VPN Community Unconference 2022 - Revision history

Iffadmin: Added Event Image

2022-08-04T13:28:41Z

Added Event Image

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:28, 4 August 2022
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	Following Team CommUNITY’s model of the [https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Industry_Standards_Collaborative_Conversation Industry Standards Collaborative Conversation] held at the 2020 [https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/IFF_VPN_Village_2020 VPN Village], the 2022 VPN Community Unconfrence brought together a diverse group of individuals working in and around the VPN ecosystem to discuss the most important challenges facing the industry.		Following Team CommUNITY’s model of the [https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Industry_Standards_Collaborative_Conversation Industry Standards Collaborative Conversation] held at the 2020 [https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/IFF_VPN_Village_2020 VPN Village], the 2022 VPN Community Unconfrence brought together a diverse group of individuals working in and around the VPN ecosystem to discuss the most important challenges facing the industry.

Iffadmin at 14:52, 3 August 2022

2022-08-03T14:52:30Z

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Iffadmin at 12:13, 3 August 2022

2022-08-03T12:13:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:13, 3 August 2022
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	* NordVPN has a self-hosted option, but have heard that it may not be the best VPN option.		* NordVPN has a self-hosted option, but have heard that it may not be the best VPN option.
	* WEPN - doesn't really require a lot of technical expertise and IP is not blacklisted, depends on hardware.		* WEPN - doesn't really require a lot of technical expertise and IP is not blacklisted, depends on hardware.

			==Researchers==
			'''What challenges and successes have you had collaborating with commercial and non-commercial VPN industry and end users in your research? How would you like to see your research applied in industry and the digital rights fields going forward?'''

			'''''Refer to [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q5bUYljQb3hK4RFZMEyawOhYSwf-DGtc6kZJdWuqAas/edit#heading=h.2t1jjishyrhj Addressing Known Security Vulnerabilities]'''''

			<u>'''Challenges'''</u>
			* Reporting vulnerabilities and having them fixed is unnecessarily difficult.
			* Technologically, we have to rely on VPN vendors, software and hardware vendors and middleboxes on the internet to fix vulnerabilities.
			* Responsibility for vulnerabilities and fixing them can be shifted from vendor to vendor. “It’s not my fault”.
			* Vendors may report fixing a vulnerability when it in fact has not been fixed.

			<u>'''Successes'''</u>
			* Some providers and operating systems have offered patches.

Iffadmin: Created the 2022 VPN Community Unconference page

2022-08-03T12:08:51Z

Created the 2022 VPN Community Unconference page

New page

Following Team CommUNITY’s model of the [https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/Industry_Standards_Collaborative_Conversation Industry Standards Collaborative Conversation] held at the 2020 [https://internetfreedomfestival.org/wiki/index.php/IFF_VPN_Village_2020 VPN Village], the 2022 VPN Community Unconfrence brought together a diverse group of individuals working in and around the VPN ecosystem to discuss the most important challenges facing the industry.

Leading up to the event Team CommUNITY met one-on-one with researchers, commercial and non-commercial VPN providers, technologists and frontline defenders to better understand the key challenges they each saw in the VPN ecosystem. Based on these conversations and in a pre-event survey of participants, we narrowed down a series of prompts for the small group discussions.

__TOC__

'''Event Notes:'''
[https://jamboard.google.com/d/1o-ySKfpljzQK5byXgSAefW_vQRHCoMkhZAIT3twCYko/edit?usp=sharing Event Jamboard]

=Breakout Session One=
The first set of breakout sessions separated participants into five groups based on their background: Users, Frontline Defenders and User Researchers; Academics and Researchers; Commercial VPN Providers; Technologists; and Technologists Working in Repressive Environments.

==Users, Frontline Defenders and User Researchers==
'''What are the most important challenges facing at-risk users in regards to selecting and using VPNs?'''

'''Cost and Payments'''
* '''Can I afford it? Many organizations are low on resources for basic operations, which means paying for a VPN isn't really an option.'''
* '''How do users working in censored environments manage payments? How do they avoid paid providers?'''
* Will payments for a VPN put a red flag on my bank account? Payments can expose that I'm using a VPN.

'''Legal Consequences'''
* What are the legal consequences for using a VPN in regions where it is criminalized? It’s challenging to understand the penalties.
** India just passed a law that requires commercial VPN providers retain user data.
* 2 sides — What are the consequences when VPNs become 'illegal'? And VPN providers, what are the legal nuances in an international context?

'''Trust'''
* There's a lot of opacity in the VPN industry. Opaque ownership with possible conflicts of interest. Who are the owners?
* Which VPN should I use? People typically default to a VPN that someone they know is using. There's a lot of lack of understanding for users and even trainers.
* '''How do we know that a VPN provider doesn’t log information?'''
* VPN providers know your IP address and where you’re connecting from. Usually you trust the VPN not to share it.

'''Technical Literacy and Understanding of VPNs'''
* '''There is a lack of awareness of what a VPN is.'''
* How do I know if I’m experiencing censorship or my internet connection is just bad?
* '''There is a lack of technical expertise to set up a VPN.'''
* How do I find out which VPNs have better security?
* Individuals often don’t know that they are being surveilled or that they need to protect their communications until it’s too late.

'''Technical Limitations and Performance'''
* There is no app for my OS.
* "It's too slow".
* Services (not only streaming services) block VPNs.

'''Navigating Self-Deployed VPNs'''
* Looking for recommendations for self-deployed VPNs.
* NordVPN has a self-hosted option, but have heard that it may not be the best VPN option.
* WEPN - doesn't really require a lot of technical expertise and IP is not blacklisted, depends on hardware.