So I knew about the concept behind XY problems. They come up in my job quite frequently. I didn’t know the phenomenon had a name. And I have to say, that’s one of the least helpful names for things like that.

Aren’t they both the same thing? A VPN is just applied encryption.

You’re right though, banning encryption is a pipe dream. Encrypted data is not distinguishable from random noise. So you’re not allowing me to send around random numbers now?