Advice Request Is there a real need of using a VPN? Be honest!

[Erika]

I have been hearing a lot of my friends and co-workers using a VPN all the time while
they are online. But I simply don't get it! I had never had any situation where
I would need a VPN, but a lot of my paranoid friends out there always recommend me using
one because they say that your ISP or Government is monitoring me. Well, if they really want
my data, they would get it! What can a VPN do to help me in that matter?

 

[XhenEd]

Setting aside government intrusion, one major benefit of VPN is you can't be attacked/spied by a cyber criminal that is on the same network as yours. That's why it's best that one uses a VPN on a public WiFi.

But on a home network, VPN isn't necessary unless you really want its benefits, especially online anonymity.

 

[ifacedown]

Ok, but how much internet slowdown is caused by using VPN?

 

[NikolayfromRussia]

I am always connected to Vpn service. The first time I started using Vpn was in 2013. There was kaspersky Pure 3.0 giveaway for 6 months. Only UK and Irish users were allowed to get theses codes. But I also wanted to grab such keys . That time I didn't know much about vpn. I tried to use proxies but they worked too slow. But I found out solution using vpn. Since that time I am always connected to vpn surfing or downloading in Internet. I don't like my Ip to be logged. I think MT admin/moderators can also see our Ips when we are on forum or leave our comments.

 

[XhenEd]

Ok, but how much internet slowdown is caused by using VPN?

Internet slowdown may be an issue if one is on a home network. But on a public network, I would choose privacy and security, and thus may be slower, over faster internet connection that is less secure.

 

[NikolayfromRussia]

Ok, but how much internet slowdown is caused by using VPN?

It also depends on a vpn service you use. Some months ago I was always connected to PureVpn. The speed was incredible high for surfing and watching online films. But something happened to their servers and now they work more slowly. I am not talking about it' security (there is a dns leak exists).

 

[Arequire]

I have been hearing a lot of my friends and co-workers using a VPN all the time while
they are online. But I simply don't get it! I had never had any situation where
I would need a VPN, but a lot of my paranoid friends out there always recommend me using
one because they say that your ISP or Government is monitoring me. Well, if they really want
my data, they would get it! What can a VPN do to help me in that matter?

On public WiFi a VPN is absolutely necessary. It's ridiculously easy to eavesdrop and harvest sensitive data from insecure WiFi. Hell, I can point you to at least 4 different pieces of software that would allow you to do so with very little know-how.

As for on your home network I'd say it isn't necessary. It depends on how much you value your ISP not knowing the sites you browse (assuming nothing's leaking and/or your ISP doesn't conduct DPI) or keeping your location away from the plethora of companies on the web that use your IP address for location targeting.
I'd mention your government/intelligence agencies too but I'm not convinced a VPN actually hides anything from them. Who knows what kind of crypto their supercomputers can crack at this point.

 

[Deleted member 65228]

What can a VPN do to help me in that matter?

When you are using VPN the connections will be going through the server belonging to the VPN provider - this masks your IP address because the IP address of the VPN server is being used for the actual connection between the client and the host you are targeting, and your IP address is only used to connect to the VPN provider.

Your IP address can be used by attackers to perform attacks such as DDoS, and other things can be done such as port scanning which can lead to other attack techniques depending on the available vectors to be targeted.

VPN protects you from attackers, and also protects you privacy-speaking in some ways; websites will not know that you specifically are visiting (unless of course you have an account and are signed in, and unless the VPN provider keeps logs and were to hand them over to the website owner); it makes it trickier for ISPs to monitor your internet activity because of the layer of encryption (which they also do - this is how some ISPs block downloads to torrent sites and/or access to them, etc.).

You are right about government agencies getting information regardless, because using a VPN alone isn't going to stop them, guaranteed. There isn't all that much you can do about the government when it comes to spying IMO, but you can focus on preventing the malicious attackers who don't have any legal leverage to do what they might be trying to do.

VPN is far from full-proof though, it just a precaution you can take for that extra step of security or privacy. It doesn't mean no one will ever manage to get your real IP address (e.g. browser proxies were thought to be safe but then there was the WebRTC leak).

 

[tim one]

The VPN traffic is secure, encrypted, authenticated and intact, within the virtual network.
Of course, it is necessary to have certainty of the legitimacy of the VPN provider because your data will transit on its servers.

 

[RoboMan]

On public networks: always, with network lock to auto disconnect when the VPN turns off. Very dangerous.
On home networks: depending on the restrictions of your government. Here in Germany it's a nightmare so i use it 24/7.

To take into account: do not believe everything you read. Because a VPN provider states a no log policy does not necessarily mean it's true. And if pressured by any government they will hand any logs unless their country laws protect them.
Remember, on the internet world trust nobody and make no mistakes.

 

[insanity]

VPNs are useful to bypass site blocks, which are common in Europe and other countries where the government exerts tight control on the media (say China, Russia, Turkey etc). Also, VPNs prevent your government and ISP to monitor your browsing habits directly. VPNs allow you to access geo-restricted content (eg: US Netflix) and in some countries a VPN is a must for worry free torrenting. At the end of the day, the need for a VPN will depend on the country you are from and how you're going to use it. But you must choose carefully your VPN provider, as some will actually keep logs from your browsing activity and may hand it to law enforcement on request.

 

[ForgottenSeer 58943]

I have been hearing a lot of my friends and co-workers using a VPN all the time while
they are online. But I simply don't get it! I had never had any situation where
I would need a VPN, but a lot of my paranoid friends out there always recommend me using
one because they say that your ISP or Government is monitoring me. Well, if they really want
my data, they would get it! What can a VPN do to help me in that matter?

If the govt. (or any govt.) would like to spy on you they will. Even with a high degree of precautions they'll still find a hole eventually. Even if they have to stuff a PXF like device outside of your network and quantum insert into your TCP stream, they'll get you because you won't have a NGFW denying TCP fragmentations. There are still plenty of ways to avoid govt. spying/intrusion if you have sufficient money/skill/experience/knowledge. It's actually not THAT difficult. But why bother in your case? Just encrypt your personal/private stuff, reduce logging/telemetry, opensource intel and not worry about governments.

For home use the primary reason IMO is some level of anonymity on the internet and possibly to subvert your ISP doing things they shouldn't be doing. For that it's useful. But it is especially useful for traveling - those hotel networks are notorious for people playing games on them, pineapples, whatever. The last reason is site blocks people try to circumvent, very handy for that. Also for licensing software.. For example paying $10 for a game key that would cost $60 here, then using a VPN to activate it or whatever.

For general home use it's probably a nice thing because most home users don't have a NGFW/UTM and highly secured networks. For me, pumping my sessions through a VPN is like totally dropping all of my security. I'm better off running a VPN server here and putting everything behind my gateway than I am using a third party service.

 

[Erika]

On public WiFi a VPN is absolutely necessary. It's ridiculously easy to eavesdrop and harvest sensitive data from insecure WiFi. Hell, I can point you to at least 4 different pieces of software that would allow you to do so with very little know-how.

As for on your home network I'd say it isn't necessary. It depends on how much you value your ISP not knowing the sites you browse (assuming nothing's leaking and/or your ISP doesn't conduct DPI) or keeping your location away from the plethora of companies on the web that use your IP address for location targeting.
I'd mention your government/intelligence agencies too but I'm not convinced a VPN actually hides anything from them. Who knows what kind of crypto their supercomputers can crack at this point.

Ok, so how can i be sure that VPN is not collecting my data, selling it and giving it to government or authorities when asked or required.

 

[Ian Riley]

Hi Erika,

Let me ask you one thing, how much time do you spent daily on the internet? How much information about your life is on the internet? How much social media knows you? Do you think that it is difficult for hackers to hack your private photos when they can hack icloud accounts of celebrities like J Lo, Saleena Gomez, etc.? It's all about how much you engage yourself with the internet.

Every information you shared on social media, isn't only shared with friends but with the entire world. Don't believe me just write your full name and search in images and facebook profiles, you will see yourself listed somewhere there. Do you like to take shower in front of everyone or changing clothes on the road? Well internet is somewhat like that believe me.

I am a security enthusiast and it really hurts me when people ignore how complicated the cyber world is around us. We without hesitation giveaway our private selfies, credit card, medical and postal information on the internet, not even thinking what if, it ended up in wrong hands, what if it is used against you and what if it got public.

VPN surely is not a perfect solution, but it works to some extent to protect your online privacy. I suggest using:

VPN + TOR + Anti virus

Well, as for the uses of VPN, let me list some very important uses here:

1 Get Invisibility Cloak To Ditch Online Threats
2 Erase Your Digital Footprints From The Internet
3 Keep Your Personal Conversation Private
4 Protect Your Valuables Online
5 Hide Your Identity While Sending Anonymous Emails
6 Secure Your Entire Family And Home Network
7 Safely Use Free Wifi Hotspots
8 Safely Shop Online With Your Credit Card
9 Avoid Government Surveillance
10 Access The Web Freely
11 Watch Your Favorite Sports Online
12 Watch Your Favorite Movies
13 Listen To Free Music On-the-Go
14 Access VoIP Services Without Restrictions
15 Enjoy MMORPG Games without Lags
16 Download Torrents Anonymously
17 Access Books From Around The World
18 Avoid Additional Taxes
19 Save Money On Airfares
20 Save Money On Hotel Bookings
21 Save Money On Books And Hardware
22 Securely Access Official Emails
23 Remotely Access Office Network
24 Optimize Your Website Via Off Page SEO
25 Freely Express Your Thoughts And Opinions

 

[HarborFront]

Ok, so how can i be sure that VPN is not collecting my data, selling it and giving it to government or authorities when asked or required.

ALL VPN providers will collect data to a certain extent and that starts from the moment you sign on like wanting your email address, personal particulars etc. till you terminate the VPN service with your personal particulars or data being kept unless you requested them to be deleted. In-between will be those usage and session data which some providers will collect.

However, you can carefully select one who collects the least amount of data through reading the net reviews, vpn forums etc

VPNs are Lying About Logs | RestorePrivacy

 

[XhenEd]

Ok, so how can i be sure that VPN is not collecting my data, selling it and giving it to government or authorities when asked or required.

You can't. You can ask the same with Microsoft.

Sometimes, trust is all you got.

 

[Erika]

ALL VPN providers will collect data to a certain extent and that starts from the moment you sign on like wanting your email address, personal particulars etc. till you terminate the VPN service with your personal particulars or data being kept unless you requested them to be deleted. In-between will be those usage and session data which some providers will collect.

However, you can carefully select one who collects the least amount of data through reading the net reviews, vpn forums etc

VPNs are Lying About Logs | RestorePrivacy

How would I know who is not the devil and who is the angle? Is there any BODY to certified VPN for collecting and misusing users' information?

 

[HarborFront]

How would I know who is not the devil and who is the angle? Is there any BODY to certified VPN for collecting and misusing users' information?

I doubt so in the certification thing.

Like I mentioned you need to read their privacy policy carefully, read reviews on the nets and from the VPN forums to find out. And like @XhenEd said you have to also trust the VPN provider. In the event that you are suspicious or have doubts in your VPN provider just change to another one.

 

[ifacedown]

Hello.

In Windows 10 (I am using Creators Update) has its own VPN. In its settings under VPN Provider, one option is available: Windows built-in. Is it free to use? How to set it up? Is it reliable? Thanks

 

[Ian Riley]

How would I know who is not the devil and who is the angle? Is there any BODY to certified VPN for collecting and misusing users' information?

There are different reasons of using VPN, but the main soul of a VPN is Privacy. VPN hides your original IP with one of its Server's IP so you can be invisible online and not even your ISP can track your activities. Now, coming to the main Point, as many of the people here already pointed out to read the privacy policy very carefully before making the purchase. Don't trust free VPN providers at any cost because they are making money on your data.

Another important aspect before selecting a VPN service is the location of the company. If a VPN providers operates in USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France and Romania, avoid them because all these countries have meta data retention laws. Which requires them to monitor, store and record the data of its users for at least 6 months. So, wrapping up the story:

Check the Privacy policy first
Check the location of business
Check your IP on ip2location before connecting VPN, then again check your IP after connecting VPN and see if both are different, if not it means your VPN is leaking IP. these are the best practices to make sure your VPN is trustworthy.

Recommended VPN are the ones operate business in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore as these countries have no such data retention laws.