Are anonymity-seekers just like everybody else? An analysis of contributions to Wikipedia from Tor

Understand

User-generated content sites routinely block contributions from users of privacy-enhancing proxies like Tor because of a perception that proxies are a source of vandalism, spam, and abuse.

• Although these blocks might be effective, collateral damage in the form of unrealized valuable contributions from anonymity seekers is invisible.
• One of the largest and most important user-generated content sites, Wikipedia, has attempted to block contributions from Tor users since as early as 2005.
• We demonstrate that these blocks have been imperfect and that thousands of attempts to edit on Wikipedia through Tor have been successful.