This article was first published on championquizzer.dreamwidth.org
I’m elated to share, I am one of the Tor Project interns with Outreachy for the December 2020 - March 2021 round. I will be working on the project- “Helping Tor support our users”. Through this blog I will try to document my work, my thoughts and my experiences … and answer the questions that my readers might have.
I’m Joydeep Sen Gupta, also known as ‘championquizzer’ on the internet. I very recently graduated with a bachelors degree in engineering (Electronics and Communication). I love computers (and technology, in general) and spend most of my day in front of one. I am a free/libre open-source software enthusiast with a strong focus on privacy and cybersecurity. In my free time, I like to read history, watch documentaries, study ancient & modern maps, listen to music (mostly baroque & classical) and play football (soccer).
My core values are -
- curiousity : I’m perennially curious to learn and re-learn stuff about computer systems and society. I like to hear other people’s lived experiences and learn from them.
- openness : I firmly believe in openness and inclusion of all. This is primarily why, I am also a strong advocate of open source technology and open knowledge.
- kindness & compassion : I don’t know who quoted this but this resonates with me so well - “We’re a collection of seven billion codependent atoms, stop hating eachother on the basis of social constructs and come along for the ride!”
The principles that Outreachy Internships stand for - welcoming folks from all walks of life to open source, promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion, connecting interns with experienced mentors from open source communities is what motivated me to apply to this program. The past few months, right from the application period to the contribution period has been a great learning experience for me.
Furthermore, with my interest in encryption, privacy, anonymity and freedom from surveillance on the internet, I was highly motivated to work with the Tor Project. As most of our work and communication is moving online, these are really challenging times to fight for your freedom, privacy and rights on the internet. I am glad I can be part of the project at such crucial times.