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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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133

What are the options if my country makes VPN's illegal? (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 3 days ago by BD89@lemmy.sdf.org to c/linux@lemmy.ml

73 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I know it isn't specific to just Linux but I use Linux anyway so my question is,

Is there a way you could use a VPN without them knowing that? Or if they outlaw them is it really just game over?

If they made VPNs illegal I suppose stuff like TOR would follow except TOR is partly funded by the US state department and the US is one of my countries closest allies (one of the five eyes). So surely they wouldn't shut down something the US funds directly... Would they?

I've read very very little about Gemini and other protocols like Gopher, would this be the way forward if they do this? And is that even remotely close to the security and potential anonymity you would receive from a VPN?

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[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The laws are entirely stupid (as in written by people that have no clue).

The ones I see do not make using a VPN illegal, they make it illegal for certain websites to receive traffic from VPNs.

As a website, how am I supposed to know if I am receiving traffic from a VPN?

I have to maintain a database of restricted IP addresses? How do I keep that up-to-date? How do I catch small players? Self-hosted stuff?

And even if I do all that, how do I tell where the actual user is? Because that is exactly what VPNs were designed to hide from me. So, I cannot apply it to residents of a state—I have to refuse VPN connections from the entire world.

It is impossible and pointless. Anybody actually doing anything wrong will get around it easily. So all it accomplishes is reducing the security and increasing the hassle for everybody else.

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.