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zarzavattoday at 6:21 AM1 replyview on HN

This is a predictable consequence of age verification laws and social media bans. Formerly VPNs were a nice to have but now they are a necessity in many countries to navigate the modern internet.

The cheapest way to get a VPN (and if you're a horny and broke teenager perhaps the only way) is to trade your clean but censored IP address for an uncensored IP address in another country. You accept the bot traffic in return, or externalize it to your parents or the owner of the internet connection.


Replies

selfhoster1312today at 6:25 AM

That does not explain why so many residential VPNs operate with so many IPs in countries where there are no social media bans. Here in France:

- i know many people who buy shady IPTV boxes from stores/markets for like 50€/year

- i know some people who use "smart lightbulbs" and other nonsense

- almost everyone i know plays free smartphone games, which as LWN reminded, may contain a shady SDK