Yeah this was exactly my point. And this only works if the IPs for the VPN are fairly static. I have no idea if they are. But given that I have heard discussions about doing this I assume that is the case. I mean I have done exactly this (using a VPS) to get around some of the restrictions I see.

Precisely:

Therefore, they can now criminalize any website they want, for not blocking some VPN contact, that they couldn't possibly have identified as VPN.

Perfect, isn't it?

I read, decades ago, that in Communist CCCP, there was a tradition of secret laws .. so people got disappeared, charged, convicted, & sentenced .. on laws they weren't permitted to know.

This is related.

Create laws that it isn't possible to comply with,

then set about obliterating all the "enemy" you want, because now you can convict anybody you want, & there's nothing anybody can do in defense.

This is one of the most-perfect machiavellianisms they've done, thus far.

( the one where the Washington DC bar-association got highjacked by the Republican party, so there won't be any more Democrat lawyers in there .. thereby limiting the pool of people who can practice law in Washington DC .. that was another.

The elegance of it I admire, the alignment & intent is evil, which I want .. removed .. from our world. : )

_ /\ _