[mirimir]

Sure, but reputable (from a privacy sense, anyway) VPN providers don't even retain any logs. Some providers just run everything in RAM, so no data ever touches disk. And there may not even be a disk.

And then you can route through Tor, I2P, Orchid or Lokinet. For any of those, getting logs from enough nodes to figure out browsing history would be nontrivial.

I suppose you could then be charged with "evasion" or whatever. If we get to that, it's time for a rootkit/botnet that spreads like WannaCry, and communicates via covert channels. Everyone will be running it, because it spreads so aggressively, and anyone who wants can use it, without leaving any traces.

Edit: spelling

[rmrfstar]

> Everyone will be running it, because it spreads so aggressively, and anyone who wants can use it, without leaving any traces.

This reminds me of 90s era cypherpunk optimism. If recent history teaches us anything, it is that surveillance wins the cat and mouse game.

There is no technical solution. We have to work through the legislature. That means convincing people that this apparatus is a threat to middle class professionals, not just "information activists" or whatever.

The abundance of throwaway accounts on this thread is a testament to the chilling effect these policies have.

Privacy is a losing frame. We need new ideas.

[mirimir]

Yeah, I guess. I suspect that authorities are planning ahead. As we get further into the jackpot (see Gibson's Peripheral and Agency) there'll be more and more disorder and chaos. And so there'll be a need for more surveillance and control.