> can we design a package distribution system that preserves privacy against nation state level actors?

That's a great question. Also, can we do it on top of the current Debian infrastructure (HTTP and everything)? Or do we need to change anything?

> Also, can we do it on top of the current Debian infrastructure (HTTP and everything)?

I'm pretty sure that is not possible, because the current infrastructure is just plain old HTTP file servers (anything that can sling bits will do) run by whoever fancies being a part of it.

If you create an onion layer like the GP proposes, I don't see any loss from it running over HTTP servers.

It already exists. It's called tor.

But the question here was why https isn't default in apt, not why tor isn't.

you're replying downstream of my comment containing "for me the real interesting question is:..." where I generalized the question away from the false dichotomy "keep apt as it is, or make https default in apt"

> The real discussion is not "blindly use HTTPS, or leave it like it is", for me the real interesting question is: can we design a package distribution system that preserves privacy against nation state level actors?

That is certainly an intersting theoretical question, but in practice there is also the question of the costs of something that requires you to change and complicate the whole distributed infrastructure vs. the benefits - are there actually real people who need privacy against "nation state level actors" specifically concerning the Linux packages they install?

what about journalists, whistleblowers, strictly vocal critics of the centralized surveillance state [0], lawyers, politicians, ... ?

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16947652

EDIT: just adding, we also don't know what the cost is of the most efficient privacy presevering distribution method actually is. only when people investigate and try will we find out.