I’m using Mullvad because I like their company. F***! These is no way I can formulate this sentence without it sounding weird…
Anyway!
It seems like the state’s websites and the municipalities’ websites allow Mullvad but the counties’ websites block it.
What the actual f… 😂
What’s the situation in YOUR country/region? Are you able to do taxes, surf on healthcare related websites (hospitals etc) and on government bodies’ sites without issues?
I would never use a VPN for sites that require me to log in with my real name, in that case the VPN has no added value and you are actively sabotaging the privacy you’re trying to gain by using a VPN for general browsing.
In fact, I have a seperate browser for sites that require me to log in with my real identity.
I think your point is valid and good. If you log in with your real name, you have given out your ID and have no privacy.
But there can still be reasons to use VPNs for sites you will log into. I use a dedicated VPN for all such sites. My banking, utilities, insurance etc. I use that VPN for nothng else but sites tied to my real identity. Why? Because it bypasses the data harvesting my ISP does. My ISP collects everything I connect to, the domains I mean not the contents, and sells to data brokers. The fuckers. So here, I do not use a VPN for privacy from the sites, who must know me. I use it to stop my ISP from seeing certain things.
But, I am also very careful! I do not cross the streams! My ID-tied VPN is only used for sites that have to know who I am IRL. I never mix it up with sites that have no business knowing my IRL ID. Which is most sites! Those use a totally different VPN, who I also did not give my identity to.
Is there a particular reason to avoid crossing the streams here? As I understood it, exiting the VPN lumps everyone using that node together, so of doesn’t matter if you’re logging in from a node that’s torrenting, they’d have to make a solid case that you were the only person connected to that node.
Yah, I believe you are right. Everyone will exit on the same IP. So maybe it’s not totally necessary.
Part of my reason was, I wanted a VPN inside my country for my identity tied use. To avoid possible geo-blocks. But for non-identity use, I wanted to use a VPN in Europe.
Also I hoed, maybe it makes life slightly harder for identity brokers? Like, they can track that I use a certain IP for my ID-tied uses. Even if there are also 100 others on that IP, it’s still data which can form part of a fingerprint. For my non-identity use, I wanted to minimize anything to tie the two worlds together. I use a different browser and different device, even.
I’m not doing anything wrong, or illegal, or unethical. I’m just a normal ass person, but I fucking hate identity brokers and mass surveilance.
And what makes you think the VPN is not doing exactly the same thing? You think your measly 10 dollar a month subscription is enough for them?
Several reasons. First, they have been hit with gov lawsuits and a police raid before. They were unable to provide any data about customer behavior on the VPN. Police left empty handed. They don’t log it. Also I pay with cash. They don’t know who I am.
Second, they are audited by independent 3rd parties.
Third, it has also a good reputation. That rep would be destroyed overneight if it was discovered.
Nothing in life is 100% certain. But not all things are equal either, just because something “could” happen. I know for a fact my ISP does it. I have good reasons to believe my VPN is not. Thus, I will pick the safer option. My best guess is <1% chance my VPN does this. But even if 50%, that’s STILL better than 100%.
Are you trying to say that I’m leaving a fingerprint by using a VPN? How? My threat model doesn’t require me to hide the fact that my real identity is using one.
Your bank now knows your ID. Now they know the IP address of your VPN exit node and your browser fingerprint. Theoretically if they give that information to Google (or more likely, both Google and your bank give your information to Peter Thiel) then Palantir can track you despite using a VPN.
Who knows how realistic this scenario is, but why chance it when your bank is also going to suspect you of fraud every time you log in via VPN.
they are tracking you with a VPN whether you want to admit it or not. Or how does a VPN stop tracking. And what stops the VPN from doing exactly what you say your ISP is doing.
They hide your IP address from the sites you visit. IIRC they also use the same IP address for multiple users for further mix things up. You aren’t necessarily untrackable with a VPN, but if you’re IP address is out in the open you are 100% trackable.
Nothing technically. But there are three reasons why your VPN is more trustworthy.