Ask HN: How many people got VPNs in response to laws like UK Online Safety Act?

I got a VPN in preparation for Australia's (even more draconian) "age verification" laws (those take effect in 4 days).

But what I'd really love (startup idea!?) is an app that let's you map websites to countries and it handles tunnelling that domain's traffic through the selected country's VPN.

For example, I'd like to view Reddit, YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram and social media apps from a US IP (to avoid Australia's "age verification", dailymail.co.uk from a UK IP (since it's blocked in Thailand), predication markets from a country that allows them, Imgur from a country that allows it, Spotify from any country so long as it's fixed (to avoid it randomly stopping mid workout with a 'your country has changed' notification).

Until something automated like this exists the current best solution is a VPN and manually switching countries when something you want isn't available from the current country, which isn't great UX.

I have a VPN, self hosted, I had one because it was a way to keep my infra in one network for config management. I then extended it for skirting round giving my raw ID to some dogshit start who'll then either get hacked, or sell my details to someone nefarious.

If there had been a free, public and verifiable Age/ID service, that wasn't tied to advertising, then I might be more willing to hand over my ID. But because the VC whispered "freemarket" in the ears of the prick who designed this, we are stuck with the worst of all worlds. A non-secure way to prove ID, and a non-acceptable way to shield those that don't or cant consent, from harm.

I’m in the UK and have been using a self-hosted VPN for years, since the Investigatory Powers Act obliged ISPs to keep records of what you browse and gave public bodies warrantless access to those records (which I think on principle is entirely wrong).

Originally IKEv2 and more recently WireGuard, configured like so:

https://github.com/jawj/IKEv2-setup

https://github.com/jawj/wireguard-setup

I did despite being quite resistant to the idea at first. Eventually I didn't have a choice, as many things I wanted to read were suddenly hidden. I am paranoid however and worry that the VPN maker is tracking me, but there is only so much I can be paranoid about in the day.

I am in the UK, and I work for a combined FNO/ISP (a company that owns and operates both the access network and the internet service). It makes me angry that corporations and governments are ruining what was once a thriving network that allowed people to communicate freely with one another. I hope that we will be able to save what remains before it's completely out of our control. My fear is that eventually all devices will be required to have a government-mandated backdoor installed, and anyone found with a non-compliant device will be treated as a criminal.

For now, I used my Hetzner server via Tailscale running fast-socks5 [1] using FoxyProxy [2] (for Mozilla Firefox) which allows me to select a list of domains to re-direct through the socks proxy. I also have Tor installed which is useful when roaming.

[1] https://github.com/dizda/fast-socks5 [2] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/foxyproxy-sta...

ProtonVPN free tier is great

> How many other people have done the same?

For your own personal sake, you may be selfishly wishing it’s as few people as possible. Eventually they’ll outlaw VPNs too and by then you’ll have little recourse. You can’t hide behind them forever, deeper change is needed.

On HN probably a few but HN is an extremely niche demographics.

Among the general public I would says effectively zero. The Online Safety Act does not even register in the news or as part of people's concerns.

I already had a VPN, because I live in the UK and do business in the US, and the easiest way to get websites to show local prices & shipping is a VPN. I think anyone that is involved with multiple countries needs one.

Localization was supposed to be a browser thing, using headers like Accept-Language, but alas.

I should mention that what pushed me over the edge was discovering that the FP problem was [among other things] triggered by a user comment that was then suppressed. However, it had a helpful message that I could solve the problem by uploading identification information to a website somewhere that I've never heard of.

Given the rate at which those sites are hacked, that's basically the following, simple procedure:

Step 1: Share your identifying information with the entire Internet.

A lot I expect. There were stories about VPNs being top of the App Store, etc. when the law kicked in.

Lots of people using Brave's Tor or Opera's VPN in their browsers, and free VPNs like Proton (which seems like a negative security outcome for the country to me).

I'd have thought the intel agencies would be pissed at all that data going dark, but haven't heard a peep in the media.

I got one to bypass Arizona's internet ID law. It put a crimp in my watching of adult entertainment (for science). Although I don't live in Arizona, IP geo mappers disagree. Borders contain censorship about as well as they contain invasive species.

I was trying to follow a tutorial the other day and couldn't because the embedded images were on Imgur and it was so frustrating. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I caved, bought a 3 year PIA plan, had my router configured within about 2 minutes (actually impressed how straightforward Unifi made it) and now my browsing experience is fixed.

I did, I don't want the hassle of anything being blocked, and I don't want to upload identity details as they have the potential for misuse.

I notice that some tech companies claim they are "trusted" or have "trusted third parties", I don't trust them at all, I'm not sure why they think I do.

I was already using Tor Browser for sites that UK ISPs are banned from letting me access.

I continue to use Tor Browser for entirely innocuous sites that are collateral damage of the OSA.

For example, the Interactive Fiction Archive. All its game files are voluntarily blocked in the UK by its well-meaning but stupid operators. Even games intended for children. They should stop complying and just serve up all their files to everyone. If a teenager learns what a. z5 file even is, they deserve to be able to play it.

Any reddit thread where someone said naughty words? "Oh we're going to need your phone number and a facial". I don't think so, Mr Data Harvester. Click on URL, Ctrl+c, alt-tab to Tor Browser, Ctrl+v, "Are you over 18?" Yes I am. See how easy that is?

I hate my government.

People from countries with oppressive governments: first time?

Nah, but I very occasionally break out ssh port forwarding. Very occasionally.

Just used tor browser when I was back last week.

So much of the Internet is broken if you don't have a VPN (and much of it is broken if you do). But the consequence of circumventing laws through VPNs will inevitably be bans on VPNs for individuals. By the way, the people who are writing these laws aren't clueless 60 year olds who need help operating their phones. The EU politicians pushing through chat control understand what they are doing.

The idea of a global internet is becoming increasingly infeasible and I believe that China is just ahead of its time. If you look at the UK, it is really just a matter of time until they figure out that the real issue they are having is that, the Internet allows communication with entities they can not enforce their laws on. The logical consequence for them will be to deny access entirely. The same seems true for the EU, which is moving in a similar direction.

I just use TOR for circumventing blocks.

Since Google eliminated country specific search sites like google.co.uk and bans you from changing location you have to get VPN. If you happen to be travelling and want to do Xmas shopping for UK Google now blocks this possibility because it assumes you want to shop for delivery at your airport transfer lounge location because it doesn't understand user intent or helpful content, in its own bubble land it unbelievably says this is a smoother experience for users! Most expats now are forced onto vpn if they still use Google. Fortunately ai is doing away with the need for Google altogether.