Running an exit node from home DSL or Cable is bad idea. One must look for a Tor friendly ISP and have balls made of steel!
... ISP[/hoster] and[/or] have ...
However, I do not believe it is that way in the United States
What 'way'?
Running an exit node at home, or elsewhere, would seem to come down to...
a) Are you physically ready for a query / subpoena / search warrant / exigent raid? Are things segregated by room? Are your doors and machines labeled with the same sort of exit node notice you'd put on the TCP port and in DNS? Have you inventoried, photographed and documented your setup and property? Do you have offsite backups? Are private things encrypted? Are any co-habitants aware and similarly prepared?
b) Are you mentally ready? Is your life and butt otherwise clean, legal, and organized? If you were to appear in court, how would you act and be perceived? How do you feel about being in the news and in public docs? Have you networked with other operators and entities?
c) Are you legally, financially, and timewise ready? Have you consulted with and preselected a couple attorneys? Have you made arrangements for making bail? How will you make court required appearances?
All these sorts of meta things, and surely more, come into play whether or not you're ever raided. I'd suggest making a wiki article for them.
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