[mmooss]

> not un-likly scenario where the person you're targeting is using a VPN

Do you think a large proportion of Signal users also use VPNs? I'd expect it would be a higher proportion than the general population but still only a small minority.

[kdmtctl]

> Do you think a large proportion of Signal users also use VPNs?

It is feasible to consider that interesting Signal users mostly use VPN as an extra protection layer.

[mmooss]

Being 'interesting' doesn't make you more likely to understand VPNs and opsec. I expect it makes you more likely to try, but there's a good chance of doing it ineffectively.

[illiac786]

I disagree, it does significantly increase the likeliness. Like having cancer makes you significantly more likely to know a lot of medical facts about cancer.

If you fear for your life you are much more likely to have spent time researching how to protect yourself digitally.

[kdmtctl]

Fair point. But there are lot of educational resources for whistleblowers and others. OPSEC is crucial nowadays.

[mmooss]

There's a lot of nonsense too. In another HN thread, someone was explaining to me that email is more secure than Signal, and desktops more secure than phones - and they had a link to someone's blog to prove it.

That's a HN reader. For the non-technical, it is a minefield.