On OpSec

I got quite into self-hosting late last year after realising how much companies like Google and Apple know about me. I’m also pretty sure the major security agencies have access to my NSFW photos. The president of a certain eastern nation can turn off my bedroom LED lights if he wishes to do so, which are programmed and controlled via Shelly smart relays. I’m in the process of moving away from big tech and have a home server with Proxmox installed running a large number of VMs for a variety of self-hosted services. I was also planning on colocating a private server in a nuclear-proof data centre in a neutral jurisdiction as a remote backup.

When I crossed the border into mainland China, I didn’t bring my iPhone with me since it’s my daily driver and it could implicate the people I care about if I was captured and interrogated. Instead, I brought a Pixel 8 with GrapheneOS and a global eSIM installed from a provider that accepts Monero as payment. The setup is so secure that I locked myself out of my entire digital identity and nearly ran out of money during my mission.

The most insane part of my 3-day mission in mainland China was the fact that I managed to cross the border with my Carribean passport, which has visa-free access into the mainland without the border officers raising an eyebrow. In case you are unaware, China doesn’t allow dual nationality and I filled in my Chinese name on the entry form, they also took my fingerprints not to mention all the facial recognition stuff they do everywhere. We are talking about a country where I was able to buy a bottle of energy drink from a vending machine in a city I had never been to before using just my face after confirming the last four digits of my mainland phone number and the payment was made automatically from my Alipay account.

The Lord took care of me. 🙏🫶😘😘😘😘😘

James 2:26

[26] For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Philippians 2:12-13

Lights in the World

[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Proverbs 21:31

[31]

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but the victory belongs to the LORD.

Colossians 3:23

[23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Edit: add hashtags for the tin foil hat crypto bros.