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Encrypted comm channels, tunneling, and anon networks are tools we hackers are good at utilizing. There are many solutions that enable these tools for "joe use
by jhancock 18y ago
Encrypted comm channels, tunneling, and anon networks are tools we hackers are good at utilizing. There are many solutions that enable these tools for "joe user". The problem is that any solution I can think of that simplifies privacy for the end user is fairly easily blocked by a government that controls the network.
I think it comes down to the fact that if you're a great tool-smith, you can have some privacy. Others get to be monitored or blocked.
Note: my opinion is based on my experience as an American living in Shanghai for 8 years.
- notphilatall 18y agoI'm tempted to think that a Chinese national using encryption would be subjected to stronger, maybe even in person surveillance.
- jhancock 18y agoChinese savvy programmers use encryption tools and I have not heard of them being "visited" by officials. Its not a big problem. Censorship is a numbers game. It doesn't matter much if highly educated tech savvy people have access to info. The government isn't concerned with what this sub group reads. They do care what they say ;).
- mindslight 18y agoHow about when the traffic from privacy tools looks the same as legitimate business traffic? Surely ecommerce in China uses SSL, and blocking such traffic would really piss off large businesses. The usage patterns may look different which may result in further scrutiny, but it seems hard to block such tools outright, especially when used while mobile.
- jhancock 18y agoYou are correct. I get around the firewall by tunneling (SSH) to my U.S. server. However, when you simplify "tunneling" by using point and click tools, now you have something generally identifiable and blockable as these tools also will use known discover and tunneling points. So if you don't have your own server in a foreign land, you can't easily tunnel without being blockable.