Vpn tech guys is this something we should all be doing

[alancw3]

my daughter sent me this in light of the recent internet privacy bill passed by congress:

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-...e-d5cdba361907

is this something we should all be doing? beyond my pay grade at 69 years old.

[wpod]

Once privacy is lost, it's impossible to recapture.

[false_Aest]

I use a VPN when I travel for work.

It helps solve two problems:
1. I can't access Google, Facebook, IG, etc in China.
2. It's a little more secure when using wifi.

The app I use is plug 'n' play. Download. Install. Pay. Open. . . . . and WAH-LAH I have the protection of Muad'Dib!

Someone more smarterer than me can probably talk the talk about the tech and the walk but I get the feeling that my info isn't really that protected with a VPN's use. It just keeps the honest people honest.

[benb]

Using a VPN would indeed shield you from your ISP trying to capture your data and sell it under our great new right wing law. It basically sets up an encrypted "tunnel" that everything goes through. To the ISP the only thing they're going to see is a connection to the VPN server.

Most workplaces are not going to look favorably on you running all your personal traffic through the company VPN. But there are services that offer VPN access.

[redir]

I'm using the Tor network right now.

[abr5]

I've been using a VPN for a while now for when I torrent movies and such. I started using it full time the other day- the only problem is that forum gets blocked because of the certificate woes! You can usually choose where you want your traffic to be directed through, so you could get around country restrictions for streams.
FWIW I am using Private Internet Access, running it on an ubuntu server (with openvpn), a Macbook, and a windows computer. No issues so far.

[Gsinill]

I am really surprised that there wasn't more coverage in the media and that there is basically zero uproar.

From the article:

ISPs can now [...]:

1. Sell your browsing history to basically any corporation or government that wants to buy it
2. Hijack your searches and share them with third parties
3. Monitor all your traffic by injecting their own malware-filled ads into the websites you visit
4. Stuff undetectable, un-deletable tracking cookies into all of your non-encrypted traffic
5. Pre-install software on phones that will monitor all traffic — even HTTPS traffic — before it gets encrypted. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have already done this with some Android phones.

...
They can even sell your geolocation information. That’s right, ISPs can take your exact physical location from minute to minute and sell it to a third party.

The really outrageous part is that contrary to privacy concerns with websites like Facebook, Amazon or browsers where you have a choice to use them, there is no way out with the ISPs who own the pipe through which your data flows.

On top of it, with the government approved consolidation of ISPs over the years, a lot of consumers, including myself, have no choice but only one provider.

Thank your 50 senators!!!

[cachagua]

Thank the Senators? Naw, they were just doing what they were getting paid to do.

All seriousness aside, though, I guess we should all be doing this... but I wonder, how long will the relative privacy a VPN offers last? Doubtless a way will be found to see through the encryption, is anybody estimating how soon that'll happen?

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by abr5

I've been using a VPN for a while now for when I torrent movies and such. I started using it full time the other day- the only problem is that forum gets blocked because of the certificate woes! You can usually choose where you want your traffic to be directed through, so you could get around country restrictions for streams.
FWIW I am using Private Internet Access, running it on an ubuntu server (with openvpn), a Macbook, and a windows computer. No issues so far.

Also running PIA on linux, windows and Macbook. I like it.

[Macadamia]

This was an interesting solution I saw. Basically a program opening random pages and searches in the background of any browsing, so your actual browsing is obscured.

[11.4]

Check out Cloak (getcloak.com). It's super-simple and it doesn't go and sell your browsing data (there are a number of VPNs that do just that). You don't have to program anything and the customer service is superb.

If you want to be a little more involved in the technology, try Algo.

[ORMojo]

Originally Posted by 11.4

...sell your browsing data (there are a number of VPNs that do just that)...

This.

One trusted source that commented earlier this week on the congressional action flat-out stated that VPNs were not a better solution, you are just providing them with access to your data, rather than an internet provider. Six of one, half dozen...

[echappist]

do we know which VPN services sells data and which doesnt?

Also, is it better to tunnel to a foreign location with stronger privacy rights (e.g. continental Europe) vs tunneling locally? The former would work for most cases except when i need to log into my bank or credit card account

[abr5]

Originally Posted by ORMojo

This.

One trusted source that commented earlier this week on the congressional action flat-out stated that VPNs were not a better solution, you are just providing them with access to your data, rather than an internet provider. Six of one, half dozen...

Unless you choose a VPN that doesn't log any info... If you willing chose to use a VPN that sold info then yes, it would be the same.

[choke]

I use VPN Unlimited, which has servers in many countries. It comes in handy if you want to able to watch free Euro feeds. The cost is a very reasonable $29 a year and they don't log data.

From https://www.keepsolid.com/privacy :

KeepSolid Inc. does NOT collect and log any user activities while using any of their VPN services, except the total amount of web traffic for each session and session dates, for displaying them in user’s web cabinet and within the VPN client apps. KeepSolid Inc. also stores the encrypted information about the amount of connected devices for each account, as the maximum permitted amount is limited. This information can be assessed in the User’s Office, where any user can delete their devices from their account