Comment on Self-hosting in 2025 isn't about privacy anymore - it's about building resistance infrastructure
irmadlad@lemmy.world 2 days agodata server
Here is the way I understand Tailscale to work. Feel free to correct any misinformation.
Tailscale doesn’t operate ‘data‑center’ servers that store or forward your traffic.
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Control plane: Holds device metadata, public keys, ACL policies, and the DERP map. It is a small, highly available service that all clients contact only when they start up or need a policy update. Tailscale runs this service on a handful of cloud providers (primarily AWS and GCP) in the United States. TThe service carries no user data. Only control information.
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Data plane: Carries the actual packets between your devices. After the control plane tells two devices how to reach each other, they open a direct WireGuard tunnel that is end to end encrypted. There are no dedicated ‘data servers’. Traffic travels directly between the peers. If a direct path can’t be established because of strict NATs or firewalls, the connection falls back to a DERP relay. The DERP relays are the only servers that ever carry user payload.
However, to keep with your fear of the US having all your Tailscale keys, what makes you think that Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, or the UK wouldn’t/couldn’t do the same? I’m no shill for Tailscale. AFAIC, you can either use the service or not. Your choice, no skin off my back. I’m just curious how far the paranoia rabbit hole goes.
BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
Based on current USA actions, I have more faith in my own country and allies. The account info and control plane is what I mean, it could get compromised being under US control where they don’t seem to Ned warrants anymore
irmadlad@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Understandable. I don’t know what your threat model is. I don’t trust any of them except to do what is in their best interest, globally. However, there is nothing stopping Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, UK, or even your country, from doing the very same thing. Governments make laws for citizens, not themselves. Everything can be compromised at any time a government decides to. That is the reality of it all. If I am going to hide from a government in 2026, then game over, and there’s not a damn thing I could/can do about it. I’ll just unplug, and live out the rest of my life in the seclusion of my farm/compound.
BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
Well it is a post about online privacy and keeping the prying eyes out.
irmadlad@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I wish you the best with you efforts.