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I'm talking about services like NordVPN, Mullvad, etc. They do not funnel your Internet connection through their servers.

cassianoleal 4y ago
Ah, fair enough. Those are not general purpose VPNs though. In fact, they are not even VPNs in the first place. They merely use the same technology to provide a private tunnel to the public Internet (and use the name in marketing material because by now people are familiar with it). What they are not is general purpose private networks.
- jaywalk 4y ago
  They are absolutely VPNs. If you don't like my term "general purpose" that's fine, but they 100% fit the definition of VPN.
  - cassianoleal 4y ago
    A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. Those services you mentioned merely provide a secure tunnel to the same public Internet you'd have access without them, avoiding eavesdropping by your ISP or other intermediaries, whilst handing over that capability to the "VPN" provider. There is no private network anywhere in this case. An actual VPN provides you with a private network that just happens to workover of the public Internet, usually encrypted, but is inaccessible from it. A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The benefits of a VPN include increases in functionality, security, and management of the private network. It provides access to resources that are inaccessible on the public network and is typically used for remote workers. Encryption is common, although not an inherent part of a VPN connection. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network
    - jaywalk 4y ago
      Sticking with Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN_service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN_service Saying that these services are "not VPNs" is unnecessary pedantry. Definitions evolve over time, and these services meet the common definition of a VPN.
      - RobertRoberts 4y ago
        If they start off as VPN but morph into something more (like Cloudflare, Google, etc...) then it really doesn't matter how you define them "today" if their goal as a company is to become something more/different.

cassianoleal 4y ago

Ah, fair enough. Those are not general purpose VPNs though. In fact, they are not even VPNs in the first place. They merely use the same technology to provide a private tunnel to the public Internet (and use the name in marketing material because by now people are familiar with it). What they are not is general purpose private networks.

jaywalk 4y ago
They are absolutely VPNs. If you don't like my term "general purpose" that's fine, but they 100% fit the definition of VPN.
- cassianoleal 4y ago
  A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. Those services you mentioned merely provide a secure tunnel to the same public Internet you'd have access without them, avoiding eavesdropping by your ISP or other intermediaries, whilst handing over that capability to the "VPN" provider. There is no private network anywhere in this case. An actual VPN provides you with a private network that just happens to workover of the public Internet, usually encrypted, but is inaccessible from it. A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The benefits of a VPN include increases in functionality, security, and management of the private network. It provides access to resources that are inaccessible on the public network and is typically used for remote workers. Encryption is common, although not an inherent part of a VPN connection. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network
  - jaywalk 4y ago
    Sticking with Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN_service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN_service Saying that these services are "not VPNs" is unnecessary pedantry. Definitions evolve over time, and these services meet the common definition of a VPN.
    - RobertRoberts 4y ago
      If they start off as VPN but morph into something more (like Cloudflare, Google, etc...) then it really doesn't matter how you define them "today" if their goal as a company is to become something more/different.