>the most well-known and widely-used means of circumvention that even average people
Another advantage is that, once basic stuff is criminalized, you have a ready stick to beat on someone's head when you need to accuse them of something. Works even, actually works even better, when everyone's doing it.
Putin's done it before, with his laws declaring anyone receive support or aid from international civil society, as "helping foreign (enemy) agents". Takes very little to run afoul of that, and - bam - your anti-Putin political party can be banned.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
