Sounds like you kids need an anonymous decentralized cryptocurrency powering your tor nodes with rewards for doing so. But everyone here hates crypto so I’ll just be over here sipping my Monero tea.

That did work remarkably well, but unfortunately the author lost interest at some point and took the whole project down.

[1]: https://github.com/DonnchaC/oniontip

The first reservation that comes to mind for me is concerns about crypto ledgers being more pseudonymous than anonymous. If I start using a cryptocurrency to tip exit node operators, that creates an immutable, publicly visible paper trail linking my presence on TOR back to me. Not exactly the kind of thing I'd be eager to sign up for if I'm trying to hide my tracks.

It also moves things toward a situation where digital privacy is reserved for people who can afford to pay for it, which strikes me as running directly counter to the principles the TOR project is supposed to be upholding.

Either way, it can't be protected in the way filecoin/gridcoin are protected.

Of course a way to prove you are not malicious would be great but I don't see how you can prove that using technology.

[1] https://www.orchid.com/

What data exactly are you worried they would disclose? Everything they see would be encrypted, no?

Reddit has tons of actors spreading disinfo especially about VPN's never trust the info from there without serious vetting.

Agreed. There are even pretty strong disincentives from a legal standpoint.

Like you, I imagine plenty of governments run exit nodes just to see what's happening and keep the system working for their own uses.

(Also the EFF is literally a political organisation and has described itself as a civil rights organisation since its formation in 1990.)

I'm pretty sure that, if you asked a random EFF board member, they would tell you that digital rights are largely just the application of human rights principles to the digital domain.

Why is this bad? Branding yourself as a human rights project garners way more sympathy than having the implied branding of "we help cybercriminals cover their tracks". In an age where encryption and privacy is under constant attack, having the public be on your side is very important.