3 ms·

As long as you're using it for the right things. Most of the people here already know this, but I'll say it anyway: VPNs don't make you more secure necessarily,

As long as you're using it for the right things. Most of the people here already know this, but I'll say it anyway: VPNs don't make you more secure necessarily, they just reroute your traffic. If you don't trust the network you're on, use Mullvad. If you want to appear as though you're in a different location, use Mullvad. If you want to bypass your network's firewall, use Mullvad. If you don't want the service you're using to see your true IP, use Mullvad. But most people don't need a VPN running all the time. Or even most of the time.

Etheryte 4y ago
I disagree, I think it would be highly beneficial if everyone ran a VPN exactly for the reasons you describe — websites and services online have no business knowing who I am or where I am. We can hope of a better tomorrow where browser fingerprinting, geo-IP and other such things are a thing of the past. Every step we take in that direction is a step towards a better future. (For that matter, every device I own sits behind Mullvad.)
- seanw444 4y ago
  Sure, but then Mullvad has all your information. And all it takes is a change of leadership for that to go badly. At the moment, Mullvad is a great service with good goals. But every company hits a threshold where they lose their bearing. And while yes, you don't provide your personal information directly to Mullvad, it wouldn't be very hard to deduce you from your traffic with some amount of effort.
  - Etheryte 4y ago
    You're missing the core difference which is that I get to choose. Many people live in areas where only one ISP offers a competitive service, they don't get to choose. If there's three ISPs in my area and they all sell my data, I don't get to choose. If all of your social circles use one social network to organize events and you want to be in the loop with them, you don't get to choose. Etc. In all of those cases, you don't have a say in who gets to munch on all of your data. When you use a VPN, you choose who you trust with your data, which also means you can change your mind later if need be. In the other scenario you cannot.
  - medstrom 4y ago
    There's always someone in a position to acquire all your information. If it's not a VPN, it's an ISP. And ISPs have much weaker incentives not to step on the needs of the few. Most ISPs get to stay in business no matter how many scandals embroil them.
    - seanw444 4y ago
      Very true as well.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
    > Sure, but then Mullvad has all your information No more than any ISP, and (in the USA) they're pretty universally going to spy on you, so even if (ex.) Mullvad is a coin-toss it's a win.
- prophesi 4y ago
  You'll also get a lot less suspicious login flags if you regularly use a VPN from a certain area. If you only use it when you're on public WiFi, get ready to prove your identity on most of the services you use.
- ramzyo 4y ago
  I agree for casual browsing, but just curious for any service that requires providing some other piece of identifiable info (eg a site you have an account with and login to, or buying something online and entering your delivery address), what is a VPN helping with other than hiding that activity from your ISP (which may be what you're going for, but just curious)? Once you identify yourself to a website or online service via typical means, how is the IP anonymity a VPN provides helping?
  - 3np 4y ago
    I'd say it might be even more relevant in those scenarios: That site is now storing the link between your IP address and that other information. Some of those will be hacked, leaked, aggregated and combined with other datasets at scale.
ramzyo 4y ago
I've recently been describing what a commercial VPN provides to non-technical friends and family as a type of "global virtual Internet cafe" subscription. It's not inherently (i.e. due to technical benefits of underlying technology) any more or less secure than connecting to your home or work wifi/network, and the Internet cafe knows who you are and what websites you're visiting, but your ISP/employer doesn't (since you're "at" the Internet cafe, not on your home/work network). Of course, your ISP/employer does know that you're visiting the Internet cafe, and in the case of work (and some ISPs) can stop you from doing so. If you visit a website from an Internet cafe, the website may still be able to figure out who you are, just like they can when you bounce between different networks normally. And of course, if you login to your account on a website or put your shipping address or something in when buying something, you're self identifying (unless you have throwaway accounts or forwarding addresses or whatever). And finally, if someone really wants to figure out who you are to a high degree of confidence, they will. I find this lands pretty well and is close enough to being technically correct without getting into the details that non-technical people would start glazing over if I got into.

Etheryte 4y ago

I disagree, I think it would be highly beneficial if everyone ran a VPN exactly for the reasons you describe — websites and services online have no business knowing who I am or where I am. We can hope of a better tomorrow where browser fingerprinting, geo-IP and other such things are a thing of the past. Every step we take in that direction is a step towards a better future. (For that matter, every device I own sits behind Mullvad.)

seanw444 4y ago
Sure, but then Mullvad has all your information. And all it takes is a change of leadership for that to go badly. At the moment, Mullvad is a great service with good goals. But every company hits a threshold where they lose their bearing. And while yes, you don't provide your personal information directly to Mullvad, it wouldn't be very hard to deduce you from your traffic with some amount of effort.
- Etheryte 4y ago
  You're missing the core difference which is that I get to choose. Many people live in areas where only one ISP offers a competitive service, they don't get to choose. If there's three ISPs in my area and they all sell my data, I don't get to choose. If all of your social circles use one social network to organize events and you want to be in the loop with them, you don't get to choose. Etc. In all of those cases, you don't have a say in who gets to munch on all of your data. When you use a VPN, you choose who you trust with your data, which also means you can change your mind later if need be. In the other scenario you cannot.
- medstrom 4y ago
  There's always someone in a position to acquire all your information. If it's not a VPN, it's an ISP. And ISPs have much weaker incentives not to step on the needs of the few. Most ISPs get to stay in business no matter how many scandals embroil them.
  - seanw444 4y ago
    Very true as well.
- yjftsjthsd-h 4y ago
  > Sure, but then Mullvad has all your information No more than any ISP, and (in the USA) they're pretty universally going to spy on you, so even if (ex.) Mullvad is a coin-toss it's a win.
prophesi 4y ago
You'll also get a lot less suspicious login flags if you regularly use a VPN from a certain area. If you only use it when you're on public WiFi, get ready to prove your identity on most of the services you use.
ramzyo 4y ago
I agree for casual browsing, but just curious for any service that requires providing some other piece of identifiable info (eg a site you have an account with and login to, or buying something online and entering your delivery address), what is a VPN helping with other than hiding that activity from your ISP (which may be what you're going for, but just curious)? Once you identify yourself to a website or online service via typical means, how is the IP anonymity a VPN provides helping?
- 3np 4y ago
  I'd say it might be even more relevant in those scenarios: That site is now storing the link between your IP address and that other information. Some of those will be hacked, leaked, aggregated and combined with other datasets at scale.

ramzyo 4y ago

I've recently been describing what a commercial VPN provides to non-technical friends and family as a type of "global virtual Internet cafe" subscription. It's not inherently (i.e. due to technical benefits of underlying technology) any more or less secure than connecting to your home or work wifi/network, and the Internet cafe knows who you are and what websites you're visiting, but your ISP/employer doesn't (since you're "at" the Internet cafe, not on your home/work network). Of course, your ISP/employer does know that you're visiting the Internet cafe, and in the case of work (and some ISPs) can stop you from doing so. If you visit a website from an Internet cafe, the website may still be able to figure out who you are, just like they can when you bounce between different networks normally. And of course, if you login to your account on a website or put your shipping address or something in when buying something, you're self identifying (unless you have throwaway accounts or forwarding addresses or whatever). And finally, if someone really wants to figure out who you are to a high degree of confidence, they will. I find this lands pretty well and is close enough to being technically correct without getting into the details that non-technical people would start glazing over if I got into.