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GrapheneOS migrates server infrastructure from France

284 points by 01-_-

by dang

0 subcomment

Related ongoing thread:
France threatens GrapheneOS with arrests / server seizure for refusing backdoors - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46035977 - Nov 2025 (244 comments)
Recent and related:
France is taking state actions against GrapheneOS? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999024 - Nov 2025 (108 comments)

by Lariscus

8 subcomments

This looks hugely blown out of proportion. The project founder has a well documented history of what I would consider a persecution complex. Once again he has provided no substantial evidence. The only thing they provided are some, admittedly borderline libelous, news articles. Unless they provide some more concrete information about these supposed attempts of getting a backdoor installed into the system, I will consider this as just another day of GrapheneOS drama.

by Bender

4 subcomments

They should consider making their primary site a .onion and then have clear-web portals in many countries that serve as a secondary class site or cache. The physical location of the primary site should be unknown.

by aborsy

4 subcomments

Canada is liberal and a better option for hosting privacy projects than EU.
Every few months a bad proposal comes out of somewhere in EU. The details of this case don’t matter, the tendency is big government control.

by d4rkn0d3z

0 subcomment

The title should be, "GrapheneOS jumps from frying pan to fire".

by amatecha

0 subcomment

Also cross-posted on Mastodon https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/115595997701449168

by metalman

0 subcomment

this is all fluff and noise, as we are on the threshold of space based servers, complying with the laws of convienient country next, owned by company overthere, leased to a "guy in taiwan", maybe

by rixed

0 subcomment

Is anyone working on a low orbit Datacenter already?

by bedros

0 subcomment

wondering how this will affect veracrypt. which is mostly developed by a French developer.

0 subcomment

by sunshine-o

0 subcomment

Here is the problem France and Europe need to be somehow attractive in the world today:
- Energy prices -> nope
- Science and technology -> not anymore plus the brain drain is accelerating
- Business environment and competitive taxes -> nope
Europe still had good living environment, safety, fair privacy and rule of law. But western Europe seems to be dedicated to destroy this too. In the meanwhile a lot of countries elsewhere are progressing rapidly in those domains.

by ChrisArchitect

1 subcomments

[dupe] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999024

by ranger_danger

2 subcomments

For what it's worth, Micay has a long history of accusing other people of slandering the project without providing any evidence or rebuttals.
When asked for details, he gets defensive and accusatory, then creates multiple sockpuppet accounts to argue the same points over and over.

by mmooss

7 subcomments

I understand the concerns and anger of GrapheneOS's leadership, but the hyper-escalation tactic doesn't do what they hope:
First, it sends a message of inexperience in business, negotiation, and conflict resolution: 'I'm going to take my ball and leave' - it looks like an emotional overreaction without strategic thinking. These days you sometimes see powerful parties making similar threats - e.g., Uber threatening to leave certain markets. But those people have significant power and their tactic is really to demonstrate that in order to shift their negotiating position; usually they don't actually decamp, and GrapheneOS has relatively little power so that tactic doesn't apply.
As importantly, it sends the message that GrapheneOS can be pushed around and manipulated: A slight hint of a threat and they flee. Others will take note, and many will think the same of other FOSS projects, large and small - they are easily intimidated and dismissed.
Another reason people don't use these tactics is that they have other important interests besides the one under immediate threat. A requirement of anyone with significant investments that can't be easily abandoned - which is everyone doing anything of value - is to navigate in a way that upholds all those interests. You don't burn down the house to kill a rat. It can be hard and requires careful, deliberate thought and strategy.
One unmentioned interest that might appeal to GrapheneOS's leadership is the freedoms of people in France to create FOSS, and to individual privacy and security.