What to do on a identity check for social media?

Questions
1

So my country also wants to enforce an identity check for people who use social media. Just like UK, Australia and some states of the USA did.
Right now I use:

  • YouTube (through GrayJay)
  • Instagram (inside a PWA)
  • Discord (inside the browser and e-mail alias, but with real payment details)
  • PrivacyGuides(inside a PWA)
  • WhatsApp (with my real phone number)
  • Signal (with my real phone number)
  • reddit (inside the browser)
  • revolt (inside a browser)
  • SimpleX
  • Briar
  • Zoom
  • Jitis Meet

What do you guys suggest me IF this passes?
I have an active subscription for Mullvad VPN, installed TOR Browser, a USB stick with up to date TailOS, active Proton subscriptions.

What should I prepare, and how should I deal with the situation?

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2

I certainly wouldn’t be in much of a panic if I already had a VPN. For those services requiring real identity numbers, you either get a number from elsewhere, cease using the service, or verify your identity. It’s quite difficult to say for sure before the specific implementation method is known.

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3

You can always keep the current profile and it might just not be checked if it is not brand new. More of the opposite: might have more of a road block if trying to create a new one as of today.

But I would also definitely kill some platforms if you can do without them.
Like Discord, Reddit. They look quite dispensable to me unless you need to write there and it’s critical for your mental health/social circle.

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4

I need discord as well as reddit sadly, because some companies/software solutions only provide support through discord or reddit.

5

You sound pretty prepared. I would just be sure to never access the internet from your local country. Connecting over various vpns from countries that don’t have these laws at this point is probably fine. If they ever ban vpns I would start looking at tools like obscura or nym that tunnel your traffic over quic so it looks like HTTP3 and is harder to fingerprint or if they just ban commercial vpns I would consider running my own wireguard server.

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6

Like framework maintainers? I know quite some from Vite, Astro etc that mostly do that there indeed, quite a pain. :sob:

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7

You sound pretty prepared. I would just be sure to never access the internet from your local country.

This is hard. I have my own homelab as well as servers in the datacenter where I need to connect via VPN/ZTNA to it.
If I paired this with a VPN like Mullvad this will create a problem.
In addition, I’m also often in “hostile” networks which will try to block VPNs, Tor and Proxies.

Connecting over various vpns from countries that don’t have these laws at this point is probably fine. If they ever ban vpns I would start looking at tools like obscura or nym

I think Mullvad VPN should be decent enough to deal with the incompetent legislation. Honestly some laws here are technical impossible and still there. So I don’t think my government alone (the eu is a different concern) will be a huge blocker against VPNs.

8

Oh, it’s more like Authentik, Twingate, Hytale (Game) and so on.

10

If one of them is a split-tunneling VPN that just tunnels specific IP addresses in the 100.x.x.x range or specific domains. It is.

But it might cause leaks and other issues. But it works.

12

That’s why I said it this will create problems.

14

It won’t cause any trouble, as long as you’re careful and use at least one firewall to prevent them from connecting. I’ve personally used both software and hardware firewalls for this.

I can’t follow you. Which software/vpn tunnel should not connect with what?

Also sorry I misread your comment. I read “Getting two VPNs to work side-by-side is impossible at all.” instead of what you wrote “Getting two VPNs to work side-by-side isn’t impossible at all.”.

16

As someone who never really used Discord, what do Discord need payment details for?

Looks like a point of failure for me if you’re trying to avoid identity check. I’m gussing you’re in the EU isn’t their Discord gift cards? Or something like Revolut could maybe help with avoiding identity check.

17

actually discord doesn’t require your real payment details, this is only needed for discord nitro
@Onscreen5341 why did you give discord payment information?

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18

Because this discord account is old and I was young and stupid.

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19

I see.
Im not sure if this works with Mullvad + Twingate, but I will look into it at the weekend.

21

Even my method of using Twingate + Mullvad VPN which might lead to leaks, is only possible through the WireGuard client.
So I already counted WG in.

22

It seems they even want to identity check chatrooms which allows adults to talk to children.
Which would include:

  • Signal (I use it)
  • WhatsApp (I use it)
  • iMessage
  • SimpleX (I use it)
  • Briar (I use it)
  • Telegram
  • Discord (I use it)
  • E-Mail (I don’t know if this would be included) (I use it)
23

I guess you have a choice to make then:

  • opt out from that and renounce to some communities/platforms
    • can always suggest your friends to move to greener/more free grass
  • bend the knee and submit your ID
1 Like
24

I think it is very important context to note why they might need to stick to things like whatsapp which is say elderly people or families, I mean it is a pick a poison situation (do you wanna stick to insecure sms if otherwise RCS but maybe lacking E2EE until something like iOS 26.3 comes out, or stick to something that supports more secure than sms but is tied to identity)
I suggest beeper as kind of a band aid solution (to the recipient not sender) to allow moving to signal full time but they may be rightfully skeptical

25

If some family members cannot move to Signal because too old to grasp the tech change, then sure why not.

On my side, I achieved to force the move on them so that they speak to me only on Signal.
Just a matter of not giving up and standing on your feet. :grin:
Also, it’s not like it’s a big change honestly: Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, they all look and do the same if we’re honest here.

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