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I use a VPN service so that my IP address appears to be the same as many other people's IP addresses to advertisers and trackers (another layer on top of using
by Casseres 11y ago
I use a VPN service so that my IP address appears to be the same as many other people's IP addresses to advertisers and trackers (another layer on top of using browser plugins). I'm not trying to hide from the government or do anything illegal; I just don't want companies that I've never heard of knowing more about me than my own family.
It seems to me like this would be an applicable usage of a shared VPN service. Of course I am trusting that the VPN service isn't selling my traffic to some other tracking company. I am I wrong in using a VPN for this function, is there a better way?
- angry-hacker 11y agoBut what makes you think a random VPN service provider doesn't sell you out, if not now, then in the future, for advertisers? Or hackers? As you said, you don't want companies to know about you, but you give your whole life to them. Unless you trust them, but why would you?
- Casseres 11y agoI might have edited my comment as you submitted yours. I do recognize that is a point of failure. The only companies that know me in such a manner are Amazon, Facebook, and Google (Gmail and calendar, and I'm going to be changing that). Third parties could otherwise piece together what websites I visit to get a more in-depth picture of who I am more so that what Amazon can figure out from my purchase habits; Facebook can figure out from who my friends are, what I like, pictures I'm in, etc; and from what Google could by reading my e-mails or seeing the events in my calendar.
- joepie91_ 11y agoGood point. I've added a response to it in the gist: https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29#but-i-want-to-confuse-trackers-by-sharing-an-ip-address https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29#but-i-...