The FBI Admits It Controlled Freedom Hosting Tor Servers
Ryan Martin / 11 years ago
Wired reports that the FBI has admitted to hacking into Freedom Hosting and taking control of it. Freedom Hosting was a Tor powered hosting network that was shut down about 6 weeks ago and infected with user-identification malware. Since the malware did nothing other than identify users to certain child pornography websites speculation suggested that the FBI was behind the hacking and was using it to identify criminals for prosecution. 6 weeks later and it appears that speculation was true.
At the same time as this happened Freedom Hosting’s reported owner Eric Eoin Marques was arrested in Ireland and is currently awaiting extradition to the USA where he faces up to 100 years in prison for the charges brought against him which include facilitating child pornography and abuse websites. He has already been denied two bail requests as he is believed to be a flight risk by the Irish authorities. Eric Eoin Marques has apparently already sent the earnings of his profitable Freedom Hosting business to his girlfriend over in Romania.
Image courtesy of Tor
