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Are they interested in finding justification for limiting VPNs?

salawat 8y ago
This is actually Standard Operating Procedure for Congress. You have a bunch of non-technically literate people in theory delegating the responsibility for educating them to an agency who is responsible for either rounding-up/hiring experts to educate Congress or to collate whatever required reading is necessary. I have difficulty understanding why this type of research isn't done by Congressional research assets though, which are free of the bias towards making operating easier which the Executive isn't. Congress has subpoena power and budget for research staff for a reason. They should use it.
- Nasrudith 8y ago
  That assumes they want to know instead of grandstanding based on what gets the most campaign contributions/votes/highest post career jobs.
- gumby 8y ago
  Congress used to do its own research via the Office of Technology Assessment but because the results often contradicted the positions of lobbyists it was eliminated under Gingrich in the mid 1990s. The drug side of the FDA used to have its own research labs but they were eliminated by the same congress because their results constrained and informed the scientific demands they placed on drug development trials. It's not solely the current government that has its (or maybe somebody else's) fingers in its ears.
  - salawat 8y ago
    That is...incredibly depressing to hear. How is the legislature supposed to actually hold the Executive and special interests in check then? It sounds like the entire federal government has been neutered in terms of being able to actually do it's own footwork to guard against encroaching agendas.. This actually explains a lot, now that I think about it.
tivert 8y ago
> Are they interested in finding justification for limiting VPNs? What kind of VPNs are you talking about? The VPNs that protect their users' traffic from spying, or the VPNs that spy on their users themselves?
- prophesi 8y ago
  I think the key point is the lack of clarification. VPN's that spy on their users gives credence to outright ban all VPN's, which would be of obvious benefit to the US government. It should also be pointed out that, as a consumer, you can't prove that your VPN service isn't spying on you. Ideally, you should set up a VPN on your own server using secure defaults. Then let your less techie friends/family use it when they're on public WiFi.
  - tivert 8y ago
    The senators were pretty clear in their letter and in the quotes that they are concerned about VPNs that spy on their users or have exit nodes in unfriendly countries: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/020719%20Wyden%20Rubio%20VPN%20Letter%20to%20DHS.pdf https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/020719%20Wyden%20...

This is actually Standard Operating Procedure for Congress. You have a bunch of non-technically literate people in theory delegating the responsibility for educating them to an agency who is responsible for either rounding-up/hiring experts to educate Congress or to collate whatever required reading is necessary. I have difficulty understanding why this type of research isn't done by Congressional research assets though, which are free of the bias towards making operating easier which the Executive isn't. Congress has subpoena power and budget for research staff for a reason. They should use it.

Nasrudith 8y ago
That assumes they want to know instead of grandstanding based on what gets the most campaign contributions/votes/highest post career jobs.
gumby 8y ago
Congress used to do its own research via the Office of Technology Assessment but because the results often contradicted the positions of lobbyists it was eliminated under Gingrich in the mid 1990s. The drug side of the FDA used to have its own research labs but they were eliminated by the same congress because their results constrained and informed the scientific demands they placed on drug development trials. It's not solely the current government that has its (or maybe somebody else's) fingers in its ears.
- salawat 8y ago
  That is...incredibly depressing to hear. How is the legislature supposed to actually hold the Executive and special interests in check then? It sounds like the entire federal government has been neutered in terms of being able to actually do it's own footwork to guard against encroaching agendas.. This actually explains a lot, now that I think about it.

tivert 8y ago

> Are they interested in finding justification for limiting VPNs? What kind of VPNs are you talking about? The VPNs that protect their users' traffic from spying, or the VPNs that spy on their users themselves?

prophesi 8y ago
I think the key point is the lack of clarification. VPN's that spy on their users gives credence to outright ban all VPN's, which would be of obvious benefit to the US government. It should also be pointed out that, as a consumer, you can't prove that your VPN service isn't spying on you. Ideally, you should set up a VPN on your own server using secure defaults. Then let your less techie friends/family use it when they're on public WiFi.
- tivert 8y ago
  The senators were pretty clear in their letter and in the quotes that they are concerned about VPNs that spy on their users or have exit nodes in unfriendly countries: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/020719%20Wyden%20Rubio%20VPN%20Letter%20to%20DHS.pdf https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/020719%20Wyden%20...