I'm just curious if there would be an interest in a service (for a small monthly fee) where you could remotely connect to a specially configured computer that is all set up to hide your IP address, protect your hobby email, etc.  Basically...giving you as close to complete anonymity as is possible while at the same time making sure there are no tracks at all on your own personal computer at home.  This remote computer would be yours...nobody else could access it or use it.  You could keep photos on it, notes, etc.  Since everything happens on the remote computer, there is nothing on your computer at home should you ever find yourself in trouble with the law.

This would be of benefit to hobbyists and providers alike

... which is, the cloud.  

But anyone who uses such a service needs to understand that "nobody else could access it or use it" isn't a certainty.  That promise is only as good as the security measures used on the virtual/cloud environment.  If the service is from a reputable organization that has a proven track record for security, you're pretty safe... but not absolutely positively safe. But if the service is from someone like Joe's Cloud for Hobbyists and Providers, I wouldn't place any bets on how secure it is.

Yes, but with Joe's cloud, when the extortion demand comes, you know who it is so you can put a contract out on them.

There already is a solution that does all of what is suggested for free.  Tails is an anonymous browser environment that installs on a flash drive.  Totally safe.  Browsing is done via TOR.  The browser is hardened. You can use it from any computer.  It leaves no evidence behind.  

The solution suggested above is fine until the host get hacked and then all bets are off.

No, it would not be the cloud.  The cloud gets you a virtual computer, yes, but that computer has no special configuration or set up.  I'm talking a desktop environment specifically set up for this industry with measures put in place to protect the user's anonymity.  

I agree that there isn't a computer that can't be hacked.  What I meant was that you're not sharing that virtual desktop with anyone else.  Therefore, you can keep what you want on it.

Also, if you go out and purchase an amazon cloud instance, for example, and pay with a credit card then you're not anonymous.  Again....I'm taking a lot more than the "cloud" here like being able to pay with bitcoin, foreign locations of things, etc.

I'm not going to get into belaboring the technical aspects of such a service.   What i want to know is if there would be an interest in it if it existed.  It would be intended for people who don't have the technical skills to set up and configure a system themselves.    
 

So this will be housed in the USA?

And you will be running it?

Uhm, no! Sorry but there are dozens of ways that I can see this going wrong. There are far better, and fairly easy ways that a person can protect themselves and their clientele, that are significantly safer than what you are suggesting.

I would never trust a third party to get this right, especially once word got out, when it would be the target of hackers.

There is no need for a fee when the software is free. I highly recommend VirtualBox.

Okay...I can see this is over most of your heads so we'll leave it at that.  Thanks to those who replied

It doesn't matter the size of the cloud infrastructure.  It can be a desktop computer, a mainframe, a whole bunch of racks with Linux or Windows nodes, etc.  it's still a cloud.  

But it's a highly insecure cloud. It's a desktop computer.  So not only are there the usual security concerns from hackers, but there's physical security issues.  For example, someone could walk away with the whole computer!  That's much harder to do with a rack of servers, or a mainframe.  

And a cloud isn't defined by how you pay for the services.  Credit card, Bitcoin, pennies... it's still a cloud.  

And if you're not sharing the virtual desktop with someone else, surely you're sharing a physical system with someone else or the service wouldn't make economic sense.  

As others have made clear, there's simpler and better ways to protect one's privacy in this hobby.  Leave cloud computing to thise who have the expertise and capital to provide excellent if not perfect security and privacy.

-- Modified on 6/1/2016 10:49:41 PM

What part of your rather naive proposal did we all not understand?

where CuriousSort profits by offering the service.

BTW, you are right on the money. Tor over Tails is the right way to go. Throw in a few extras like keeping everything encrypted, dual-authentication, entering URLs directly instead of searching for sites, etc... and you are good to go. Hey, it worked for CitizenFour.

In America, law enforcement does not really care if someone is using escorts as long as both parties are over 18 and the client is not paying for services using drugs or counterfeit money or impersonating a Law Enforcement Officer. Simply being a client of ecorts would not lead to someones computer being searched by law enforcement.  Law enforcement mainly does prostitution stings to make money from fines.