Everyone should run a home snowflake proxy ❄️
Discussion
💯 At the very least.
So this one has me a little more hesitant. I’m comfortable being another anonymous face in the crowd, to help other users be more private. And with the preface that “legal” and “moral” aren’t the same, and many countries outlaw things that I think they shouldn’t, we also know that some people use Tor for illegal *and* evil stuff. My concern with running a proxy or a tor node is that if these users’ traffic is being routed through my device, then (legal or not) I would feel complicit in their activity, to an extent, and that gives me chills (the bad kind).
Being a face in the crowd still indirectly provides greater privacy for “bad” criminals, but it’s different than actually creating a road through which they can drive, so to speak.
Note, I’m not trying to make the case that you (or others) shouldn’t run the node. If anything, I’m hoping you’ll reply that it doesn’t actually work that way, and my concerns are allayed.
Alternatively I guess one could argue that unless “good” citizens take on the burden of defending everyone’s privacy by running this software, then nobody is going to have access to these tools to fight oppression…
Is that the argument, actually? That it must be done: we must deal with the discomfort of some of the heinous shit that happens on the dark web, even if it occasionally runs through your own hardware, because it means that freedom fighters globally can retain the means to communicate and liberate their societies?
Just puzzling through it all. Interested in your perspectives 🤝
Yes bad people do bad things and they often use tools that journalists, activists, and people that just want privacy use.
The technology already exists, will continue to exist, and new technologies will continue to be introduced. There is no way to stop it and there is no way to put any sort of “safety” back stops to only stop the bad people because it would be used by every authoritarian government and not so authoritarian government to stop and arrest any kind of threat to their goals.
So based upon that premise there are only two ways to go:
Complete ban and make illegal any sort of privacy tech, encryption, tor, VPN, P2P network as well as any anti surveillance laws. We have to watch everyone all the time or else the bad people can slip through. No other choice.
Or,
We support freedom and privacy technology through our vocal support, development and infrastructure support, and actually using the technology to provide cover for people who might need it more than ourselves. Journalists can use it to publish unpopular opinions or exposing powerful interests. Activists can use it to fight for oppressed and marginalized people. I can use it just because I am paranoid and prefer not being watched or have views and opinions that might impact my ability to support my family. And yes bad people can use it to do bad things but at least acknowledge that they are a small percentage of users and law enforcement can still do their job even if this makes it a little harder.