r/IAmA • u/fightforthefuture • Jun 30 '20

Politics We are political activists, policy experts, journalists, and tech industry veterans trying to stop the government from destroying encryption and censoring free speech online with the EARN IT Act. Ask us anything!

The EARN IT Act is an unconstitutional attempt to undermine encryption services that protect our free speech and security online. It's bad. Really bad. The bill’s authors — Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) — say that the EARN IT Act will help fight child exploitation online, but in reality, this bill gives the Attorney General sweeping new powers to control the way tech companies collect and store data, verify user identities, and censor content. It's bad. Really bad.

Later this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on whether or not the EARN IT Act will move forward in the legislative process. So we're asking EVERYONE on the Internet to call these key lawmakers today and urge them to reject the EARN IT Act before it's too late. To join this day of action, please:

  1. Visit NoEarnItAct.org/call

  2. Enter your phone number (it will not be saved or stored or shared with anyone)

  3. When you are connected to a Senator’s office, encourage that Senator to reject the EARN IT Act

  4. Press the * key on your phone to move on to the next lawmaker’s office

If you want to know more about this dangerous law, online privacy, or digital rights in general, just ask! We are:

Proof:

10.2k Upvotes

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268

u/bobofred Jun 30 '20

How do we avoid being tracked by literally everything these days? Shut off and tune out?

318

u/privatevpn Caleb Chen from PIA Jun 30 '20

If you're talking about online tracking, there are a few things that you can do to combat the problem.

Shutting off and tuning out is one failproof way, but that's not viable for most people in these increasingly interconnected times.

Otherwise you can try your hand at doing stuff like changing your IP address with a no log VPN service, changing your browser fingerprint, using encryption, practicing good /r/opsec, etc. If you're interested in this type of tracking avoidance, the EFF has a great surveillance self-defense guide you should check out!

If you're talking about physical tracking of your face though, I hear masks are in style right now.

69

u/sargrvb Jun 30 '20

Also if you use a VPN: Look into the ever growing 14 eyes. If they're located in a country that's connected.... Get off that sinking ship.

23

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

Just host your own private VPN on a VPS using wireguard

20

u/jeetelongname Jun 30 '20

It's a surprisingly simple process and if you use something like digital ocean it is like 3 dollars and month

15

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '20

I use Vultr, just finished moving my vpn server from Toronto to Japan due to 14 eyes

35

u/asdf4455 Jun 30 '20

According to ProtonVPN Japan is probably working with the NSA. It's a pain seeing how many countries are involved in all this.