5 ms·

I assume all VPN providers as honeypots by default, until they are proven otherwise.

bell-cot 4y ago
How could one prove otherwise? (Assuming you can't send in a 5 Eyes team to audit them, haven't hacked their management network, etc.)
- GordonS 4y ago
  I think sending in a 5 Eyes team to audit them would result in the VPN provider becoming a honeypot even if they weren't before!
- markovbot 4y ago
  One can't really, which is why these absurd claims of "we wont monitor your traffic" should be assumed to be blatant falsehoods.
- passivate 4y ago
  But what does proof even mean? They can pass any audit you throw at them, and then immediately switch to being bad actors.
jeroenhd 4y ago
Realistically, these things are mainly used to pirate and break the ToS of various websites ("Netflix from other countries", "buy games at cheaper rates"). With ISPs in some countries selling their customers' browsing data to advertisers, I don't think these shady VPN companies are much worse than not using them for a shockingly large amount of people. Mullvad seems to come out pretty clean whenever these shady VPN providers show up on the news again. Being able to use them by just transferring some crypto to the right address without even needing to enter a username or email address seems pretty good. If you ever forget your account number, you're out of a month's worth of service at most and can just generate a new account when needed. It's the only commercial VPN I put a moderate amount of trust in, even though I've never used their service.
- paradite 4y ago
  I just pay for the most expensive ISP. Edit: Not sure why the downvotes but I don't live in the US, if that matters.
  - badRNG 4y ago
    What makes you think a more expensive ISP will go against their interests and refuse to maximize their profits by selling access to information that they are legally allowed to share? Are there expensive "privacy"-branded ISPs I'm not aware of?
    - paradite 4y ago
      I don't live in the US, but here's a link from eff: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/small-isps-oppose-congressess-move-abolish-privacy-protections https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/small-isps-oppose-cong...
      - skinnymuch 4y ago
        That doesn’t mean anything. It’s the same with Apple pretending to care about privacy right now while it is a competitive advantage.
        paradite 4y ago
        Yes, you are right and I'm wrong.
  - xeromal 4y ago
    You're lucky if you live in an area with more than one ISP. lol
- kaetemi 4y ago
  I use VPN services because my ISPs routing has a strange habit of going the wrong way around the globe and making mystery detours through the US. Picking a good point in-between helps to get on less congested paths.

How could one prove otherwise? (Assuming you can't send in a 5 Eyes team to audit them, haven't hacked their management network, etc.)

GordonS 4y ago
I think sending in a 5 Eyes team to audit them would result in the VPN provider becoming a honeypot even if they weren't before!
markovbot 4y ago
One can't really, which is why these absurd claims of "we wont monitor your traffic" should be assumed to be blatant falsehoods.
passivate 4y ago
But what does proof even mean? They can pass any audit you throw at them, and then immediately switch to being bad actors.

jeroenhd 4y ago

Realistically, these things are mainly used to pirate and break the ToS of various websites ("Netflix from other countries", "buy games at cheaper rates"). With ISPs in some countries selling their customers' browsing data to advertisers, I don't think these shady VPN companies are much worse than not using them for a shockingly large amount of people. Mullvad seems to come out pretty clean whenever these shady VPN providers show up on the news again. Being able to use them by just transferring some crypto to the right address without even needing to enter a username or email address seems pretty good. If you ever forget your account number, you're out of a month's worth of service at most and can just generate a new account when needed. It's the only commercial VPN I put a moderate amount of trust in, even though I've never used their service.

paradite 4y ago
I just pay for the most expensive ISP. Edit: Not sure why the downvotes but I don't live in the US, if that matters.
- badRNG 4y ago
  What makes you think a more expensive ISP will go against their interests and refuse to maximize their profits by selling access to information that they are legally allowed to share? Are there expensive "privacy"-branded ISPs I'm not aware of?
  - paradite 4y ago
    I don't live in the US, but here's a link from eff: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/small-isps-oppose-congressess-move-abolish-privacy-protections https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/small-isps-oppose-cong...
    - skinnymuch 4y ago
      That doesn’t mean anything. It’s the same with Apple pretending to care about privacy right now while it is a competitive advantage.
      - paradite 4y ago
        Yes, you are right and I'm wrong.
- xeromal 4y ago
  You're lucky if you live in an area with more than one ISP. lol
kaetemi 4y ago
I use VPN services because my ISPs routing has a strange habit of going the wrong way around the globe and making mystery detours through the US. Picking a good point in-between helps to get on less congested paths.