Would it be wise to run Tor before mining?

[DrReaper]

I am not sure if you can get into trouble for mining or not. Does anyone run Tor before mining for general security purposes? Has anyone got into trouble for using Bitcoin?

[Jack of Diamonds]

Bitcoin is not illegal nor is it illegal to generate. I don't know where you get the notion of "trouble" from.

[supa]

What about the publicized BitCoin Mine Raids when the power consumption "looked like" dope houses?

Tor is Tor - by providing yourself as a node, you help the network.

So yes, I say use Tor, solely to provide another node to Tor.

..... but in relation to bitcoin, it's probably silly to incur the latency cost of Tor.

[Jack of Diamonds]

There is nothing to suggest those stories were real. If I remember correctly, Vladimir or someone else pointed out it was just a brainfart on the IRC-channel and somehow became 'real news' despite lacking a source. Buzzmedia like gizmodo then re-reported it.

[supa]

DEA Agent Anthony Marotta said high electricity usage does not always mean the residence is an indoor pot farm and has surprised federal agents. "We thought it was a major grow operation ... but this guy had some kind of business involving computers. I don't know how many computer servers we found in his home."

That's from the terribly written Network World article.

Was the DEA Agent speculating or did they encounter some other individual doing some "business involving computers" in the same manner as perpetuated by rumor on IRC (which they have a screenshot of in the article) ?

[DrReaper]

Would running tor make me more anonymous? I don't know if I need to be anyway. I read these posts were people are farming in different states and have to remote in. It seems like a big production unless they are afraid of something.
 

[supa]

I remote in because I have pre-existing assets in other states prior to Bitcoin's conception.  Not for anonymity.  Perhaps the posts you read were for the same reason?

There is currently no reason to sweat anonymity.  Unless you want to support Tor out of the kindness of your heart.

[enmaku]

Another valid reason for a geographically dispersed operation is that many cities/states have tiered pricing for electricity. Maybe you pay 12 cents per kW/H up to a certain amount and then after that you pay 18 cents up to another arbitrary amount and then they consider your use "excessive" or "abusive" and charge you 25 cents per kW/H. If you're getting close to that "excessive" tier and want to control your overhead you'd do well to physically locate your mining rigs in a physically separate location with a separate electricity bill.

[DrReaper]

I know all about the electricity nightmares. I also get punished at the end of the month. I need to start buying solar cells and start putting them together in panels.