The Tor relay node of the team of researchers from the Brazilian University of Campinas in Sao Paulo was blocked, as it was seen gathering information about onion-addresses of users.

The team configured the Tor node to collect specific data about hidden services. The researchers explained that the collected data can not be used to deanomize the user or to find a specific server on which the service is running.

According to the Tor administrators, the activities carried out by the researchers are in violation of the ethical principles of the Tor Project.

Marcus Rodrigues, a junior researcher at the University of Brazil, explained that he and his colleagues were working on developing a tool that could identify malicious bulbous services.

Researchers pleaded guilty, but justify their actions purely scientific purposes. Solution to collect addresses.

Onion and get their content was taken to streamline the service and for security reasons.

"My research, in particular, deals with malicious hidden services. I develop a method for automatically categorizing a malicious, hidden service by its content, for example, a drug-trafficking site, the distribution of malware, and. ", Rodrigues told The Register.

Rodriguez failed to rebuild his Tor node, but said the study would continue in any case using alternative technologies.