Hello,
I'd like to ask your opinion on whether it's a good idea or not to use the TAILS operating system (which comes with Tor buit in) while on my trip as a tourist to North Korea. The tour organizer says it's possible to access the Internet in North Korea if you buy a SIM card which is sold only to foreigners.
I intend to bring my own laptop and a USB stick from which i will boot the TAILS OS. I absolutely do not intend to perform any activities deemed as illegal or defamatory by the North Korean authorities. I just want to use TAILS + Tor for extra anonymity while browsing the Internet.
Do you think it's risky and it would seem suspicious if my USB stick is inspected and they find out TAILS on it? Do you know of any cases where foreigners successfully accessed Tor from North Korea and would you recommend its usage while in that country?
Regards, Gabriel S.
I intend to bring my own laptop and a USB stick from which i will boot the TAILS OS.
Hi Gabriel,
Just one person's view:
Consider the benefit vs the risk:
Benefit: You'll get uncensored and private Internet in North Korea (although outside actors will be able to see that you are using Tor).
The risk, though, is that you will be detained in North Korea for an unspecified amount of time. I'm sure you are familiar with the case of Otto Warmbier [0]. North Korea has a pattern of detaining harmless tourists and using them as political pawns. It's less a question of your actions than just your presence on the scene. Illegal actions are whatever the government says they are.
Note that the US govt is advising US nationals (not saying you are one, but fyi) not to travel to North Korea at all due to "risk of arrest and longterm detention of US nationals[1]. Also, NGOs use USB drives to smuggle political propaganda into North Korea, increasing the likelihood that a USB will receive extra attention from the authorities.
If I were you, I would not do this.
Cheers,
ailanthus
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Warmbier [1] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories...
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your view on this matter.
Is there a source claiming Tor is so frowned-upon in North Korea?
Otto Warmbier is a different case, he was accused of stealing posters, not cyber crimes or using unauthorized software.
Either way, it's indeed a risk that should not be taken lightly.
Best regards, Gabriel
On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 12:51 AM Kate Krauss ailanthus@riseup.net wrote:
Hi,
I don't know how long you will stay there, but maybe you should also consider to simply stay offline during the whole time you will be there.
If you have fear of troubles using TAILS, then don't use it. If you have fear of beeing watched for your online activities, then don't go online.
In general, beeing offline for some time, can be also nice and restful.
Best regards,
Carolin
Am Sonntag, den 25.08.2019, 22:17 +0300 schrieb Gabriel Sandor:
tor-community-team@lists.torproject.org
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Carolin Zöbelein -
Gabriel Sandor -
Kate Krauss