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German police searched Zwiebelfreunde board members’ homes and OpenLab Augsburg on 20 June 2018, according to the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) and European Digital Rights (EDRi). The reported connection was an anonymous website calling for protests against an AfD convention in Augsburg—not an investigation of the Tor network itself. CCC said the website used a Riseup email address and that Zwiebelfreunde did not operate it. The available accounts do not establish the official legal basis for the searches or what happened to the case afterward.
What happened in the 2018 searches?
On 20 June 2018, police searched homes of Zwiebelfreunde board members and OpenLab Augsburg, according to the CCC’s account. EDRi reported searches at the association’s premises, the homes of three board members, and OpenLab. These are civil-society accounts; the sources reviewed do not include a police statement or court record confirming the details.
Zwiebelfreunde is a privacy-focused association. CCC described its work as promoting privacy-enhancing technologies and said it operated Tor relays through TorServers.net. The CCC account states: “At TorServers.net, the association operates Relays of the Tor anonymising network while helping operators technically and legally.”
What was the reported connection to an AfD protest website?
CCC said the investigation concerned an anonymous website calling for protests against an AfD convention in Augsburg. According to CCC, the website used a Riseup email address, and Zwiebelfreunde did not operate it. This describes the connection reported by CCC; it is not an independently verified official account of the investigation’s rationale.
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The distinction matters: a reported link involving an email address is not evidence that a privacy association ran the website. The available sources do not establish the precise legal basis police relied on, what evidence they sought, or the case’s eventual outcome.
Was this a raid on Tor or Tor relay operators?
No. The reported searches were at locations associated with Zwiebelfreunde and OpenLab Augsburg, not a raid on the Tor network. CCC said Zwiebelfreunde operated Tor relays, but the reporting does not establish that police seized or disrupted Tor infrastructure, nor does it quantify any effect on Tor users.
How does the separate 2024 search differ?
Article 5 e.V. reported a separate police search on 16 August 2024 at its registered home and office address. Cybernews covered the group’s account. This later event involved a different organization and should not be conflated with the 2018 searches.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →| Date | Organization | Locations reported | Reported connection or reason | Account type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 June 2018 | Zwiebelfreunde and OpenLab Augsburg | Association premises, three board members’ homes, and OpenLab, as reported by EDRi; CCC also reported board members’ homes and OpenLab | CCC linked the investigation to an anonymous website calling for protests against an AfD convention in Augsburg; it said the site used a Riseup email address and Zwiebelfreunde did not operate it | CCC and EDRi civil-society accounts |
| 16 August 2024 | Article 5 e.V. | The group’s registered home and office address | Article 5 e.V. described the search; the available account here does not establish an official police rationale | Article 5 e.V.’s account, with secondary reporting by Cybernews |
What remains unconfirmed?
- The official legal basis and investigative rationale for the 2018 searches.
- The later outcome of the 2018 case.
- Whether the searches caused any measurable impact on Tor relays or Tor users.
- An official police account confirming the details reported by the organizations in either incident.
The named sources are the CCC account of the 2018 searches, EDRi’s 2018 report,
rticle 5 e.V.’s 2024 account on the Tor Project Forum, and Cybernews’ 2024 report.
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