Do You Need a VPN - Virtual Private Network?
Mates,
I know we have a boatload of internet and IT-savvy folks on this blog. I hear about VPN's, Virtual Private Networks, and I am curious if there's really a need for them for the average internet dude/dudette. Other than Mgo, my general browsing is news, sports and weather. I have done a bit of reading up on VPN's and get the occasional ad to try them, but do they really help anything?
Here's a link to a PCMag article for those who might be interested: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-is-a-vpn-and-why-you-need-one
So the question is pretty simple: What do VPN's really do, and is it worth it for the average internet user to utilize one?
Thank you for any input and experiences you can share. Indeed, if you have a recommendation for one, please share that, too.
XM
In a now-deleted thread promoting an anti-child trafficking movie with a dubious reputation, for some reason this thread's OP started going off about trans people, with literally no prompting. I am intending to give OP a good-natured hard time about it for a little while now because it was the most obnoxious thing I've seen on this site in as long as I can remember.
Was it really irresistible if you resisted it?
Honest answer XM, if your'e not doing anything in the "Grey Area" or you don't need it for work then no its a waste of money.
It's required for my WFH status and I refuse to pay for Paramount+ so yeah it makes sense for me. VPN is also handy if you travel out of state with a streaming device and want watch a Lions game by manipulating a zip code.
If you do choose one, just make sure its appropriate for your given application. Hope this helps.
They're overrated. The government always knows where you are and what you're doing online.
Don't know why you got negged on this Puti for a factual comment. They can track you down on the dark web and access information from your Swiss bank account. No $100 dollar VPN is going to prevent that.
only when they want to..... if have a reason not to find it, they can't find yesterday's Wall Street Journal.
Or find out who was doing coke in the White House.
(hint: we all know)
Headline: Secret Service unable to identify who took Ronald McDonald's hamburgers....
So Google One comes with a VPN (in addition to additional storage) for $1.99/mo.
Has anyone used it? And specifically, can I use it for streaming things like MLB.tv and Netflix?
I pay for Google One for the extra storage, and the VPN comes along with that package. I've used it, it works pretty well on my phone and my computer, but it's very basic. I don't think you have the option to change your apparent location, etc.
Yes you need one. 1, a vpn attributes your traffic to a different IP address than your own. 2, it adds an extra layer of crypto to all web browsing. So yeah ... get a vpn. Really any decent VPN would do. I use Private Internet Access ... it is super cheap and does everything well enough.
Good point on #2. The extra layer of encryption is important to me. And I never connect to a public Wi-Fi without making sure it’s connected.
It’s useful when I travel and have to use open Wi-Fi networks in hotels. You get some security to shield your traffic. It’s also useful for me when I’m at our house in Canada and I want to watch shows I’ve recorded on Xfinity at home. As stated by someone else, it was requirement for WFH with my previous employer.
Based on what you provided, you probably don’t need one.
This is a great point. It's always beneficial to have a VPN when connecting any device to any public network, for many reasons.
I used Express VPN while traveling outside the US and it was great for being able to watch shows that would not otherwise be available. A VPN can also come in handy when browsing on a public wifi like at the airport or Starbucks or whatever.
There are some other benefits to VPNs, which mostly center on preventing website marketing trackers from accessing your search history and stuff like that. I mostly use privacy enhancing browsers (I only use Chrome when I absolutely have no other choice) and other tools to prevent ads from being displayed across the web, so I don't really feel the need for that extra layer of security that the VPN would provide.
I use a vpn and have been for years. Not only does it provide security but it cloaks your ip address so you can watch programs from other countries. I mostly watch UK programs on channels such as the BBC network, ITV, Channel 5, and All 4 channel. I mainly get my news from BBC, GB news and Talk TV as well.
No, unless privacy or pirating is important to you.
In addition to the privacy benefits, if you ever connect to any public WiFi (airport, coffee shop, etc) then you should absolutely use a VPN. Not using one is reckless and borderline masochistic. At home though, if you don't care about the privacy benefits, then it's not a big deal. It's still useful for accessing stuff that is geo-restricted and for hiding your activity from your ISP.
A note on the privacy stuff though- it doesn't help as much as most people think. Your IP address is just one aspect of how companies fingerprint you. Your web browser provides tons of information about the device you're using, it is usually unique enough that companies can reliably identify you even if your IP is constantly changing, as long as you're using the same device. So if you ever logged in to any Google service for example, with or without VPN, Google can still identify you whether you're using a VPN or not. And even if you never log in, all of your sessions can be linked together to form an anonymous profile of you to serve you targeted ads. That may or may not matter to you, but don't be fooled by VPN companies marketing, they typically way overstate the privacy benefits of their services. Some of them are pretty scummy.
A VPN basically masks your location from everything you do. They are great for that.
You can "protect" your privacy in other ways by changing your search engine away from Google to something like Duckduckgo and using a browser like Firefox and restricting (through the use of select browser extenions) any website's ability to track you using cookies, beacons, etc. as you navigate around the web. Some websites will not work well without essential cookies but you can teach your browser which sites to "restrict hard" and which ones to temporarily allow certain "essential to function" cookies.
It's also a good idea to clear your browser's cache whenever you exit to delete all the cookies from your device(s) when you are done using the web. You can direct your browser to do that upon exit. Again, you can instruct your browser which cookies to leave on your device to facilitate certain of your key websites.
And? When traveling/using an open WiFi hotspot, *never* do anything on your device that is sensitive like banking or emailing. Invest in a secure WiFi subscription which allows you to use their VPN.
I used a VPN for a while and then gave it up because I decided that my personal information is already in the hands of everyone who wants it for nefarious purposes. Seriously, it takes <30 seconds to find my home address and cell phone # online and I am certain that people much more tech savvy than me can find my bank account and credit card information too.
So in essence I've rationalized that using a VPN is like putting a finger in a hole in the Hoover dam and pretending that the flood waters aren't coming. On the other hand, since I am an irrational human being, I am a big believer in two factor authentication and use it wherever and whenever it is available.
what is irrational about 2 factor?
I’m not an expert but I used a popular VPN because we installed a public wifi where I work and I was concerned about security when visiting financial institutions.
I was talking to our IT professionals here, and they told me any “https” URL is already encrypted and you don’t need to use a VPN. Almost all websites today use https.
The benefit of a VPN appears that you can change your location for viewing streams in another country, e.g. viewing Sky Sports while you’re in the States.
I dropped the VPN a couple months ago because it seemed to slow my connection.
Everyone in this thread has missed your last statement. It is another layer of communication to go through. It will degrade your speed by some measure. Maybe unnoticeable at times, but its still there.
apparently this MGoUser doesn't porn
fortunately, that is true. i say that because that stuff is like drugs and booze, and people get addicted to it. it also destroys relationships.
now, if we're talking 'fish porn', well, let's just say that i have oggled quite a few pictures of trout and salmon (and a few other species) my friends have sent me.
Most companies stopped using IP Addresses as the sole tracking mechanism long ago. Besides blocking your IP Address, a VPN does nothing to protect your personal information. Is it blocking cookies, session variables, images, or user agents? It most definitely isn't blocking the most common breach of personal data, the person themselves.
For those who just want privacy and added security without the loss of speed, I recommend using Cloudflare Warp; which is a free tool from Cloudflare.
I used a VPN to watch the two first games last season in Europe.
I recently tried to use a VPN connection out of the UK in an attempt to see Glastonbury content from BBC's Player on their website. It didn't work, so I'm guessing they've made it difficult to restrict their content within the UK. Anyone have any tips on whether or not this is possible?
VPN secures data in transit. It's a powerful tool but only useful in a limited sense. Most transmission online of anything worth protecting will already be encrypted via HTTPS. VPN would add security if you are on an unsecured network - such as a public network like a coffee shop, or your home network if it's open. For example, if you're logged in to any service or website, the VPN does nothing to secure your data from that website. The servers on the other end know who you are and what you're doing because you're telling them directly. The VPN would secure against snooping that traffic by other entities, but that's redundant with any HTTPS connection. It basically creates an encrypted tunnel through the internet, which secures your data in transit, but if your device is already compromised or if you are connecting to curious or malicious entities (either deliberately or clicking on spam/malicious links), it's not going to help because both ends of the tunnel are open (unencrypted).
If you're using a smartphone, a VPN adds security if using public WIFI etc. but doesn't do anything to mask your data from being shared with services or endpoints you're connected to, or between apps installed on your phone. As you can see, most of the uses described on this thread are to spoof your IP to take advantage of certain regional restrictions with media companies -- that works but don't fool yourself into thinking you've created a strong layer of privacy. If they want to dig in and figure out who you are, they probably could.
So, if you're traveling a lot and using public WIFI or unfamiliar networks, get a VPN. If you're doing piracy or freedom fighting in banana republics or some such, VPN can help establish connections and can provide security but it's pretty flimsy unless you also have rock-solid op sec (and by that I mean, you're on the level of a nation state-backed team -- and if you read the Mueller indictments of Russian hackers, even the pros can mess up and reveal themselves) because it's literally just one facet of security. If it's all you have and you aren't covering your tracks perfectly, any attacker or investigator could have a pretty easy time getting around it if they're motivated.
I use the VPN that's built into my home router, which is useful for providing secure access to my home network while I'm away. The only drawbacks are that throughput is limited (time to upgrade the router?), and the protocol doesn't play nicely with Apple Bonjour, so forget about doing anything with Apple network services like AirPrint - but hey, who needs to print something at home when they're not there?
2 years ago I tried to use NordVPN in Europe to try to spoof being in the US to watch YouTubeTV; it didn't work (YouTubeTV detected the VPN). Maybe all for the best (it was the Michigan-Georgia game).
But have folks found any VPN that works with YoutubeTV abroad?
For most people who may be indifferent to surveillance, the biggest plus of VPN is being able to temporarily change where you seem to be logging into. This allows the user in some cases to access shows and movies that are not available in the US/Canada but due to the various world wide rights available elsewhere.
If you're paranoid about what others know about you get a VPN, to me it doesn't matter, yeah Internet sites collect my data and try to sell me stuff or try to trick me with news compelling to my interests, but all that's it is publicity and I know it, they're providing me with a service for free like the news, the weather forecast or information about the latest 5 star on Michigan's radar so I don't mind them trying to sell me stuff, they still need my last word for me to spend a cent on their ads. If i were spending my days browsing sites with doubious cookie polices and spyware i'd consider using a Virtual Machine and a few proxy sites/VPN, but if the site is not regulated it is most likely because their activity is somewhat illegal and that's the risk we all take when we decide to take a midnight stroll through a dark alley in the shadiest part of town.
I have used it in the past...When I travel I use a VPN to access my local streaming accounts and I have been able to watch some Michigan games overseas by using a VPN and logging into my Comcast account to watch live TV.
Anyone out there - if you use public Wifi get a VPN. If you're at home, probably get a VPN but it's less crucial because, generally speaking, you're less exposed to malicious actors.
I have one that I am required to log in to everyday for work. I have no idea why.
Do you bank or buy stuff online? VPN