It does several things: 1) It anonymises where the traffic originated ( in the case of a VPN run along the lines of Relakks ) 2) It encrypts, so whilst if you

It does several things: 1) It anonymises where the traffic originated ( in the case of a VPN run along the lines of Relakks ) 2) It encrypts, so whilst if you weren't using a VPN they'd still see traffic go from point A to point B, they wouldn't have a record of the contents of the communication Neither of those things is a false sense of security. And yes to the last... if only those who feel that they have something to hide encrypt things, then you might reasonably expect a person who is suspicious of others to reach that conclusion. But I would argue that everyone has something to hide. Privacy isn't just core to democracy and free speech, it's core to intimacy too. So you end up with two strong arguments to encrypt, one is to protect your own privacy, and then from your argument about how only "those with something to hide, encrypt", comes the second which is that most freedoms enjoyed by people were earned through dissent and revolution (and war, but that doesn't help this particular argument)... are such things possible in a society that pervasively spies in it's own citizens? So to protect the future dissidents you should in addition to caring for your own privacy, encrypt to ensure you give protection to those who may one day be fighting for your rights.