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Ask Slashdot: Best Country To Avoid Government Surveillance?

Posted by samzenpus on from the hands-off dept.

simpz writes: Which country is best to choose for hosting Internet services and locating VMs to avoid government surveillance (both NSA and local)? It should be a country with good connectivity to the US and Europe, but have strong legal protections from mass surveillance. People talk about Switzerland, Norway and Iceland (even Spain). Anyone worked through the pros and cons of each of these? I'm not concerned about legitimate (with court order) surveillance, just the un-targeted mass surveillance most governments seem to do. I don't believe this bad behavior should be rewarded or made easy.

6 of 381 comments (clear)

  1. Sealand by ihtoit · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's easy to find, it's an old Channel gun battery three miles off the coast of Essex. Last I heard they were trading server room space for a little cash and supplies.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  2. According to the map by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 4, Informative

    here - the answer is most of Central and South America, most of Africa, most of Europe except for France and Great Britain, Canada, Japan and Philippines

  3. Re:Avoid France by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Informative

    If the French State decides that violating it's rules will protect it from future terror attacks the rules will be violated.

    The sinking of the 'Rainbow Warrior" is an excellent example.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  4. Re:Costa Rica by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Informative

    is that they have NOT signed CAFTA. as a direct result of this they are still a sovereign nation.

    Costa Rica has a defense agreement with the US. They are totally dependent. I'm not sure you can consider them completely sovereign.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  5. Re:Simpz, you asked the wrong question ... by hlavac · · Score: 4, Informative

    The US has a ban on spying on its own citizens without a warrant which it tries - however imperfectly, in numerous regards - to enforce. For people outside the US's territory, it's open season.

    No. They found a legal loophole around that, using UK as a proxy.

  6. Re:Wrong problem by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 3, Informative

    Indeed. The end of the constitutional protections afforded to people of most western nations was destroyed by the passage of the 'homeland' security acts in their countries

    Er, that mostly only happened in the US.