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VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
151–160 of 1001 posts
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#152Classic Streisand effect - attempts to restrict content access inevitably lead to widespread adoption of circumvention technologies.
This is how it worked out in Russia. First, around 10 years ago, they adopted very limited laws that required ISPs to block websites. Things like drugs and suicide, with the classic rationale "won't someone please think of the children". Then piracy websites were added to that. Fast forward to now, ISPs were mandated to install black-box "ТСПУ" devices on their networks, "to protect against threats", so now Roskomnad…
At least in Russia and in china, the governments don't pretend that what they are doing is to save the children(TM) whereas in the west we like to drape our authoritarian tendencies under such false pretenses.
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#153Kinda worried they'll just get to work banning consumer VPN use?
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#154Kinda worried they'll just get to work banning consumer VPN use?
how would that work? Besides blocking the websites to download some VPN. Or if someone already has a VPN installed.
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
Incredible that you’ve managed to bring this conversation to immigration. In fact, it sounds like you’re saying the root cause of this crappy policy is somehow immigrants. Far fetched and not cool.
Immigration is becoming the #1 political issue in the UK for a reason. If they didn't want this, they could have just restricted it and it would have largely gone away as a topic of discussion, but current levels makes it inevitable it will become the main thing people think about
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Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#156Kinda worried they'll just get to work banning consumer VPN use?
how would that work? Besides blocking the websites to download some VPN. Or if someone already has a VPN installed.
Get the websites blocked too, some kinda minor fine if you're identified as using one, make it seem scary in the public eye to discourage it, ban advertisements?
You can't really stop it, but you can start treating it like Piracy. Maybe ISPs could snoop and report traffic that seems to be going to a VPN even if they can't inspect it.
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#157Kinda worried they'll just get to work banning consumer VPN use?
how would that work? Besides blocking the websites to download some VPN. Or if someone already has a VPN installed.
I see you’ve never been anywhere that blocks VPNs.
First they will make it seem like only criminals would use VPNs, then they’ll target some actually shady VPN services to use as a scapegoat, then they’ll apply punitive measures to them specifically; then they will use the fact that they have already used punitive measures as a reason to use them blanketly.
Technically: it’s pretty trivial to block almost all VPNs at an ISP level. I think only anyconnect/openconnect is difficult (not impossible) to block.
That this would affect businesses is of no consequence.
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
how would that work? Besides blocking the websites to download some VPN. Or if someone already has a VPN installed.
I see you’ve never been anywhere that blocks VPNs. First they will make it seem like only criminals would use VPNs, then they’ll target some actually shady VPN services to use as a scapegoat, then they’ll apply punitive measures to them specifically; then they will use the fact that they have already used punitive measures as a reason to use them blanketly. Technically: it’s pretty trivial to block almost all VPNs at…
DPI can figure out standard VPNs, including anyconnect, pretty well based on timing and packet sizes.
There are tools designed to evade DPI detection, but even those don't make out out of the Great Firewall of China most of the time.
Technical solutions to political problems only go so far.
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#159Kinda worried they'll just get to work banning consumer VPN use?
how would that work? Besides blocking the websites to download some VPN. Or if someone already has a VPN installed.
Doesn’t need to be workable to outlaw it. Turning everyone into a criminal on paper and selectively enforcing is a win for gov
Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
It definitely seems like she’s conflating two issues: access to pornography and child grooming. I don’t see why she thinks regulating VPNs would reduce the latter.
It does not. As I have said before, pedophilia is rampant on Roblox and Discord. Go monitor those platforms, and hold these platforms responsible, not VPNs. Regulating VPNs will not reduce child grooming, and I am sure they are not stupid enough to actually think it does.
Or, to put it another way, in order to protect the most children, focus your efforts on where the most children actually are, not where you're afraid they might end up.