Tor Developer Jacob Applebaum Steps Down After New Mistreatment Allegations

Things are starting to look even more dire for Tor, as one of their prominent developers has stepped down after facing public allegations of sexual mistreatment. The company acknowledged the departure of Jacob Appelbaum earlier this week in a very brief statement, but they went into further details to address some of the rumors surrounding his departure.

Jacob Appelbaum Exit Is Positive For Tor

It is not the first time former Tor developer Jacob Appelbaum faced allegations of sexual mistreatment. Rumors regarding this type of behavior had been circulating for quite some time, and more concrete evidence was becoming available as time progressed. It is never positive for a company to be associated with employees who get into legal trouble now and then.

Although there is no official explanation of what went down exactly, the Tor team is undertaking action to determine the truth behind these allegations. However, it is important to keep in mind Tor is not a law enforcement agency, and they would rather not make judgements about people’s private behavior.

Jacob Appelbaum left the Tor project on his own accord, albeit there was a thorough investigation by the Tor team before this decision was made. They talked with several of the complainants and deliberated the matter internally. Anyone who has information regarding these claims is welcome to contact Tor Project Executive Director Shari Steele.

“We have been working with a legal firm that specializes in employment issues including sexual misconduct. They are advising us on how to handle this, and we intend to follow their advice. This will include investigations of specific allegations where that is possible. We don’t know yet where those studies will lead or if other people involved with Tor are implicated. We will act as quickly as possible to accurately determine the facts as best we can. Out of respect for the individuals involved, we do not expect results to be made public.”

The Tor community should be a place where all participants can feel safe and supported in the world. The team vows to do a better job in the future and ensure incidents like these will have no place in the company moving forward. Policies will be designed to set up best practices, while preserving the balance between transparency and individual privacy.

Source: Tor Project

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