Don't use VPN services

HiddenFox · 2020-12-02T00:56:11+00:00

A pretty good article. Be sure to read the comments of said article as they are very insightful and help bring perspective and balance.

bobbobbybob · 2020-12-02T03:11:43+00:00

My take is that whatever measures you take to hide yourself, technology is only a couple of years away from defeating that, and the big actors store everything.

So, unless you just want 2 years of extra freedom before inevitable jail, don't do illegal things on the internet.

As yet, I can still say "the holocaust is a lie" where I live, but you can bet that even with my anonymous profiles, with their fake life stories, and my networking hygiene, I'll cease saying it once it is illegal here.

and VPNs were always a easy way to advertise to TLAs that you want to be up to no good.

But then I got busted for messing around with ECHELON in the 90s, and have had my visits from the glowies, so learnt fast

billfolddog · 2020-12-02T12:41:08+00:00

I disagree strongly with this article for the following reasons:

When you use a single-layer VPN (the most common use case) your ISP cannot snoop on your traffic. Your ISP is the first place the government goes to get your browsing history and internet activity, and your ISP is the party most likely to sell your personal information. A VPN might do all of these things, too, but the hostile actor would have to know which VPN you subscribe to in order to get your data. If the government wants to build profiles for all "political radicals," the government would first ask your ISP (who wouldn't know anything) and then the government would have to ask each VPN provider you are likely to be using in order to get your data. This process is not only costly, but it is also more likely to generate public backlash, because at least one VPN service is going to publish the government's request online for the lulz.
A dual-layer VPN solution counters most of the complaints in the article. In a dual layer VPN solution, the first VPN knows your IP address and that all of your traffic is routed to another VPN service. The second VPN can read all of your web traffic, but does not know your originating IP address or who you are. (Make sure the second layer is purchased with bitcoin or the like.) This solves most of the problems described by the original article.

kalchaya · 2020-12-03T04:16:49+00:00

Choosing a VPN not based in the 14-Eyes territory goes a long way to insuring privacy, as they can use any such government letters demanding info as toilet paper, while your ISP (and VPNs under 14-Eyes control) must comply. Multi-hop VPNs are slightly more secure, as they add an extra layer of complexity the TLAs must circumvent. A multi-hop VPN based outside the 14-Eyes jurisdiction, having a 'no-logs' policy (backed up by its TOS and an independent certification agency), which is routed through TOR is the 'gold standard', and remains unbreakable...unless you make the same retarded mistakes made by that Silk Road guy.

d3rr · 2020-12-02T04:53:23+00:00

if you need to stick that $3 somewhere, consider paying for email!

TheAmeliaMay · 2020-12-03T00:05:32+00:00

I never thought about using something like GitHub to post articles.

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