I want to self host a suite of services and make them public.
What kind of services? Well, all kinds. Matrix, lemmy, bookwyrm, and I may think of others in the future.
The problem? I don’t even know where to begin from a legal stand point. Not only that, I am a barely legal immigrant (vulnerable to deportation) from a country that is not very liked by the gov. I am afraid to put myself in a vulnerable position and get more trouble than the typical US citizen.
Is there a reasonable way to be able to self host public services without legal trouble? Is there a resource I can follow for best practices to avoid issues?
Assuming your in the US legally you shouldn’t have an issue. If you are illegal and are not suppost to be in the US self hosting services isn’t going to change anything.
Anyway I would not host any services at home as that’s a major security and privacy risk. If you are wanting to access your own personal stuff use a VPN or route traffic though a VPS. If you want to host a public server you can do so though a VPS where the risk to you is much lower. It also will have the benefit of having high availability by design.