4 ms·

> But your server still has a service provider. It might not be literally tied to your billing information but that was never going to be anyway. The idea is t

> But your server still has a service provider. It might not be literally tied to your billing information but that was never going to be anyway. The idea is to use a VPN provider that keeps no logs and runs many concurrent connections NAT'd behind the same public IP address. That way your traffic is mixed in with everyone else's who's using the service and provides you with an additional layer of anonymity.

subway 10y ago
You might not realize just how easy it is to track users behind NAT. You might also not realize just how shady and willing to sell you out many of these VPN services are. They tend to be un-audited, un-regulated.
- drakenot 10y ago
  I don't realize it. I'm genuinely asking, how are users behind a NAT tracked? Browser fingerprinting?
  - swinglock 10y ago
    That would be one way. In the VPN provider scenario if the ISP can snoop on both the incoming and outgoing traffic that can correlate the two by analyzing the timing and packet sizes. This is how Tor can be defeated as well but it's much simpler to do to a VPN service since they prioritize speed over privacy more than Tor.
  - funkymike 10y ago
    This could be as simple as connecting the dots between you logging into your ISP account to pay your bill via the VPN. This is one specific way in which a VPN is a poor solution to protecting privacy. It means the user has to constantly be on guard to which traffic should go over the VPN and which should not. Even one single slip up could negate all the benefits you think you are getting. Edit: This reply should have been a couple levels higher, addressing the general tracking discussion rather than NATs specifically.
petra 10y ago
Assuming it's possible to make it easy to companies to become VPN providers, and since the problem is trust, shouldn't a service from a trusted non-profit be good ? one that must share any financial information, as some non-profits do ?

subway 10y ago

You might not realize just how easy it is to track users behind NAT. You might also not realize just how shady and willing to sell you out many of these VPN services are. They tend to be un-audited, un-regulated.

drakenot 10y ago
I don't realize it. I'm genuinely asking, how are users behind a NAT tracked? Browser fingerprinting?
- swinglock 10y ago
  That would be one way. In the VPN provider scenario if the ISP can snoop on both the incoming and outgoing traffic that can correlate the two by analyzing the timing and packet sizes. This is how Tor can be defeated as well but it's much simpler to do to a VPN service since they prioritize speed over privacy more than Tor.
- funkymike 10y ago
  This could be as simple as connecting the dots between you logging into your ISP account to pay your bill via the VPN. This is one specific way in which a VPN is a poor solution to protecting privacy. It means the user has to constantly be on guard to which traffic should go over the VPN and which should not. Even one single slip up could negate all the benefits you think you are getting. Edit: This reply should have been a couple levels higher, addressing the general tracking discussion rather than NATs specifically.

petra 10y ago

Assuming it's possible to make it easy to companies to become VPN providers, and since the problem is trust, shouldn't a service from a trusted non-profit be good ? one that must share any financial information, as some non-profits do ?