Router VPN / Streaming / Daisy Chain Routers / Security

[ColinTaylor]

Yes I'm trusting a Panamanian company more than the general Internet. For me TRUST is earned. See comment above. Just that simple.

No, the difference is that you're trusting a Panamanian company rather than your ISP (not the general Internet). It's that simple.

 

[GoldWing]

Banks want to know their customers so they think someone using a VPN is hiding.

IMHO that is your opinion. I use multiple financial institutions on the Internet. Some I'm sure are much larger than others. I can say with relative certainty that the financial institution where I've experienced intermittent problems with my online access which appears to be my VPN are not the largest.

The financial institution where I've experienced the intermittent problem I was told that it most likely was caused by implementation of AI. Sometimes I can login with a VPN, and sometimes I can't. If I turn off the VPN, then I can login relatively soon afterward which leads me to believe that the problem is the VPN. My experience working with IT on intermittent problems has been that IT has a problem which they most likely are not aware of simply because the problem is intermittent.

Just my opinion.

Regards,


GoldWing

 

[GoldWing]

As I said, all you're doing is giving your trust to someone else, and you're happily paying for it.

Yes. TRUST is a heavy word. I'm attempting to reduce risk and improve privacy when using the Internet. Just that simple.

 

[L&LD]

Simply, you're not.

 

[GoldWing]

Simply, you're not.

Can anyone disclose a URL to a published article where a VPN provider has disclosed users' information to a non-legal authority?

I'm curious because if there is that type of evidence of such practice by a VPN provider, than I would agree with you.

Regards,

GoldWing

 

[Tech9]

My opinion is the same as before:

JFFS Format

https://mullvad.net/en/help/asus-merlin-and-mullvad-vpn/#port-forwarding You put the script in the wrong place. Yes,thanks i do recall using putty for something few years ago, must have been this. I totally forgot

www.snbforums.com

JFFS Format

For me learning is fun. Learning is fun. Doing before you learn is not. What you have done so far is sharing your "privacy" with your ISP, then with VPN provider and with DNS services provider. They all know what your bank is, what your healthcare provider is, what your insurance company is...

www.snbforums.com

You @GoldWing are only hurting yourself and paying extra on top.

 

[L&LD]

@GoldWing, you really need to be more skeptical and critical of what you accept. Particularly when you're paying for it.

From a Bing Chat search:

There have been instances where VPN companies have shared user information. For example, Facebook released a VPN that claimed to protect and encrypt user traffic. Still, in reality, it was collecting sensitive information from users, such as websites they browsed and apps they opened on their devices ². Another example is PureVPN, which assisted the feds in their investigation by handing over logs ³.

It's important to note that not all VPNs care about your privacy. There are VPN apps out there that will track and share things like your user ID, device or advertising ID, usage data and even your location. They track this information just to sell it on to third parties for targeted advertising purposes, making money at the expense of your digital privacy ¹.

Would you like more information on this topic?

Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/6/2023
(1) Do VPN Companies Track Your Browsing Data? - How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/703185/do-vpn-companies-track-your-browsing-data/.
(2) Did PureVPN Cross a Line When It Disclosed User Information?. https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/did-purevpn-cross-a-line-when-it-disclosed-user-information.
(3) Not All VPNs Care About Your Privacy - CNET. https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/not-all-vpns-care-about-your-privacy/.
(4) VPN companies list - you will be SURPRISED who owns what. https://www.appsverse.com/blog/vpn-companies-list/.

I'm not here to do this research for you, and neither is anyone else, so consider the above a 'freebie', I won't easily offer another one again.

The questions you're asking are not the answers you need.

If you understand how the internet works, you'll quickly see that if you're online, you have no security or privacy, period.

I don't use or install 'apps', I am not on social media, I do not use Google or Apple services, and I don't miss any of those 'features' they provide. Why? Because my privacy and security are more important than the cringeworthy apps offered.

Here's an article that should raise some eyebrows about 'apps', which are not just simple programs to do specific things, they are methods to gain access to all your information, or they won't work/install at all.

TikTok spied on me. Why?

A Financial Times journalist writes about discovering she’d been surveilled by TikTok.

arstechnica.com

And the other side of the story (which sounds you may sympathize with).

The TikTok Ban Is Causing a Generational Divide. The Fallout Could Be Serious.

Gen Z dominates TikTok—and the outrage over a potential ban. What are the implications of the generational divide over the app?

www.barrons.com

What I find interesting is that the latter 'article' simply ignores the real threat the first article 'proves'.


You have an IP address. The world knows it. You can hide from an individual, your ISP, or your city/county, but eventually, at a zoomed-out enough level, you become visible again. Regardless of what promises anyone and anything makes regarding your online privacy and security.

Often, the very entity you trust is the one doing the damage (see the Bing Chat results and the Arstechnica article above).

And, this is only the information we know today (about who has done what).

I like to remember the stories about the traveling snake oil salesman who were welcomed nationwide, lied directly to your face, and sold you water with (usually, some form of) poison in it. Those people haven't gone away, they're now online and look very impressive with the flashy websites, their terror-instilling ads, and fear-based business practices.

Over 20 years ago I was being 'attacked' by viruses, no matter which antivirus program I installed/used. I was at my wit's end, and lost sleep, work time, and a lot of missed opportunities because I had to rebuild my computers multiple times per week. This lasted for a few months.

How did I 'fix' this issue? By not installing any antivirus programs of any kind (except what MS offered, built-in, on their OS). I think this speaks volumes. As I haven't had any virus-related issues (that MS' built-in antivirus) couldn't handle), at all.

And to put a fine point on the above; antivirus companies don't want you to be virus free. They want you to continue to pay them indefinitely and will 'prove' how much you need them by either falsely flagging viruses, or letting you get infected to show you how indispensable they are (when they miraculously 'fix' things).

Am I paranoid? No. I'm a realist.

If someone can lie to make you part with your money, they will.

 

[degrub]

...and it doesn't have to be an outright "lie", just partial "facts" used to craft a story....

 

[Tech9]

I don't know why we have this conversation again. Obviously @GoldWing already decided what they want to do - right or wrong. It's possible to do VPN over VPN - just sharing some ideas for extra "security". I was using it for my baby powder businesses in Afghanistan. Now I own both VPN providers.

 

[L&LD]

I don't know why you reply with such nonsensical ramblings. Last word syndrome maybe?

 

[GoldWing]

you really need to be more skeptical and critical of what you accept. Particularly when you're paying for it.

I agree!

Regards,

GoldWing

 

[GoldWing]

...and it doesn't have to be an outright "lie", just partial "facts" used to craft a story....

Indeed!

Regards,

GoldWing

 

[GoldWing]

I don't know why you reply with such nonsensical ramblings. Last word syndrome maybe?

LOL!

Regards,

GoldWing