<story><title>VPNs Are Absolutely a Solution to a Policy Problem</title><url>https://journal.standardnotes.org/vpns-are-absolutely-a-solution-to-a-policy-problem-3b88af699bcd</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>mundo</author><text>Well allow me to retort.&lt;p&gt;This article is saying, basically, that the tendency of ISPs to try to monetize user data is a natural consequence of capitalism, and trying to curb that tendency with legislation is ineffectual compared to the &lt;i&gt;real&lt;/i&gt; solutions (fight monopolies, and everyone use a VPN).&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t buy it.  Roughly the same argument could be made about virtually any regulation.   &amp;quot;Corporations are incentivized to pollute, so there&amp;#x27;s no point trying to stop them.  Buy a water filter.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;People will always try to get heroin, so there&amp;#x27;s no point in restricting it.  Get some naloxone.&amp;quot; Damn near &lt;i&gt;every&lt;/i&gt; regulation is an attempt to counteract some profit-motivated tendency which is the unfortunate consequence of capitalism.  And as regulations go, user data is a lot easier to regulate than drugs or pollution.&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Just get a VPN&amp;quot; might be good advice for individuals, but it is emphatically not the society-wide solution to data privacy.  We can and should continue to fight for good legislation that protects us.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>dkhenry</author><text>I think you missed the authors real point. The selling of data isn&amp;#x27;t the policy you need to fight. The monopoly power of ISP&amp;#x27;s is the problem you must push back on. The author has rightly pointed out that regulating your way to your goal is not a solution. He is advocating for a free market solution which is much more robust then one that hinges on the right people being in power for all eternity.</text></comment>
<story><title>VPNs Are Absolutely a Solution to a Policy Problem</title><url>https://journal.standardnotes.org/vpns-are-absolutely-a-solution-to-a-policy-problem-3b88af699bcd</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>mundo</author><text>Well allow me to retort.&lt;p&gt;This article is saying, basically, that the tendency of ISPs to try to monetize user data is a natural consequence of capitalism, and trying to curb that tendency with legislation is ineffectual compared to the &lt;i&gt;real&lt;/i&gt; solutions (fight monopolies, and everyone use a VPN).&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t buy it.  Roughly the same argument could be made about virtually any regulation.   &amp;quot;Corporations are incentivized to pollute, so there&amp;#x27;s no point trying to stop them.  Buy a water filter.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;People will always try to get heroin, so there&amp;#x27;s no point in restricting it.  Get some naloxone.&amp;quot; Damn near &lt;i&gt;every&lt;/i&gt; regulation is an attempt to counteract some profit-motivated tendency which is the unfortunate consequence of capitalism.  And as regulations go, user data is a lot easier to regulate than drugs or pollution.&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;Just get a VPN&amp;quot; might be good advice for individuals, but it is emphatically not the society-wide solution to data privacy.  We can and should continue to fight for good legislation that protects us.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>zpallin</author><text>Came here to say exactly this.&lt;p&gt;We are all engineers and can understand the concept of a patch versus a refactor. Yes, a refactor may be harder, but there is never an excuse to rely indefinitely on a patch; that&amp;#x27;s how you get burned with technical debt.&lt;p&gt;The government needs to change to be more responsive to the people and not constantly sell them out at the flick of a pen. Yes, use a VPN! But don&amp;#x27;t buy the message that there isn&amp;#x27;t more that can be done. There is, and many people are working tirelessly to see it through. Don&amp;#x27;t ignore or devalue their efforts to make a better system for people.</text></comment>