This Fund, and perhaps implied offer, seems to have arrived at just the right time. I have proposed that an alternative to TOR be constructed, and that is certainly not an idea that is new with my proposal. Anybody who is uncomfortable with TOR should want to see real competition.

I have found, by obtaining a quotation, that the hardware costs are probably going to be $80 per node, and it would be good if 1000 nodes could be achieved, at least initially. People could host these nodes at their businesses and homes where they are already paying for Internet service.

I think we should appply for some of these funds. Potentially, they could subsidize the hardware, say $80,000. They could also subsidize a portion of the internet service costs: I suggest the subsidy be set to approximately difference between the cost of 40 Mbit/second service, maybe $40 per month, and 1 gigabit/second service, which for Centurylink I believe to be $65/month. (and there appears to currently be no monthly data-limit for 1 Gig service.)

This would powerfully motivate people to offer to host a node, because they would be getting the 1 gigabit service upgrade essentially for free. This might also provide funds for development of the software, which is a task in itself. A subsidy of $25/month is about $300/year, and multiplied by 1000 nodes amounts to $300,000, or a total of about $380,000 for the first year.

Can anybody imagine a more worthy, concrete proposal to accomplish what this 'Unknown Fund' proposes to accomplish? And its yearly cost represents less than 1/2 of a percent of the proposed fund.

Jim Bell

On Thursday, November 14, 2019, 01:48:41 PM PST, grarpamp <grarpamp@gmail.com> wrote:

https://www.unknown.fund/

Unknown Fund - Press Release 11/13/2019

We are going to invest and donate $75 million of bitcoin in startups

that help anonymity ideas. Preferred niches are personal data

protection, tools for online anonymity, cryptocurrencies, blockchain.

Unknown Fund is Going to Invest and Donate $75 Million for the

Development of Ideas of Anonymity

The anonymous organisation Unknown Fund has announced that it intends

to invest and donate $75 million in bitcoin to startups which directly

or indirectly support the idea of anonymity. Preference will be given

to the following niches: protection of personal data, tools for

anonymity, cryptocurrency and blockchain.

The organizers of the fund are ordinary, anonymous people from

different countries who met on the 4chan English-language imageboard.

In a brief to our news agency Anonymous said:

“We are you, we are your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters,

friends and colleagues. Our ranks consist of representatives of many

countries and nationalities, united by a virtual comradely spirit and

the belief that we are fighting for the good of many, and not for the

benefit of some. Anonymous is the voice of those who believe in truth,

freedom and the right to self-expression.”

The Unknown Fund sees the protection of personal data as one of the

main challenges for modern man. The use of data has already become a

powerful tool for manipulating people. The effectiveness of this tool

is both amazing and frightening.

Using as examples the ultra-targeted advertising used in Brexit

campaigns and in the last presidential elections in the United States,

one can see how easy it is to manipulate public opinion with enough

personal data. However, the manipulation of people occurs not only in

big politics, but also in our daily lives. A perfect example is the

level of addiction that the general population has to social networks

- addiction orchestrated and achieved by corporations.

Anonymous added:

“Now the main goal of large corporations is to collect as much

information as possible about the personal lives of people, and then

use it for their enrichment. And they do a great job of it by making

ordinary people get poorer. We are ready to fight for change and

protect people."

The Unknown Fund also sees incredible opportunities to protect the

rights and freedoms of people that technology such as blockchain and

cryptocurrencies give us. This is a chance for humanity to create a

new environment, a new and honest monetary system, and to make the

world a better place.

Unknown Fund suggests investment in commercial startups and donations

to nonprofit organizations. Investing is just the beginning. Anonymous

have developed a number of strategies and methods that will be

announced later.

Anonymous ended the brief with the words:

“If you believe in freedom of speech and the media, and most

importantly, in a free and accessible Internet, then you are also

Anonymous. Our opponents should not doubt our determination or

conviction. We will continue to fight as much as necessary to achieve

our goal.”