Tor project asks Amazon to add bandwidth through its cloud

By all means, run everything through a central VPN, those could not possibly have a convenient tap to intercept EVERYTHING people that want privacy do could it?
In fact maybe TDR is a undercover who would much prefer a VPN to tap compared to the always changing TOR system?

I used to run a 100 Mbits TOR server in the UK. After running it for a few months I became aware of an unusual interruption to my network connectivity, and my server had a hidden camera in it front and rear.

I looked at the pictures and established that my hosting provider had intercepted my network connection and lied about the reason for the disconnect to me, so I was fairly certain that a tap had been put in place and I shut down the TOR instance fairly soon afterwards...

So be aware that likely the UK governement directly monitors the input and output of any TOR nodes in the UK and I expect the same is true elsewhere.

No doubt Eschelon allows them to cross reference input and output traffic too and identify users...so I would recommend those that need TOR use it in conjunction with an anonymising VPN such as the one offered by the Pirate Bay.

Indeed, perhaps a 'sadly it also used by the FBI and CIA to pose as innocent civilians' should have been used too in the article, to slightly balance it.

You said:
Some have also criticised the project for giving users a channel to distribute copyrighted content.

Sadly, it doesn't stop there and Tor is also used by people wanting to share images of child abuse.

Operation Darknet, launched by hacktivist group Anonymous, targets such groups through the network. µ

How about we criticize your lack of objectivity?
By nature anything uncensored will have at least some offensive content; the checks and balances that are artificially put into place on the censored net do not work on an uncensored net. Instead there are groups whom track those who do the worst and take action.

Copywritten content and childporn are only two possible uses - free speach about anything any time any where is much more important.
Twitter is hailed as an avenue for real time micro updates, but using the service you run a real risk of being pursued and unreasonably harassed when you say things that big entities such as nation states wish to have kept quiet.

Such as innocents murdered, children slaughtered, villages subjected to biological and chemical plagues for human testing, the various government's shadow moves that break all treaties and policies, and these are just a few things.

Even were it limited to dial up speeds and could only transmit text, it would be useful. And there would be abuses.

Notice the governments do not talk about their use of TOR - they communicate with spys and covert ops this way a godawful lot.

Any Government that feels threatened by something so small as the truth no longer serves the people it was supposedly created to protect.

And remember this:

Standards apply to all. If individuals should not be concerned with a government spying on their any and every move, because 'what am i doing to be worried about', then it follows that same government should not worry either. Unless the deeds it does are nefarious in nature.

Then it should be afraid.

Very afraid.

The people that immediately banned wikileaks when the shit hit the fan.. yeah that will be allowed to happen.

And if they actually did allow it, then I for one assume it would be with a pipeline to the NSA.