I freelance for a living. Avoided a major freelancing site for a while but times are tight so I decided to finally take the plunge.

Lo and behold I needed to verify my identity for the ol’ know your customer laws (for the good of the nation and security–yeah, yeah, I get it). No biggie. I’m used to it. Uploaded ID, address, all good. Or so I thought.

Then they wanted to know which country I resided in. Um…U.S…as shown on my ID, my utility bill, and social media tied to my account?

Yeah, turns out they don’t want you to use a VPN. Ever. Not just for ID verification.

Kinda dumb because I feel like I’m missing a whole community of clients, all become some nitwits that think that a VPN is somehow a security risk. It’s even MORE concerning knowing that other developers WITHOUT a VPN are working with these clients, possibly exposing client secrets over an unsecured connection.

Anyone else sick of this VPN related to KYC? Or has anyone found a way to shmooze your way into OK-ing a VPN?