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Proton CEO warns global age verification push will mean "the death of anonymity online"
(www.techradar.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2026
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So, uh... then what are we gonna dooooo?! *pulls out hair*
For now? Hope the government doesn't ban VPNs, and ISPs don't lock down "unverified" connections.
Contact your congresspeople and let them know how you feel about ID verification, and why it's dangerous to democracy.
Maybe get a mesh radio and learn about nodes, so that you have at least some form of communication if they lock down the web. Maybe a ham radio too, but be aware than many jurisdictions require a license to transmit anything (passive receiving is usually fine).
Download a local copy of everything you think you would want post-internet. Wikipedia, project gutenberg, ifixit, etc.
If you like your neighbors, consider discussing a network of wifi repeaters or ethernet cables to build your own LAN/intranet in the hypothetical post-internet scenario.
If you still use streaming services, transition to self-hosting local copies of all the media you care about.
If you have ~~millions~~ billions of dollars, consider starting your own ISP or VPN server, building out your own fiber-optic infrastructure, maybe launching your own satellites into space, with a commitment to open-source, decentralized platforms and anonymity?
Or contribute to a tech co-op that might eventually be able to implement something similar.
Other than that, all you can do is raise awareness about how easy it would be for an oppressive government to shut down the internet, or even just lock it down to any "unverified"/unidentifiable users...