On 10/11/2016 12:51 AM, Kenneth Freeman wrote:
I set up my own ISP (AS28715) so I could run Tor exits etc without any trouble.
Could you share a bit more about what is involved in doing that?
I'd also be very interested in learning more about setting up an ISP for Tor. Is it a non-profit? How many man hours did it take (roughly) to get the structure in place? How much money (roughly) did it take? How much legal consultation did it require to setup?
I'm intrigued by this myself.
There are different phases or activities one might consider being part of "creating an ISP".
Legally, you "create an ISP" by operating a Tor exit relay.
As always, for exit relays, I strongly urge people to get listed in the WHOIS of the respective IP range, especially as abuse contact. As soon as you're listed there, a lot more people will regard you as "the ISP".
In theory it does not matter what type of legal entity is listed there; I know of hosting providers run by single individuals without another legal entity "around them", and it works just fine. Still, in many cases, if they see the name of an individual, they will more likely assume that you might be the culprit, than if it just lists an incorporated entity.
Then, the next step is to get your own Autonomous System Number. Quite a number of complaints don't go to the abuse contact listed in the IP range, but directly to the "upstream" Autonomous System operator. You "catch" these types of complaints by registering your own, and your own IP space. Then, the hunt for "exit friendly hosters" turns into a hunt for ISPs that will announce your IP space and your ASN.
In most jurisdictions, you do not register "common carrier-type" activities with the government; you have to register Internet _access_ providers in certain jurisdictions (eg. Germany), but you do not _want_ to be an _access_ provider with your exit relays.
To get an Autonomous System Number and IP space, the place to go to depends on _your_ jurisdiction: ARIN (US/CAN), RIPE (EU), APNIC (Asia), LANIC (Latin America), AFRINIC (Africa); IP ranges and ASNs can then be announced by any hosting provider.
For examples, see https://apps.db.ripe.net/search/query.html?searchtext=ZWIEBELFREUNDE