Future of US AirVPN servers after Restrict ACT bill S. 686

[Visentinel 12]

Hi There

I just watched this video
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xudlYSLFls8

Now what this looks like is AirVPN would not be able to continue to provide VPN services in the US because both the provider and the customer are liable to massive fines and Jail time for in any way facilitating access to banned services.
Also holy shit if the U.S could do this then the future of VPN's in general is Fucked.

[Staff 9762]

@Visentinel

According to a preliminary and very quick legal analysis the Act can be used to charge USA citizens and any company operating in the USA (even non-USA companies, of course) with civil and criminal liability for using Tor, VPN, proxy services, Bitcoin and various open source tools which facilitate encrypted communications to bypass any kind of censorship. Apparently, the language picked for the Act allows to enlarge and broaden the scope of the Act at will. Should the Act be approved as it is, and should the will to enforce it in the broader sense is strong, it is possible that there is no future for the Tor Project and consumers VPN in the USA, if not underground. Simply accessing the Bitcoin blockchain to transfer coins may be easily included as a forbidden action by the Act scope.

We underline that all of the above is based on a preliminary legal analysis, which may change after more thorough examination.

Sources. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RESTRICT_Act
Vice: https://vice.com/en/article/4a3ddb/restrict-act-insanely-broad-ban-tiktok-vpns
Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/124892/coin-center-restrict-act-ban-bitcoin
Official current draft: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686/text?s=1&r=15

We're open to more discussion, opinions and legal analysis.

Kind regards
 

[Visentinel 12]

wow
ok thanks for confirming my fears.

how the hell did we get here... this bill needs to die.

[matts9 7]

My understanding after watching the video. If this passes either the VPN selectively null routes all requests to TikTok on its network, or they are risking breaking the law when if it's found that US citizens use it to access TikTok. That's clearly agains net neutrality mission of AirVPN.
Sad to see such near totalitarian laws (total control) being discussed. Let's hope that it does not pass.

Anyway it's international politics so you never know what's behind the scenes...

BR,

Edited ... by matts9

[Staff 9762]

3 hours ago, matts9 said:

My understanding after watching the video. If this passes either the VPN selectively null routes all requests to TikTok

Not only TikTok. For example the Bitcoin network can not be controlled so a transaction from an American citizen could potentially go to a citizen of a country that's "a menace" for the USA (definition of enemy and menace is discretionary, the used language seems fine tuned to allow scope enlargement at will without judiciary supervision). Since that's not controllable, we find it potentially possible that operators might be required to block "the Bitcoin network".

What's worse, according to a preliminary interpretation of the text, if in some way (difficult but personal and house search, pre-selected through the usual monitoring performed by USA ISPs, can help...) it can be proved that a USA citizen has used some tool like Tor or VPN to access any of the blocked network / services etc., that citizen will be prosecuted: civil liability up to a million of dollars, and criminal behavior subjected to up to 20 years in jail - which, if we're not mistaken, is worse than in China, Russia, and various countries controlled by human rights hostile regimes.

Kind regards
 

[HankSupa 0]

Any update on this topic?

[Staff 9762]

On 12/16/2023 at 9:17 AM, HankSupa said:

Any update on this topic?

Hello,

it seems there are no news since March 2023.

Latest Action:	Senate - 03/07/2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Source: web site of the Congress of the USA https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686/text

Kind regards