Don't get me wrong, I'm all for using technology to preserve privacy. > The vote I cast by running a Tor relay is much more meaningful and valuable defence of

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for using technology to preserve privacy. > The vote I cast by running a Tor relay is much more meaningful and valuable defence of privacy than a vote in the general elections. I kind of agree, but, not if the new leader outlaws using Tor tomorrow, as they have in China and Iran, and are attempting to do in Russia and France. > bureaucrat who would maybe in the best case scenario fine a company which leaks my data You may be selling the power of legislation short. It has the power to entirely transform the default business model of the Internet away from surveillance capitalism, for example. In terms of privacy, this would eliminate entire classes of "threat". We frequently under-estimate our power as technologists to influence these things; we have very much more than a single vote. The narrative of 'technology' in the media is almost entirely that of billionaires and spies, and the media are gradually starting to realize that they're being led along. Getting the voice of technologists to explain the societal impacts of technology policy is a problem that we need to identify with as group.