If you look at the article, the network they disrupted pays software vendors per-download to sneakily turn their users into residential proxy endpoints. I'm sure that at least some of the time the user is technically agreeing to some wording buried in the ToS saying they consent to this, but it's certainly unethical. I wouldn't want to proxy traffic from random people through my home network, that's how you get legal threats from media companies or the police called to your house.

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londons_explore 14 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> that's how you get legal threats from media companies or the police called to your house.

Or residential proxies get so widespread that almost every house has a proxy in, and it becomes the new way the internet works - "for privacy, your data has been routed through someone else's connection at random".

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Imustaskforhelp 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Or residential proxies get so widespread that almost every house has a proxy in, and it becomes the new way the internet works - "for privacy, your data has been routed through someone else's connection at random".

Is this a re-invention of tor, maybe I2P?

	▲	chii 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> Is this a re-invention of tor in a way, yes - the weakness of tor is realistically the lack of widespreadness. Tor traffic is identifiable and blockable due to the relatively rare number of exit nodes (which also makes it dangerous to run exit nodes, as you become "liable"). Engraining the ideas of tor into regular users' internet usage is what would prevent the internet from being controlled and blockable by any actor (except perhaps draconian gov't over reach, which while can happen, is harder in the west).
	▲	rolph 12 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		IP8 address tumbler? to wit, playing the shell game, to obstruct direct attribution.

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12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

[deleted]

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dataviz1000 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

They provide an SDK for mobile developers. Here is a video of how it works. [0] They don't even hide it.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a9HLrwvUO4&t=15s

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ndiddy 13 hours ago | parent [-]

Of course they're pitching it like everything's above board, but from the article:

> While many residential proxy providers state that they source their IP addresses ethically, our analysis shows these claims are often incorrect or overstated. Many of the malicious applications we analyzed in our investigation did not disclose that they enrolled devices into the IPIDEA proxy network. Researchers have previously found uncertified and off-brand Android Open Source Project devices, such as television set top boxes, with hidden residential proxy payloads.

	▲	calgoo 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I love how its the "evil" Open Source project devices, and "other app stores" that are the problem, not the 100s of spyware ridden crap that is available for download from the Play store. Would be interesting to know how many copies of the SDK was found and removed from their own platform.
	▲	direwolf20 12 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		If popup ads that open the play store are ethical, this is ethical.