I believe in using purely software or technical means where possible (PGP to defeat unlawful wiretaps, Start-TLS to protect against echelon), followed by social pressure (i.e. "it's rude to rip off someone's work", vs. enforcing it with laws).
Do a good job of articulating socially good uses. PGP to protect you from spies is unrealistic, PGP to protect you from the law if you are a criminal is both unrealistic and bad PR, but filevault to protect my SSN when your laptop is stolen, that's a much easier win -- it's just hard technically and inertia, but those are easier than active political or legal opposition to overcome.
In parallel with that, try for political change, ideally using tech as much as possible to support that -- I wasn't an Obama voter, but what the 2008 campaign did with social media was transformative.
If all those fail, sure, consider doing something crazy like Sealand or offshore corporations or whatever, but ultimately I'd rather live in a first-world country WITH good laws, than something with technical or jurisdictional hacks.
Do a good job of articulating socially good uses. PGP to protect you from spies is unrealistic, PGP to protect you from the law if you are a criminal is both unrealistic and bad PR, but filevault to protect my SSN when your laptop is stolen, that's a much easier win -- it's just hard technically and inertia, but those are easier than active political or legal opposition to overcome.
In parallel with that, try for political change, ideally using tech as much as possible to support that -- I wasn't an Obama voter, but what the 2008 campaign did with social media was transformative.
If all those fail, sure, consider doing something crazy like Sealand or offshore corporations or whatever, but ultimately I'd rather live in a first-world country WITH good laws, than something with technical or jurisdictional hacks.