VPNs to address ISPs data collection

JoePoulson · Mar 30, 2017

PIA is awesome and incredibly cheap (like $30 a year). I personally use VyprVPN because it works better with my specific setup. A little more expensive but still only like $70 a year.

You can get even more aggressive and use a VPN in conjunction with a browser like TOR. Just depends on how worried you are. Me personally I don't give a shit for everyday browsing, so I just use the VPN and TOR for the "shadier" shit I need to do.

Bosoxen · Mar 30, 2017

As I understand it, nothing will actually be changing. The law put in place by Obama last year never actually went into effect. All the current admin is doing is preventing it from ever going into effect. In other words, if you're worried about your browsing history being sold as a result of this development (a camp in which I found myself as well), that horse left the barn a long time ago. That's not to say it isn't a good idea to set up a VPN, but it's not nearly as imperative as I had originally thought.

Here's a good primer on the subject:

https://www.wired.com/2017/03/vpns-wont-save-congress-internet-privacy-giveaway/

uncannymanny · Mar 30, 2017

Learn yourself before you spend money on a VPN. This is a pretty good rundown wrt privacy: https://arstechnica.com/security/2016/06/aiming-for-anonymity-ars-assesses-the-state-of-vpns-in-2016/

Marceline · Mar 30, 2017

There are a lot of garbage VPN providers out there, and there is a lot of questionable info on those VPNs out there as well (most of the sites you find if you google "vpn reviews" are riddled with affiliate links and paid reviews).

I've found the privacytoolsIO subreddit has a lot of good information and a lot of research done on finding which VPN providers are actually worth it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/privacytoolsIO/

Guide to choosing the best VPN:
https://www.reddit.com/r/privacytoolsIO/comments/4ihtdj/that_one_privacy_guys_guide_to_choosing_the_best/

uncannymanny · Mar 30, 2017

wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Well that was depressing. I'm guessing you don't use a VPN.

I use ExpressVPN, but I don't have any misconceptions about it keeping me 100% anonymous. I've just been learning about this more in the last week myself.

NortheasternPJ · Mar 31, 2017

I use VPN for some stuff, but 98% of the time I don't bother. Most of my internet traffic is so boring it's not even worth it.

As uncannymanny said, it won't keep me 100% anonymous but it should to be good enough to avoid getting DMCA notices (I don't torrent a lot but some) and now my ISP from selling info about things that I wouldn't want put on a billboard.

I'm using CyberGhost now, which I've been pretty happy with. It rates pretty well in the matrix above.

If I was hacking nation states or committing serious crimes, I'd be much more diligent.

kneemoe · Mar 31, 2017

NortheasternPJ said:
I use VPN for some stuff, but 98% of the time I don't bother. Most of my internet traffic is so boring it's not even worth it.

As uncannymanny said, it won't keep me 100% anonymous but it should to be good enough to avoid getting DMCA notices (I don't torrent a lot but some) and now my ISP from selling info about things that I wouldn't want put on a billboard.

I'm using CyberGhost now, which I've been pretty happy with. It rates pretty well in the matrix above.

If I was hacking nation states or committing serious crimes, I'd be much more diligent.

Isn't the whole point of using it, or tor, to use it as much as possible, mundane surfing or not? By only using it with "shady" traffic you're highlighting that traffic as something to be zeroed in on.

NortheasternPJ · Mar 31, 2017

kneemoe said:
Isn't the whole point of using it, or tor, to use it as much as possible, mundane surfing or not? By only using it with "shady" traffic you're highlighting that traffic as something to be zeroed in on.

Theoretically yes. If someone really wants to put in an effort and target that traffic to go find out what I'm watching on pornhub or the one to two movies a month I torrent they can.

There's no way I'm running all my work traffic (I work from home often) for instance through a public VPN. That traffic is probably 50% of our bandwidth usage as it is per month.

jeanB · Mar 31, 2017

kneemoe · Mar 31, 2017

Understood... I guess I'm thinking of it more from the 'pack immunity' view, whereby the more of us, collectively, funneling as much of our traffic into encrypted comms the better it is for everyone. There's an individual benefit for sure, but it grows by leaps and bounds if everyone's on board - but I understand the real world implications of the added latency etc, its a hard line to walk.

SoxFanInPdx · Mar 31, 2017

While a VPN is good, the providers of those VPN services can change their mind regarding privacy and log keeping. I'd suggest finding a VPN provider that isn't a part of the 14 eyes. Also, one that doesn't keep logs.

Again, they can change their mind at any time. Most importantly, download the Tor Browser. It's free too.

Rudi Fingers · Mar 31, 2017

SoxFanInPdx said:
Again, they can change their mind at any time. Most importantly, download the Tor Browser. It's free too.

Of course, keep in mind where you download Tor from, and where you use it

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/18/5224130/fbi-agents-tracked-harvard-bomb-threats-across-tor

NortheasternPJ · Mar 31, 2017

Funny, On a related note pornhub going to HTTPS due to the new ruling.

CarolinaBeerGuy · Apr 4, 2017

Anyone running Opera VPN on their iPhone? It's a free app that runs in the background. I have no idea how good it is. The only annoyance is that Google keeps making me complete a Captcha when I search in Safari.

Couperin47 · Apr 5, 2017

Keep in mind, Opera is now owned by a Chinese company, so far the HQ is still in Oslo, but most of the programmers now seem to be in Poland. Once the coding moves to China most of us expect all versions will mean you can choose: Stick with Chrome and have everything tracked by Google or Opera and get tracked by the Chinese....

SumnerH · Apr 5, 2017

Couperin47 said:
Once the coding moves to China most of us expect all versions will mean you can choose: Stick with Chrome and have everything tracked by Google or Opera and get tracked by the Chinese....

Or use Chromium.

Couperin47 · Apr 6, 2017

SumnerH said:
Or use Chromium.

There's also Vivaldi (by the original creator of Opera) and a few other Chrome clones and, for that matter, by the end of the year Firefox will be the worst of both worlds: now a slavish Chrome clone that has destroyed it's entire and extensive add-on ecosystem which is what made it attractive and highly customizable. The current Mozilla team is as wrongheaded as they are suicidal.

VPNs to address ISPs data collection

Member

Well-Known Member

Bounced back

Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

New Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Don't know him from Adam

Member

Malt Liquor Picker

Member