United States, press rank #55 · ~$2,000/mo

Can you live unwatched in Philadelphia?

Surveillance, facial recognition and crypto rules read here for the city itself, not the national average.

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The privacy scorecard

The six marked ° below are read for Philadelphia itself. The rest are set by United States’s national law, the same across every city in the country.

State surveillance °2/5
Facial recognition °1/5
No national ID4/5
Data-protection law2/5
Encryption4/5
VPN freedom5/5
Democracy4/5
Free expression5/5
Cash still works4/5
Financial privacy2/5
Crypto freedom °4/5
Easy to stay °2/5
Off-grid living °4/5
press rank #55 (United States) ~$2,000/mo, this city safety 4/5 geopolitical stability 4/5

Childhood vaccines: required to enrol at school10 in total

There is no federal mandate. All fifty states require vaccination to attend school, the list runs to about ten diseases, and the detail is set state by state.

If you skip them: No place in a public school, and in most states none in a licensed childcare centre.

Exemptions: Medical everywhere. Religious or personal belief exemptions in 45 states and DC. Only California, Connecticut, Maine, New York and West Virginia accept medical reasons alone.

Source: Immunize.org state requirements 2026, plus Georgetown AMP EID, survey of national legislation, 2024

Legal & financial exposure

Facts about the law, not a privacy score: whether each one helps or hurts depends on what you are trying to do.

Does not report your account balances abroad

No extradition treaty with the US

No ID required to buy a SIM card

Crypto capital gains are taxed

Federal capital gains tax applies, at short or long-term rates depending on how long you held.

Crypto mining is a recognised industry here

A major and growing share of global hashrate, especially in Texas, with no federal restriction.

Company ownership is not public

The federal beneficial ownership registry (Corporate Transparency Act) is not open to the public, only to law enforcement and financial institutions.

1 of 7 signals are unverified for this country: not shown, rather than guessed.

See Philadelphia against your own threat model

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City-level figures where marked °, national law otherwise. Estimates for orientation, not legal advice. Surveillance law changes fast: verify anything you would act on.