cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/35967051
Most people turn to a VPN for one reason: privacy. And with its verified badge, featured placement, and 100k+ installs, FreeVPN.One looked like a safe choice. But once it’s in your browser, it’s not working to keep you safe, it’s continuously watching you.
VPNs are wild to me. “Hey! Pay some company to promise not to watch you so you can pretend to be private and not have some company watching you.”
Generally speaking, if you’re paying for a VPN, then you should be paying for a provider that is no log. Free VPNs, you get what you pay for, which is nothing. So you don’t really get any security with that.
I’ve watched this go down long enough in enough industries to know better than to believe their claim of not logging.
You’re being watched. Hell, your data’s probably being handed over to cops without your knowledge.
How do we know the “no log” VPNs don’t log our activity?
Also any recommendations? I can’t find one that says they don’t log and refuse to cooperate with 14eyes.
I’d say a police raid to the offices of Mullvad with the police returning empty handed is a pretty good guarantee
ProtonVPN is no log and so is Mullvad I think. Basically it’s mostly reputation, some also pay for outside audits of their systems so they can more effectively boast.
No log vpns probably do cooperate with authorities, but the fact that they are no log means they don’t provide anything. They get a warrant for logs and identification, they comply and send a letter “we have no logs, or way to trace the identity of a user”.
And character is like a tree and reputation is a shadow of it, and it takes a hell of a lot less to bring it down than to grow it up.
Best you got is recurring audits
Many VPN companies post audits, and build up reputations. Not that I’d recommend it specificlly (since I only use it for a lifetime subscription I bought in a sale), but FastestVPN advertises the former.
…I guess it depends what you’re doing, too. If you’re, like, a government whistleblower, you might want to look into Mullad layered with something else instead of a more traditional commercial provider.
better than having a company that is directly known as watching you and sending all of it to your government
some companies have built a strong reputation
Knowing a company is watching me because it’s openly known, is to me better than paying a company to not watch me and likely risk them simply selling out eventually like they all do.
It’s funnier when you stupidly expected them to protect you, PAID them for it, and they don’t.
It’s like 23andme. Too fucking funny and everyone deserves it for their stupidity.
VPN companies have a low interest in selling user data. Their business model is pretty profitable already, and any leak of this would instantly kill the brand.
There’s no reason for proton and mullvad to sell user data. They would be legally liable and they would break their profitable companies
fucking DNA stuff that was even written in the privacy policy iirc so meh, not the same
would love to get examples of this. I have a lot of counter examples
What’s better? The devil you know or the devil you don’t?
You’re saying the reputable company is a devil we don’t know? If you want to be dishonest, try a bit harder.
What you should say is “What’s better? The devil you know or the unknown entity that claims to be an angel (and that hasn’t been caught doing bad things since its existence, a few years)?”