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The Tor ProjectTor Project removed Jacob Appelbaum after sexual assault allegations and replaced entire board of directors

In 2016, multiple people publicly accused Tor developer Jacob Appelbaum of sexual harassment and assault. The Tor Project conducted an investigation, terminated Appelbaum, and subsequently replaced its entire board of directors. The organization implemented new governance structures and a code of conduct to prevent similar issues.

Scoring Impact

TopicDirectionRelevanceContribution
DEI Programs+towardsecondary+0.50
Worker Rights+towardsecondary+0.50
Overall incident score =+0.322

Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.57)× agency (reactive ×0.75)

Evidence (1 signal)

Confirms labor Jun 4, 2016 documented

Wired reported on Tor Project investigating sexual assault allegations against top developer Appelbaum

Wired reported that the Tor Project was investigating multiple sexual assault allegations against Jacob Appelbaum, a prominent Tor developer. The organization subsequently terminated Appelbaum and replaced its entire board of directors, implementing new governance structures.

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