Washington University Global Studies Law Review Volume 11 Issue 3 2012 The Tor Network: A Global Inquiry into the Legal Status of Anonymity Networks Keith D. Watson Washington University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, and the Internet Law Commons Recommended Citation Keith D. Watson, The Tor Network: A Global Inquiry into the Legal Status of Anonymity Networks, 11 WASH. U. GLOBAL STUD. L. REV. 715 (2012), https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/vol11/iss3/6 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Global Studies Law Review by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE TOR NETWORK: A GLOBAL INQUIRY INTO THE LEGAL STATUS OF ANONYMITY NETWORKS I. INTRODUCTION On July 29, 2010, Jacob Appelbaum, the only known American member of the whistle-blowing organization WikiLeaks, was detained by U.S. agents as he attempted to reenter the country.1 The agents frisked him, searched his bag, photocopied his receipts, and inspected his laptop.2 Appelbaum was questioned about WikiLeaks, which leaked numerous classified government documents relating to the war in Afghanistan only days earlier.3 The agents also questioned him about his views on the United States‘ involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq and his knowledge of the whereabouts of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.4 Since then, 1. Nathaniel Rich, The Most Dangerous Man in Cyberspace, ROLLING STONE, Sept.