A concept for a decentralized KYC-free Bitcoin/Monero fund for Tor node hosting (“Sponsor” a node):
The Tor network needs many diverse decentralized nodes for privacy and resistance to collusion and attacks (e.g. KAX17).
Many people can’t host nodes at home due to safety, cost or resources. Tor-friendly VPS hosts that accept BTC are expensive or already host many nodes.
However, people may want to donate to people who have the resources to run a node but can’t afford the costs out-of-pocket.
This concept for a decentralized KYC-free Bitcoin/Monero fund for Tor node hosting aims to connect donors to node operators and strengthen the Tor network.
How it works:
1) Donors send Bitcoin/Monero to the Tor node fund.
2) The node operator enters the IP address of their Tor node. The existence, uptime and bandwidth of the node is verified via the Tor Metrics website. Ownership is proven via a text file in webroot, DNS entry or the contact details listed in Tor Metrics. The operator also enters their Bitcoin/Monero address.
3) As long as the node is online (checked via Tor Metrics), the node operator receives an amount of Bitcoin/Monero every month from the donation fund.
4) Optional bounties for home nodes vs. VPS nodes (IP doesn’t resolve to a known data center) and relay nodes vs. exit nodes.