IC Forums and the (over-)usage of VPN

[Xaleya]

4 minutes ago, Engelbert said:

That is true of course, not arguing that. Just saying that people in LS usually don't have such knowledge.

Its a thing the staff needs to sort

[Smilesville]

14 hours ago, orca112 said:

And it makes me sick seeing this pattern back and forth as if every fifth resident in Los Santos is using a VPN service to troll on online news and blogs only or using it as an excuse for action X and Y when in real life this is a small percentage of the population and the majority is pretty careless around their actions in the internet.

This goes back to the argument of RL macro statistics used to argue against individual decision making.

 

I think I speak for many when I say I don't care about this so long as the murder rate of Los Santos outstrips Afghanistan. What are you going to do if you're given the ability to find these people? Give them a stern talking to? Or maybe contribute to that murder statistic? It'll be the pettiness of scripted seatbelts all over again.

 

While it's true that a much smaller percentage of the RL population uses a VPN service to "troll" or conceal themselves, it's also true that a much smaller percentage of the RL population has to fear reprisal from the state or other individuals - much less street gangs employing a token hacker character.

 

Yeah, there's no way that could go wrong.

 

Honestly, leave it as it is.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Smilesville

[Eine]

Using a VPN is fine, in all honesty. Advertisements regarding VPNs are all over the internet, and as a user previously mentioned; they even come with browsers. It's when people start becoming cyber-geniuses that can keep their identity hidden, or as per your oversaturated example, be able to see through everything in the world to avoid potential consequences for their actions that it becomes an issue.

[bbnojuice]

 

14 hours ago, orca112 said:

And that is the issue, the use of VPNs and other means on the server / forums in most cases is just a cheap excuse to "not be tracked down by meanies" for their offensive comment done online that is seemingly completely anonymous and un-traceable. Let alone the inconsistency when it comes to its usage exclusively for certain purposes but ever changing details / names / locations and no usage on other situations / websites...

 

If so, where would they be made aware about it if there is no one in their social circle that had come in contact with the law? I doubt your generic Davis gang banger using a VPN is doing it because they looked up case law and figured out a recent trend is people being convicted for online hate crimes and is generally concerned about their online activities being tracked by large companies and federal agencies alike.

Hello! I'm the generic Davis gang banger using a VPN that probably sparked this discussion. VPNs are extremely easy to obtain and almost braindead to use, many services require you to literally just click a button and off your IP address goes!

 

However, assuming that I, or anyone else who comments using a VPN believes it's completely untraceable and they'd never be caught is, well....just assuming. And while you're entitled to your opinion that my character, (the generic Davis gang banger) assumes she's untouchable because she used an easily-accessible VPN to post a comment, it's just not true. It's an IC risk, and she'd face the consequences ICly if it was discovered to be her.

 

There seems to be a thin line in misunderstanding between "I'm willing to accept consequences for this stupid decision" and "I wouldn't do that myself, so they must be RP'ing improperly." At the end of the day, why wouldn't my character use a VPN? She's young, browsing the internet like most people do these days, seeing ads everywhere for cheap, easily-accessible ways to "hide" your identity by hiding your IP address...that doesn't mean it actually would protect her, and certainly doesn't mean I, as the player, would argue any IC consequences that came from posting the comment. 

 

As for RP'ing using a VPN, well, does everyone who comments on any IC article go in-game to RP getting on a computer or using their phone to post their comment? If we're all supposed to hop in-game and RP typing out the comment and posting it before heading to the forums and actually doing so, I stand corrected and I'd hope everyone starts including their SS links of their RP leading up to posting the comment. Otherwise, it seems like a grasp at straws. 

 

Forgot to add: In real life there's no way of seeing that a commenter on an article is using a VPN unless you're going to try and find their IP address. Meaning, you wouldn't be able to look at a threatening comment and immediately be like WOW THEY'RE USING A VPN!!!! For the sake of RP, we /have/ to include that we're using a VPN within the comment. If anyone posted the comment without specifying the use of a VPN and started getting ICLY investigated, they wouldn't be able to argue that they would've used a VPN in the first place.

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Katja

[Stoned Ape]

Honestly this should just be an IC issue.  If people are getting sued for making comments then they could roleplay countersuing them or attempt to get their case overturned if they were found guilty for their comment(s).

[Edelweiss206]

Communist China Propaganda state with a daily death total of somewhere like Sierra Leone or Libya.

 

Unfortunately yeah, I'd RP using a VPN in Los Santos as well.

[Sixty]

2 hours ago, Katja said:

 

Hello! I'm the generic Davis gang banger using a VPN that probably sparked this discussion. VPNs are extremely easy to obtain and almost braindead to use, many services require you to literally just click a button and off your IP address goes!

 

However, assuming that I, or anyone else who comments using a VPN believes it's completely untraceable and they'd never be caught is, well....just assuming. And while you're entitled to your opinion that my character, (the generic Davis gang banger) assumes she's untouchable because she used an easily-accessible VPN to post a comment, it's just not true. It's an IC risk, and she'd face the consequences ICly if it was discovered to be her.

 

There seems to be a thin line in misunderstanding between "I'm willing to accept consequences for this stupid decision" and "I wouldn't do that myself, so they must be RP'ing improperly." At the end of the day, why wouldn't my character use a VPN? She's young, browsing the internet like most people do these days, seeing ads everywhere for cheap, easily-accessible ways to "hide" your identity by hiding your IP address...that doesn't mean it actually would protect her, and certainly doesn't mean I, as the player, would argue any IC consequences that came from posting the comment. 

 

As for RP'ing using a VPN, well, does everyone who comments on any IC article go in-game to RP getting on a computer or using their phone to post their comment? If we're all supposed to hop in-game and RP typing out the comment and posting it before heading to the forums and actually doing so, I stand corrected and I'd hope everyone starts including their SS links of their RP leading up to posting the comment. Otherwise, it seems like a grasp at straws. 

 

Forgot to add: In real life there's no way of seeing that a commenter on an article is using a VPN unless you're going to try and find their IP address. Meaning, you wouldn't be able to look at a threatening comment and immediately be like WOW THEY'RE USING A VPN!!!! For the sake of RP, we /have/ to include that we're using a VPN within the comment. If anyone posted the comment without specifying the use of a VPN and started getting ICLY investigated, they wouldn't be able to argue that they would've used a VPN in the first place.

 

All that needs to be said really. Whether or not a VPN actually protects you, it's up the choice of the user to take that risk. Being so widely available, it's not out of the question that a lot of regular people would have access to one.

[meltcity]

Just as the real internet, it's full of trolls, and some of them are actually savvy enough to use Tor and VPNs. And when it comes to character portrayal, we tend to be the worst on the Internet, so your average Joe ICly can be a closet shitposter (Unless you work for the govt., I wouldn't shitpost, even with a VPN, if I were to work for the govt.). 

 

Is your character triggered by the trolls and she/he cant' sue them? Deal with it. 

 

And LMAO, given the recent cancel culture and big tech & blue checkmarks cancelling people and publicly shaming them, the average Joe would be skeptical about the safety of his right to free speech. 

 

USA and other countries taking example from the UK (getting arrested for a comment on twitter about trans people), Russia (getting arrested for political activism) and China (getting arrested for everything) is a valid concern and it's constantly talked about.

Edited February 6, 2021 by meltcity

[Garras Up]

5 hours ago, meltcity said:

Just as the real internet, it's full of trolls, and some of them are actually savvy enough to use Tor and VPNs. And when it comes to character portrayal, we tend to be the worst on the Internet, so your average Joe ICly can be a closet shitposter (Unless you work for the govt., I wouldn't shitpost, even with a VPN, if I were to work for the govt.). 

 

Is your character triggered by the trolls and she/he cant' sue them? Deal with it. 

 

And LMAO, given the recent cancel culture and big tech & blue checkmarks cancelling people and publicly shaming them, the average Joe would be skeptical about the safety of his right to free speech. 

 

USA and other countries taking example from the UK (getting arrested for a comment on twitter about trans people), Russia (getting arrested for political activism) and China (getting arrested for everything) is a valid concern and it's constantly talked about.

the question is, who the hell sues trolls? that's ridiculous. 😅 People don't get arrested in the US for talking shit online. I've been abusing Americans on Facebook for years, i havent been sued, arrested or had the police visit me once yet.

Edited February 7, 2021 by Garras Up

[Garras Up]

Lately when I seee people copy paste the same VPN nonsense into their comment, I just assume they're trash roleplayers, not gonna lie.