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Ask HN: How do Chinese dissidents protect themselves from being spied on?
There are quite a few well known Chinese dissidents that appear to still have contacts in Mainland China.
Since this is literally a matter of life and death, how do they do it, given the extended capabilities CCP has at its disposal?
It’s really hard to imagine the level of stress, precautions and self-doubting they would have to go through, but they still do it. And I doubt that all of them are suicidal, so there must (still) be some rather safe ways available.
- catlover76 3y agoNice try, Chinese government!
- neverrroot 3y agoOh right, forgot, they for sure don’t know about it ;-)
- HenryBemis 3y agoThey for sure know about it, but asking themselves will yield 1 average and 5 bad ideas. Asking THIS GROUP RIGHT HERE (pardon the caps) will yield 100 great ideas. ;)
- scyzoryk_xyz 3y agoFrom the limited conversation on this topic I’ve had with my Chinese acquaintances, my understanding is that the reach and scope of power of the CCP isn’t exactly what we make it out to be. There still is an ideological basis for all of it. And a complex system running it all. As someone raised in a former communist country/dictatorship, I think I can also add that the worst part about life under such systems is that they are just fucking dumb. Like VPN can be good enough when what you’re up against is stupid lazy bureaucrat cop types.
- zabana 3y ago> Like VPN can be good enough when what you’re up against is stupid lazy bureaucrat cop types. This echoes my experience in Africa too. Ironically, governments in the so-called "unfree" countries don't have nearly as much control or access to personal data as the "free" modern western ruling classes would have you believe. It's pretty easy to game the system and evade surveillance altogether, especially considering that most people are in on it :)
- neverrroot 3y agoIf there ever was to be a reply from CCP, this is the line they will likely follow. Not denial, but making it sound like it’s not a big deal. Making it sound acceptable, even poking fun at it, as if it was something cool.
- zabana 3y agoI'm not from the CCP ... or am I ? It's always hilarious to watch westerners hate on the so called monsters of this world and not realising they're looking straight at the mirror.
- neverrroot 3y agoYour current reply has a certain taste to it…
- zabana 3y agoIt's the sweetness of truth, I apologise. Some people like their coffee without sugar.
- neverrroot 3y agoWould recommend you a book Mr G. Saad wrote, but I’m not sure you are open to it tbh. I never put sugar in my coffee either.
- 3y ago
- zabana 3y agoThe same question should apply to the increasing number of western dissidents.