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Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

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Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#91

Post by vasco »

txrx0000 wrote: post #32

A device-side IP filter locked behind a password that parents can configure in the device's settings would be much more effective and easier to implement than censoring the Internet. This should be the default solution, yet it's never brought up for whatever reason. Not to mention these online content censorship laws for kids are wrong in principle because parents are supposed to be in control of how they raise each…

These are religious fanatics trying to ban porn because they believe it's evil. All the rest is dressing to advance that cause and isn't worth spending too much time trying to make sense of.

They'd latch on to whatever reason they'd think would stick.

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#92

Post by txrx0000 »

suslik wrote: post #87
txrx0000 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider SoftEther, which is VPN over Ethernet wrapped in HTTPS. It's open-source. It has a server discovery site called VPNGate. You can host a server to let somebody else use, then use a server soneone else is hosting. https://www.vpngate.net/en/ We're really only missing a few things before there's decentralized VPN over HTTPS that anyone in the world can host and use, and it would be resistant to all DPI firewall…

Using this tech, all the CP traffic would detectably flow towards my ip, right? I’m sure I’m not the only one who would find this worrisome.

> Using this tech, all the CP traffic would detectably flow towards my ip, right?

No, but I'm curious why you'd think that?

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#93

Post by [deleted] »

1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #66

"Here's what happens if VPNs get blocked: everyone has to verify their age by submitting government IDs, biometric data, or credit card information directly to websites-without any encryption or privacy protection. We already know how this story ends. Companies get hacked. Data gets breached. And suddenly your real name is attached to the websites you visited, stored in some poorly-secured database waiting for the in…

[deleted]

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#94

Post by cartoonworld »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #44
pjc50 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sort of thing turns up very regularly in US politics, from the Comstock Laws to the Communications Decency Act. The late 90s even had a requirement to use easily breakable encryption (48-bit RSA) which big tech companies generally obeyed. And a worse proposal (the "clipper chip") which was never deployed. Authoritarianism is not limited by your birthplace, it can turn up anywhere. And when it does people are oft…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip

Very related:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_Wars

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#95

Post by kbrkbr »

After Wisconsin finds out how to reliably filter vpn, they can then teach Netflix and Akamai how to do it.

Last time I checked modestly reliable geoblocking existed, and completely unreliable vpn blocking.

A friend told me that when he comes across a site for which Nordvpn is blocked, he just changes IP. Latest the third one always works, even on YouTube (he is all about privacy).

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#96

Post by 1gn15 »

joquarky wrote: post #62
txrx0000 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this keeps going, they will ban self-hosting next: only government-approved hosts allowed. We can't just rely on technological solutions because you can't out-tech the law at scale. People need to actually understand that the government is very close to having the tools needed for a stable technocratic authoritarian regime here in the US and all around the world. It might not happen immediately even if they have t…

Seems like a raspberry pi hidden at a library, restaurant, or anywhere with wifi would thwart this.

Feels like they'd make that illegal, and enforce it by checking the CCTV footage for the person who planted that mini computer, then arresting that person.

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#97

Post by aydyn »

kbrkbr wrote: post #95

After Wisconsin finds out how to reliably filter vpn, they can then teach Netflix and Akamai how to do it. Last time I checked modestly reliable geoblocking existed, and completely unreliable vpn blocking. A friend told me that when he comes across a site for which Nordvpn is blocked, he just changes IP. Latest the third one always works, even on YouTube (he is all about privacy).

Lots of sites do in fact block VPNs successfully. How? Well they could just sign up for NordVPN and see which IPs they use directly. Its not rocket science.

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#98

Post by InMice »

Of course, what if I use an SSH tunnel instead as that normally suffices a lot easier for me. It's basically the same underlying libraries? They would have to regulate the use of libssl, libcrypto, etc. This makes no sense lol.

Am I going to find myself in jail one day for "Unregulated use of a private/public key pair?"

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#99

Post by philipallstar »

duxup wrote: post #50
txrx0000 wrote: post #32

A device-side IP filter locked behind a password that parents can configure in the device's settings would be much more effective and easier to implement than censoring the Internet. This should be the default solution, yet it's never brought up for whatever reason. Not to mention these online content censorship laws for kids are wrong in principle because parents are supposed to be in control of how they raise each…

I think putting parents in control is the right path, but will reveal a sad fact. Many parents aren't taking time to be in control, and no amount of legislation will fix that.

Parents are already in control.

Re: Lawmakers want to ban VPNs

#100

Post by kbrkbr »

aydyn wrote: post #97
kbrkbr wrote: post #95

After Wisconsin finds out how to reliably filter vpn, they can then teach Netflix and Akamai how to do it. Last time I checked modestly reliable geoblocking existed, and completely unreliable vpn blocking. A friend told me that when he comes across a site for which Nordvpn is blocked, he just changes IP. Latest the third one always works, even on YouTube (he is all about privacy).

Lots of sites do in fact block VPNs successfully. How? Well they could just sign up for NordVPN and see which IPs they use directly. Its not rocket science.

I do have a bit of experience with managing WAFs for large online gaming providers and I can tell you it's not a solved problem. Netflix would also love to hear how I guess.

Even if you somehow manage to enumerate the Nordvpn IPs - a thing of which Nordvpn probably thought in their threat model - then you still have thousands of other providers.

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