly straightforward, where especially the West joined forces to promote basic freedoms in countries where freedom is not a given. Together, we stood to counter repression and to provide citizens all over the world with the means to circumvent repression, for example via the Tor network.

However, this dynamic has been fundamentally altered. The United States, once a key country in these endeavors, can no longer be trusted to uphold these principles. Recent shifts in leadership and a discernible slide towards authoritarian or even totalitarian tendencies have eroded its credibility. This transformation has left a significant void, creating uncertainty and undermining the unified front that was previously crucial in supporting global freedom.

Consequently, privacy-focused and research-focused organizations based in the US are now facing a deeply compromised environment. Reduced funding, the end of freedom of research and the ever-present threat of government pressure mean that their reliability and effectiveness can no longer be guaranteed. The erosion of trust in the US government inevitably extends to these organizations, further complicating the landscape of promoting and safeguarding fundamental rights globally. And sadly, this holds true for the Tor project as well.

It is imperative that US-based organizations dedicated to privacy and freedom actively develop effective mitigating measures against potential government interference or pressure. This includes exploring radical strategies to safeguard their operational independence and the integrity of their work. Simultaneously, a crucial focus must be placed on diversifying their financial income streams to reduce reliance on US government funding. Building a robust and independent financial base will be essential for these organizations to continue their vital work without undue influence.

Also, the importance of collaborative efforts cannot be overstated. Now more than ever, unity provides strength, particularly within Europe. By working together, sharing resources and coordinating strategies, European nations can create a more resilient and effective framework for protecting fundamental rights and supporting those who strive for or need freedom worldwide. And the same holds true for European privacy infrastructure providers such as Nothing to hide. We need to collaborate where we can.

Anonymity networks such as the Tor network stand as a vital bastion for those seeking to exercise their fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Needless to say, in these challenging times our commitment to safeguarding privacy and freedom remains steadfast.

The metrics used in this report are rounded extrapolated snapshots of the final day of the quarter, to not give away too much specific information.

1 Requests & orders

As a provider of pass-through anonymity services, Nothing to hide receives messages about network traffic originating from or destined for our networks on a daily basis. While the vast majority of these messages are general notices send by automated systems, some of them contain legitimate complaints, requests and/or (court) orders/subpoenas directed at Nothing to hide.

Below we report on the quarterly amount of these messages we get from judicial authorities (courts, judges, juries), law enforcement agencies (LEA), business entities and natural persons.

2 Service report

2.1 Tor relays

Traffic on the Tor network can fluctuate quite a bit and the below metrics are merely snapshots of a day around the end of the quarter.

Note that for these statistics both incoming and outgoing advertised bandwidth are combined (just like Tor network’s metrics).

2.2 Tor DNS requests

DNS requests on the Tor network are resolved by the Tor exit relays. This means that high capacity Tor exit relays can generate a lot of DNS queries. These queries are being resolved by multiple high capacity DNS recursors.

Do note that we don’t log the contents of DNS queries.

2.3 Tor diversity

One of our major goals is to break the GNU/Linux monoculture currently present on the Tor network. Monocultures in nature are dangerous, as vulnerabilities are held in common across a broad spectrum. In a globally used anonymity network, monocultures can be disastrous.

We make the Tor network stronger and more resilient by running all our relays on FreeBSD. Here we report on our ongoing effort to increase operating system diversity on the Tor network. If any Tor operator reading this is interested in running Tor relays on BSD, please contact us and we will gladly help out.

This quarter we’ve seen a slight increase in GNU/Linux consensus weight share, at the cost of mostly FreeBSD.

2.4 DDoS attacks

Aside from the occasional (big) DDoS attack, it’s relatively quiet in terms of DDoS attacks.