Note: The risks described below are quite speculative. To our knowledge, no ooniprobe user has ever faced consequences of the risks described below. Nonetheless, we strongly encourage you to read the following information regarding potential risks associated with the use of ooniprobe.

Many countries have a lengthy history of subjecting digital rights activists to various forms of abuse that could make it dangerous for individuals in these countries to run ooniprobe. The use of ooniprobe might therefore subject users to severe civil, criminal, or extra-judicial penalties, and such sanctions can potentially include:

- Imprisonment
- Physical assaults
- Large fines
- Receiving threats
- Being placed on government watch lists
- Targeted for surveillance

While most countries don't have laws which specifically prohibit the use of network measurement software, it's important to note that the use of ooniprobe can still potentially be criminalized in certain countries under other, broader laws if, for example, its use is viewed as an illegal or anti-government activity. ooniprobe users might also face the risk of being criminalized on the grounds of national security if the data obtained and published by running ooniprobe is viewed as "jeopardizing" the country's external or internal security. In extreme cases, any form of active network measurement could be illegal, or even considered a form of espionage.

We therefore strongly urge you to consult with lawyers prior to running ooniprobe. You can also reach out to us with specific inquiries at contact@openobservatory.org. Please note though that we are not lawyers, but we might be able to seek legal advice for you or to put you in touch with lawyers who could address your questions and/or concerns.

Some relevant resources include:

- Tor Legal FAQ
- EFF Know Your Rights

Note: The use of ooniprobe is at your own risk in accordance to OONI's software license and neither the OONI project nor its parent organization, the Tor Project, can be held liable.

## Installing ooniprobe

As with any other software, the usage of ooniprobe can leave traces. As such, anybody with physical or remote access to your computer might be able to see that you have downloaded, installed or run ooniprobe.

The installation of Tor software, which is designed for online anonymity, is a prerequisite for using ooniprobe as measurements are sent to OONI over Tor. Furthermore, OONI's Web Connectivity test is designed to compare HTTP requests over the network of the user and over the Tor network. Similarly, OONI's Psiphon, Lantern and OpenVPN tests require the installation of other circumvention software.

We therefore encourage you to consult with a lawyer on the legality of anonymity software (such as Tor, a VPN or a proxy) *prior* to installing ooniprobe.

To remove traces of software usage, you can re-install your operating system or wipe your computer and remove everything (operating system, programs and files) from your hard drive.

## Running ooniprobe

Third parties (such as your government, ISP and/or employer) monitoring your internet activity will be able to see all web traffic generated by ooniprobe, including your IP address, and might be able to link it to you personally.

Many countries employ sophisticated surveillance measures that allow governments to track individuals' online activities – even if they are using a VPN or a proxy server to protect their privacy. In such countries, governments might be able to identify you as a OONI user regardless of what measures you take to protect your online privacy.

## Testing URLs for censorship

When running OONI's Web Connectivity or HTTP requests test, you will connect to and download data from various websites which are included in the following two lists:

- Country-specific test list: https://github.com/citizenlab/test-lists/tree/master/lists (search for your country's test list based on its country code)
- Global test list: https://github.com/citizenlab/test-lists/blob/master/lists/global.csv (including a list of globally accessed websites)

Many websites included in the above lists will likely be controversial and can include pornography or hate speech, which might be illegal to access in your country. We therefore recommend that you examine carefully whether you are willing to take the risk of accessing and downloading data from such websites through OONI tests, especially if this could potentially lead to various forms of retribution.

If you are uncertain of the potential implications of connecting to and downloading data from the websites listed in the above lists, you can choose which URLs to test via OONI's Web User Interface (WUI).

## Publication of measurements

The public (including third parties who view the usage of OONI as illegal or "suspicious") will be able to see the information collected by OONI once it's published through:

- OONI Explorer
- OONI's list of measurements

Unless you opt-out through the configuration options of OONI's WUI, all measurements that are generated through OONI tests are by default sent to OONI's measurement collector and automatically published through the above resources.

Published data will include your approximate location, the network (ASN) you are connecting from, and when you ran ooniprobe. Other identifying information, such as your IP address, is not deliberately collected, but might be included in HTTP headers or other metadata. The full page content downloaded by OONI could potentially include further information if, for example, a website includes tracking codes or custom content based on your network location. Such information could potentially aid third parties in detecting you as an ooniprobe user.