Literally asking for a friend, can VPN solve the two body problem(no not the physics problem ya nerds).
My friend and their partner got offers in different locations. One is remote but ironically still requires working within proximity of the state of California just because it is a state job otherwise no job-related reason.
They asked me if there’s a way around it and of course my mind went to using a VPN like Proton, but my concern is around detection.
Proton released alternate routing a while ago and I’m curious to know if anyone has had any negative experiences or misfires to report on this feature.
I told them there is no 100% guarantee without actually running a test to verify they dont detect it, which likely won’t be a possibility until they accept the position so that is likely off the table.
Are there any other potential technical concerns I’ve missed other than Proton’s routing still being detected?
Worst case scenarios are that they get detected and have to awkwardly back out of the role, move to California, and may deduct some career points.
My first question is, if this this is a state job, meaning a government job, how are or will they be able to install ProtonVPN on their work computers?
I would advise against your friend trying to trick the state of his location. Not only could it lead to termination but its highly unethical.
On a personal note - people who reside outside of my county having large influence over the countys budget has caused tons of issues for residents, so I empathize with states and local governments wanting their employees to reside in the area they work for.
Depending on the need, I do wonder if that will even be neccassary. For example I think using one of the reccommended VPNs you would still be able to connect to work resources via something like NetExtender (SonicWall VPN client), for example.
to be clear - not endorsing actually doing this. It is an interesting thought experiement.
It’s easy to distinguish whether someone is using a VPN or not, especially from a large provider like Proton.
The general advice is to set up a mini-PC as a VPS at a friend’s or family’s place. Your friend could use Tailscale to connect to it. Then again, it’s not fullproof if the IT team is particularly strict about this policy.
IMO, I would say the lack of ethics comes down more to political and economical structures than individuals who want to work at a position they want to work at and simultaneously live with their loved one.
If this was solely a tax evasion thing, sure I’d be less inclined to help them out, but you’ll have to take my word for it that this is simply not their reasoning.
Again, this is a political issue that stifles how people live. The notion of what is ethical across state borders went out the door when the World Bank was created, and the primary board members are the richest countries who make the rules on where money flows. Neocolonization and what not.
It’s sad enough our economy now requires both romantic partners to work to get by, but putting the onus on where they can work based on physical location based on where they live is just the world working through the issues of a broken globalist capital system.
It’s not cut and dry and I do feel for the issues this causes to locals, but we should aim that animosity towards collectively demanding change versus getting angry at every person who breaks a law.
Putting the ethical questions aside and leaving that for them to discern. Anything else I’m missing?
Thanks for playing along despite your valid ethical points.
I am not sure lieing to your employer about meeting the requirments of the job (in this case that being a geographical requirment) is a political issue.
I wont argue the point further, I dont want to veer your post off topic, but feel free to DM me.
This is surprising for me to hear, so the blog I linked about them adding the alternate routing protocol is just marketing? Not surprised if that’s the case, but their method sounded plausible and I just tend to trust their technical acumen from their other services.
Yeah I had thought about doing this, we do have family living in California that could run it. It did feel like a lot, but again they are a bit desperate to avoid having to make the other turn down their job or live apart.
Its just not a gurantee, which the article states. There are enterprise firewall solutions working to help prevent this type of circumvention from happening, so its a cat and mouse game.
Like what @Parish2555 said, alternative routing works best for situations where a certain service or website is blocked.
The challenge here is making sure that the employer’s IT team does not suspect anything. Therefore, your friends should appear as if they are working from home. A VPN server based in California would not cut it if IT asks for further verification.
For legal purposes, I do not condone any behavior that involves circumventing laws. Just offering some considerations!
It may be worth looking at a Static IP, it may set off alarm bells if everytime your friend connects to the network its from a different IP address. Windscribe offers datacenter IPs from LA. Although it might be good to find a service offering residential IPs instead.
What happens when the employer asks for a home address?
What happens if the employer wants to ship a work laptop?
What happens if the laptop is properly secured and broadcasts its geolocation?
What happens if your friend is allowed to use their home computer, but required to install company spyware?
This is a terrible idea that can get your friend in trouble.
Feels slightly more ethical, enables the job to happen, and solves the home address problem.
Ethical conundrum is that my friend won’t live in the area to purchase stuff in the state other than rent. I know some states differ on what qualifies residency, but maybe this?
A resident is any individual who meets any of the
following:
• Present in California for other than a temporary or
transitory purpose.
• Domiciled in California, but outside California for
a temporary or transitory purpose. See Section L,
Meaning of Domicile.
At this point, we may not even really need the VPN, just leave the laptop plugged in at the apartment, go live with their love.
Would this be more tenable to solve the two body problem?
I don’t think even if this ends up working, it will be temporary and will not be sustainable. Something will change and they’ll be back to square one - having already spent money and effort trying to make it work.
I’ve heard some reports of (consensual) screensharing and/or screenshots being footguns for some people trying to discreetly work remotely (iirc it related to mismatch between the timezone they were supposed to be in, and the clock visible in the screenshare/shot). Another related example would be video conferencing exposing giving away that you are outside of your timezone (e.g. its 3PM in California, but its dark outside of the window behind your friend during a videoconferencing meeting).
Another potential issue working out of state for the state is if they ever connect the dots through taxes or something else like that (your friend would be getting a paycheck from the state, but presumably not paying income tax in that state, which seems like it would be known or knowable to your friend’s employer since (1) they are the state, and (2) even if they weren’t they also pay taxes to the state on the employees behalf iirc).