My name is Chelsea Komlo. I am a contributor to open source software and a core contributor to the Tor Project as of 2017. My work includes designing and implementing distributed systems, cryptographic protocols, and privacy enhancing technologies.

In December 2015, I met Jacob Appelbaum, a powerful and high-profile leader of the security and privacy community, at the 32nd Chaos Communication Congress (CCC). Jacob was a well-known figure at CCC and regularly gave talks and workshops; I was a first-time attendee. Less than a week later, Jacob raped me in his apartment. Two of Jacob’s friends witnessed the assault, one other participated.

In April 2016, I notified several individuals at the Tor Project about this sexual assault. In June 2016, I published a description of my assault under the pseudonym “River” on jacobappelbaum.net alongside others’ accounts of harassment and assault.

I was new to the security and privacy community, and while Jacob’s abusive behavior was an open secret for many, I was completely unaware. I trusted Jacob as he appeared to be a trusted leader in this space. I struggle to find words which can describe how it felt to learn that many people in the community had known about his abusive behavior.

I wrote the below public statement in September 2016. I did not publish this for a variety of reasons, including fear of retaliation. I also hoped the swift actions taken by many organizations would prevent future abuse.

I see now, two years later, there is still so much more to do.

I am publishing this statement below today because the same environment that allowed my rape to occur two years ago is still alive and flourishing. To this day, the CCC and other organizations are willing to shelter known abusers. This lack of change means others continue to be hurt, even though this harm is preventable.

The CCC leadership has enabled and protected sexual predators by turning a blind eye to past abuse as well as sidelining those who speak up. In doing so, the CCC is actively refusing to protect people in the community. I was deeply hurt by this two years ago- and others continue to be. This week alone, we have seen Thomas’s report of assault and the CCC’s complete refusal to take preventive and precautionary safety measures against further harm.

Systemic abuse does not happen in a vacuum; it is not just one bad individual. The enablers of sexual predators should also be held accountable- the people and organizations whose inaction, avoidance, and even support allows abusers to go unchecked and immune from accountability.

Abuse can be constructively addressed after it happens. The second person involved in my assault has apologized and gone through a community justice process. I forgave this person, and I firmly believe that individuals (and organizations) who have committed mistakes should be forgiven if they truly understand the harm done and genuinely work to make things right for the future.

Jacob’s actions have been the exact opposite. Over the months after I reported the rape, Jacob threatened me through a variety of channels. Multiple journalists sympathetic to Jacob reported stories and later produced an opera from his account of what happened. I was portrayed as a spineless young woman who “wanted what she got.” The truth is that I never wanted what happened and I clearly informed Jacob of my boundaries multiple times.

Even worse, Jacob’s supporters have failed to acknowledge his abuse and have done nothing to prevent future harm. The leadership at the CCC have pushed back against banning specific abusive behavior. Jacob continues to study as a Ph.D student with Daniel J. Bernstein and Tanja Lange, who have unquestioningly defended Jacob, providing a safe environment for him and (from what I am aware) relieving themselves of any responsibility to investigate his abusive behavior despite numerous public allegations.

These leaders in our community maintain the status quo because it suits them, using excuses ranging from a) “Guilt or innocence should be decided by a court of law,” to b) “We don’t have enough evidence to make a decision,” or even c) “Bad behavior should be solved through mediation, not confrontation.” However, inaction is what allowed my rape to occur, and inaction is what will lead to the abuse of others in the future.

Leaders of organizations enable predators when they fail to acknowledge and prevent known abusive behavior. If nothing changes in these organizations, what happened to me will happen to others.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Our community can be both highly productive and safe. However, organizations need to create effective structures to report and take action against abusive actors. Anything less should not be tolerated.