Database Info

VPN and Politics - how secure is it

VPN and Politics - how secure is it
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VPN:
The miracle solution for corporate users on-the-go.
The solution for political disdents and street movements or "freedom fighters".
The solution for watching what Holywood bosses decided you may not see in Europe or somewhere else.
The solution for downloading what you are not allowed to.
And the fancy list continues.
But have you ever thought that everything has a price, nobody gives something for free without thinking of own profit and that physically, you connection and data must pass a certain server somewhere?
But ...who has access to that server?
Which land host it and how the policy and government of that country affects you?
Well... let's take few examples:
1. Chinese disidents in Hong Kong. Well, if they use F-Secure Freedom VPN, it could be quite good.
F-Secure is locate din Finland, it's a pro NATO and USA partner.
For the chinese disident does not matter if american NSA watches them.
2. Islamists in Europe or somewhere else.
Now F-Secure Freedom VPN could be their capital mistake and last program to use before NSA reacts and ...a ticket to Guantanamo is paid by the USA tax-payers.
3. Normal Europe citizen wanting to watch Country music... well, Nashville and Holliwood bosses are quite restrictive and aware of money losses. Now a good VPN program comes handy, but beware for BSA catching you if your VPN goes via an "ally" of USA. Perhaps vpn servers ouside Europe are better...
But beware of own personal data if VPN program comes from East or Far East and your traffic goes same way...
Conclusion: based on who you are, how you are politically situated in respect to major powers of the world, what you want to do..
Then choose you VPN program and with a good firewall and sniffer watch out what the VPN program wants to access more on your device.
Never trust a VPN program, based on its adverts from producer or comments from internet.
Investigate yourself first, and never trust without deep checking.
With respect,
Zeno Sloim
http://zenosloim.blogspot.com/2014/10/vpn-and-politics-how-secure-is-it.html

How secure are in fact VPN or Red Phone
Article inspired by a PM asking about my thoughts on VPN and Red Phone.
"Hello there! Finally someone who cares about security.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iunlock
Greetings, I've been reading some of your posts and all that info is right up my alley. It's hard to find someone who actually cares about this stuff like I do. Anyhow, I have some questions that you may be able to answer for me. A lot of people I've tried to run this by doesn't have any passion for security so I've only received half "" answers, which is not what I'm seeking.
What do you think about this set up.
1. I use a VPN that claims they don't keep logs on my phone. But who knows...better than nothing? Or are these companies compromised? See if I was the big bad wolf, I'd either create VPN companies to give people options to trick them into thinking they have security with a VPN (illusions) and/or pay VPN companies a dollar amount that they can't refuse for a backdoor...ie...easy access any time to the traffic and data. So what if VPN companies lie about their claims...who's going to tell right? $win-$win situation for big bad wolf and the VPN company that couldn't refuse the $ offered. Interesting eh?
2. Tor/Orweb. Hmm....slow as a dead turtle, but does it really work like they claim? I do see some truth to this though with its concept, but going back to what I said above. $ talks?
3. Password managers like last password, 1 Password etc... again if I was the big bad wolf, would I not be able to make $ talk? Make you think.
4. Secure apps...like jitsi, xabber, encrypted stuff...etc. ..
On the flip side of the coin, there are true security nuts who hate the big bad wolf and a lot of these people are the founders of some of these VPN companies and alike. So there's some comfort in knowing that I assume....also open source stuff is good because they are transparent. No messing around there. Anything funny or fishy would be known for any vulnerability in the app etc....
With all that stuff aside, assuming you did trust the VPN, tor etc....what's the best we can do security wise for our phones?
Well I think using a VPN is a must. Next using gpg to encrypt all emails along with encrypted chat clients. Then the use of tor to proxy your connections like mail, chat, fb, twitter etc....
What are your thoughts?
BTW, I don't use Facebook (Cia / prism) buffet....
I think gpg is the only sure way of true security.
In the real world, having the convenience for non important things makes the use of Gmail and other Google apps convenient.
Never do I ever use any real info for any of these accounts lol.
So the question is....will using a VPN, encrypted email, encrypted chat client, and tor do the trick?
How about the use of redphone app with Google voice on VPN since it uses data and not voice tunnel?
A lot of cool stuff....would love to hear your thoughts.
Cheers"
Hi sorry for so late answer.
Please read my posts on my security blog.
As a guide line:
There is no secure VPN or provider, all depends on your "enemies" or whom are you afraid of. It all depends on who "don't care about you".
And what you want to do.
Everything located on US territory will report in case to US authorities. Same goes for Germany, Russia, China.
Also for smaller countries: Canada, New Zealand, Australia - all will report to UK and USA.
Same for Austria, Finland, Sweden - all will report to USA, UK, Germany.
The closed ties in SIGINT cooperation are 100% same in so-called VPN providers/software.
IMHO it's money waste to pay for VPN. If you want to do something against law.
Respect the laws and ignore VPN.
All above is for private persons.
If enterprise, own physically the VPN server and never trust any 3rd part.
With kind regards
Zeno Sloim
Part 2
Red Phone - bogus for naive people
Any product (hardware or software) produced on German territory HAVE backdoor for German state authorities and Germany SIGINT close partners: USA, UK
Any product made on USA territory has back doors for US state authorities.
The whole Apple FBI encryption scandal was bogus for big public, all Apple products have backdoor.
It's a matter of time for how quickly will authorities know and decrypt your private data "travelling on internet".
Best solution is to try to keep it LOCALLY, as much as possible, by controlling anything going out of your phone.
It's not easy for a normal user.
But use only verified by you, apps.
With regards
Zeno Sloim

[VPN (Virtual Private Network) and why you should use it if you're serious about...]

Greetings all and Happy Holidays.
Per some fellow XDA users request and also to compliment the great thread "[TUTO] How To Secure Your Phone," by: unclefab, I figured this would help...a thread on VPN.
I am also shocked to not see anything in the security forum about VPN! I did a search and NOTHING.
What is a VPN?
(Virtual Private Network)
A simple search on the web will give you the nitty gritty stuff on what a VPN is, but I'll just lay it out very simply.
A VPN takes your data connection and encrypts it so it protects your data from not only your ISP seeing your traffic, but also from middle man attacks. Say if you were at a cafe connected to their open (unsecured) public WiFi and you did some shopping online, which involved you entering in your credit card number, name, address, etc... Well, it doesn't take much for someone to intercept your sensitive data passing through the cafe's unsecured WiFi connection.
How it works:
Encrypts your Computer's/Phone's data ---> Connects it to your VPN's server (Exit Server) ---> Then it reaches the end destination (website). (Safe Passage)
ie...
Safely passes your Internet Data, through a ---> [TUNNEL] ---> ...that is encrypted so that all your data is not only anonymous, but also protected.
There are may VPN's service providers out there, however, they are not all created equal. I've spent a lot of time researching VPN's and have went to great lengths to find the best of the best. The criteria of what I was looking for is as follows:
Offshore Company. Something outside of the US.
Liked and approved by even the extreme private/security activists.
Reliability and Speed! Some VPN's can be very slow only allowing you to achieve 30-50% of your internet speed at best.
A wide choice of servers.
Able to pay anonymously.
A VPN THAT WORKS ON OUR ANDROID DEVICES!
Some VPN companies have their own Android VPN client, which makes things a breeze. Just launch, connect and violla....all your traffic is now safely tunneled.
For the companies that do not have their own Android VPN client, you'll have to use the app: OpenVPN, which can be a hit or a miss for those on KK 4.4. Let me explain...
When I was on my Note 3 on 4.3, OpenVPN worked flawlessly and my speeds were darn near 100% of my regular LTE speeds even connected to a VPN! Well, once KK 4.4 came around, it completely ruined everything in terms of being able to stay connected. KK 4.4 is and was a nightmare for OpenVPN users. Upgrading from 4.3 to 4.4 was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my Android world. Bottom line, KK 4.4 sucks.
The good news is, there are a few VPN companies that work flawlessly on KK 4.4. I'm using one at the moment and it stays connected just fine with awesome speeds!
Why you should use a VPN:
Well think about. You can go the whole nine yards in securing your phone, which is awesome, but then you'd still be tunneling all that traffic "unencrypted," over the internet .... this is counter-intuitive in every way that you look at it. It's like ordering a BIG MAC Extra value meal and getting a diet coke. I mean really? What's the point? Diet? No matter how you see it, you're going to get fat if you keep eating it and thinking a diet coke is going to take edge off of you getting fat. Sorry, it doesn't work that way....
Imagine a semi-trucks driving down the highway with some completely exposed and some locked and covered. Well you'll obviously be able to see the exposed cargo on all the trucks that are not contained yes? Whereas the ones that are covered and locked, you'd have no clue what's in there. This is how a VPN works....it covers your data/traffic so that no one can see or know what is inside of that container during transit...ie...it provides a safe passage of your data over the internet to the end destination.
Now a VPN will protect your data from point A to the end destination (website.) That website will only be able to see your "exit server," and not your ISP or your location, but of course your data.
Ex: You're in New York connected to the internet using a VPN ----> The VPN server you're connected to is in Texas ---> The website you're visiting is located and hosted in Canada.
In that example, your "encrypted" data/traffic is being routed through Texas and then to Canada where the website is hosted/located. Make sense?
Because you're connecting to a VPN server, this is why you have to know which ones to use so that you can trust your data routing through their servers. Not all VPN companies are created equal!
If you're interested to know which VPN's are best in general and for our Android devices, PM me and I'll share with you my research. I don't want to advertise anything on here to be in compliance with the forum rules.
I hope this helps!
To be continued....

You forgot to tell the data is not encrypted by the VPN between it's server and the website's server, you are only moving a problem from place A to place B. It may be better for you if this is what you are looking for but it doesn't add that much security.
How a VPN works : Your device data is encrypted FIRST, it leaves your device and goes to the VPN's server, it is DECRYPTED, and then it is relayed to the server you were trying to contact. Your data is less traceable but you're not anonymous, the VPN provider knows who you are and your DNS provider may still know what you are looking at if you the device leak DNS requests.
Your guide is missing details, anonymity and security is not easy and trying to simplify it too much you lost important parts users should not forget.
Regards

Magissia said:
You forgot to tell the data is not encrypted by the VPN between it's server and the website's server, you are only moving a problem from place A to place B. It may be better for you if this is what you are looking for but it doesn't add that much security.
How a VPN works : Your device data is encrypted FIRST, it leaves your device and goes to the VPN's server, it is DECRYPTED, and then it is relayed to the server you were trying to contact. Your data is less traceable but you're not anonymous, the VPN provider knows who you are and your DNS provider may still know what you are looking at if you the device leak DNS requests.
Your guide is missing details, anonymity and security is not easy and trying to simplify it too much you lost important parts users should not forget.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Misleading? I think you need to re-read the post. Here let me help you:
"A VPN takes your data connection and encrypts it so it protects your data from not only your ISP seeing your traffic, but also from middle man attacks. Say if you were at a cafe connected to their open (unsecured) public WiFi and you did some shopping online, which involved you entering in your credit card number, name, address, etc... Well, it doesn't take much for someone to intercept your sensitive data passing through the cafe's unsecured WiFi connection."
"Now a VPN will protect your data from point A to the end destination (website.) That website will only be able to see your "exit server," and not your ISP or your location, but of course your data."
"Ex: You're in New York connected to the internet using a VPN ----> The VPN server you're connected to is in Texas ---> The website you're visiting is located and hosted in Canada."
So you're going to argue the fact that a VPN wouldn't be affective in a cafe scenario like the example I've given in the post?
Any additional information is appreciated, but please don't come in here saying that it's misleading....
THE FACT IS...YOU'RE BETTER OFF WITH A VPN, than WITHOUT ONE. PERIOD.

It's about trust, the VPN server can do the middle man attack itself or one could do it somewhere between the VPN's server and the final destination.
Of course you're better with a VPN most of the time, but it's important to clearly state it's not captain america's shield neither. It's important to clearly tell at all cost that the data is encrypted only between you and the VPN's server.
Best regards.

The only way to ensure you are safe from MITM is to use end to end encryption, like SSL/TLS (https). Even if the MITM is using sslstrip, you'll be able to tell by the security popup in your browser when it asks you to trust the connection (which you shouldn't...)
VPN is useful for protecting you from someone sniffing the airwaves on an open network or for accessing services behind a firewalled network. (Like SMB/Windows File Sharing).
Like Magissa said, it isn't captain America's shield, and don't be fooled by a false sense of security. You have to trust the VPN provider, and it would be pretty easy for one to sniff your traffic or read logs...

iunlock said:
Greetings all and Happy Holidays.
Per some fellow XDA users request and also to compliment the great thread "[TUTO] How To Secure Your Phone," by: unclefab, I figured this would help...a thread on VPN.
I am also shocked to not see anything in the security forum about VPN! I did a search and NOTHING.
What is a VPN?
(Virtual Private Network)
A simple search on the web will give you the nitty gritty stuff on what a VPN is, but I'll just lay it out very simply.
A VPN takes your data connection and encrypts it so it protects your data from not only your ISP seeing your traffic, but also from middle man attacks. Say if you were at a cafe connected to their open (unsecured) public WiFi and you did some shopping online, which involved you entering in your credit card number, name, address, etc... Well, it doesn't take much for someone to intercept your sensitive data passing through the cafe's unsecured WiFi connection.
How it works:
Encrypts your Computer's/Phone's data ---> Connects it to your VPN's server (Exit Server) ---> Then it reaches the end destination (website). (Safe Passage)
ie...
Safely passes your Internet Data, through a ---> [TUNNEL] ---> ...that is encrypted so that all your data is not only anonymous, but also protected.
There are may VPN's service providers out there, however, they are not all created equal. I've spent a lot of time researching VPN's and have went to great lengths to find the best of the best. The criteria of what I was looking for is as follows:
Offshore Company. Something outside of the US.
Liked and approved by even the extreme private/security activists.
Reliability and Speed! Some VPN's can be very slow only allowing you to achieve 30-50% of your internet speed at best.
A wide choice of servers.
Able to pay anonymously.
A VPN THAT WORKS ON OUR ANDROID DEVICES!
Some VPN companies have their own Android VPN client, which makes things a breeze. Just launch, connect and violla....all your traffic is now safely tunneled.
For the companies that do not have their own Android VPN client, you'll have to use the app: OpenVPN, which can be a hit or a miss for those on KK 4.4. Let me explain...
When I was on my Note 3 on 4.3, OpenVPN worked flawlessly and my speeds were darn near 100% of my regular LTE speeds even connected to a VPN! Well, once KK 4.4 came around, it completely ruined everything in terms of being able to stay connected. KK 4.4 is and was a nightmare for OpenVPN users. Upgrading from 4.3 to 4.4 was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my Android world. Bottom line, KK 4.4 sucks.
The good news is, there are a few VPN companies that work flawlessly on KK 4.4. I'm using one at the moment and it stays connected just fine with awesome speeds!
Why you should use a VPN:
Well think about. You can go the whole nine yards in securing your phone, which is awesome, but then you'd still be tunneling all that traffic "unencrypted," over the internet .... this is counter-intuitive in every way that you look at it. It's like ordering a BIG MAC Extra value meal and getting a diet coke. I mean really? What's the point? Diet? No matter how you see it, you're going to get fat if you keep eating it and thinking a diet coke is going to take edge off of you getting fat. Sorry, it doesn't work that way....
Imagine a semi-trucks driving down the highway with some completely exposed and some locked and covered. Well you'll obviously be able to see the exposed cargo on all the trucks that are not contained yes? Whereas the ones that are covered and locked, you'd have no clue what's in there. This is how a VPN works....it covers your data/traffic so that no one can see or know what is inside of that container during transit...ie...it provides a safe passage of your data over the internet to the end destination.
Now a VPN will protect your data from point A to the end destination (website.) That website will only be able to see your "exit server," and not your ISP or your location, but of course your data.
Ex: You're in New York connected to the internet using a VPN ----> The VPN server you're connected to is in Texas ---> The website you're visiting is located and hosted in Canada.
In that example, your "encrypted" data/traffic is being routed through Texas and then to Canada where the website is hosted/located. Make sense?
Because you're connecting to a VPN server, this is why you have to know which ones to use so that you can trust your data routing through their servers. Not all VPN companies are created equal!
If you're interested to know which VPN's are best in general and for our Android devices, PM me and I'll share with you my research. I don't want to advertise anything on here to be in compliance with the forum rules.
I hope this helps!
To be continued....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which is the best VPN to use?

I've installed OpenVPN for Android and it works fine.

[VPN (Virtual Private Network) and why you should use it if you're serious ab...
TheMoroccan said:
which is the best VPN to use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no concrete answer to that question. Your best bet is to use a VPN provider that's based outside of your country, preferably one that is less likely to corporate with your local law enforcement.

Agreed. Out of country, away from your government's reach... There are some offshore server farms in countries with lax laws... Those are usually tax havens also. Research

snapper.fishes said:
There's no concrete answer to that question. Your best bet is to use a VPN provider that's based outside of your country, preferably one with a less likely to corporate with your local law enforcement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bro for the info.

Maintaining highest possible anonymity using Orbot/Tor

G'day all.
Currently I'm using Tor and Orbot on my rooted Galaxy S5. I have a basic idea as to how they work, but I am currently attempting to maintain anonymity on my device and am looking to better understand how this all works as I'm new to having my phone rooted and hoping to delve into development at some point.
With that being said, can someone give me a small detailed rundown as to how they work and what is Transparent proxying? Should I run my apps traffic through Orbot?
Thanks in advance!

I also have a galaxy s5 and I have tried transparent proxying, and it didn't work. I also wouldn't trust orbot with my an anonymity.

I could be very wrong but as I understand it tor is using all the clients at it's disposal to provide internet access to everyone .
Ie while you are using tor to surf racoon prom dresses with 50+ client computers around the world they are using your internet to surf Dragon porn with your (and 50+ other people's) internet.
You are basically anonymous in what you are surfing because if you claim you are running tor you are in fact serving internet to others who you don't know. So you can't be held accountable for something you did not see.(just like your internet provider is not responsible for piracy, porn or anything they provide)
But
Tor was crippled by the fbi when the fbi took the servers in Ireland
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/09/fbi-admits-what-we-all-suspected-it-compromised-freedom-hostings-tor-servers/
And what they did once they will do again and again at will.
The government's of the world are actively taking measures to track everyone.And I'm sure are leading many anonymity projects.
There have been many implications of the fbi and other government agency's paying programmers to install backdoors in open software.
Fact is there is not enough money to audit the work of programmers that work on security for the internet.
(You basically have to pay two or three programmers to check the work of the first and hope they have not been payedoff, blackmailed etc)
There is little safety on the internet.
But tor is a step in the right direction, however it is brutally slow by it's nature. And it has been shown that it can be hacked
Private proxy servers, crowd funded public proxy servers, tor and encryption all used together only help.
Peer to peer networks of trusted individuals (like retro share,tor and similar) or other initiatives are the future of internet security.
But only if you can control and trust the ones you share with.
And even that will be pointless when your devices advertises your mac,isn,imei, and hundreds of other serial ids for you and your hardware.and the company's you buy your hardware from keeps records of that info into the foreseeable future.
Someone should write a faq on digital security and all the methods used to track hardware. And the ways to avoid it
(Ie use free Wi-Fi on a device with a spoofed mac(from a used device bought with cash at a garage sale) while blocking unwanted connections from system applications, using encryption and proxys)
It's like being safe from the cold.
Layer your protection in many ways.
But if it gets cold enough you will feel the chill

AmericanxDownxUnder said:
G'day all.
Currently I'm using Tor and Orbot on my rooted Galaxy S5. I have a basic idea as to how they work, but I am currently attempting to maintain anonymity on my device and am looking to better understand how this all works as I'm new to having my phone rooted and hoping to delve into development at some point.
With that being said, can someone give me a small detailed rundown as to how they work and what is Transparent proxying? Should I run my apps traffic through Orbot?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if Verizon GS5 can be rooted?

Phone privacy and security, is it possible to be completely private and secure?

I have always known that companies like google and facebook for example collect our data, web searches etc and sell this information for profit. Today, this has become an even bigger issue with what we see in the media with the nsa and other government organizations tapping into our devices and monitoring our usage. At the end of the day, most of us, myself included really dont have anything to hide, so it may not be a real issue. I have often thought that if anyone poked around in my pc or phone they would simply get bored as they are just full of geeky engineering files lol. The real thing for me is simply that it's an invasion of privacy and just not right. With that said, I find myself wanting to go the extra mile to make my pc and my phone completely private from outside sources taking my information, watching my web searches and seeing my data. My question is, is it possible to be 100% secure and private, and if not, how close can we get, and how? I have heard that VPN's can achieve this. Is this true? and if so are there any free secure VPN's for our android devices and or pc's that are really good? Do VPN's slow down our devices? Also, Is there a way when we delete android files to permanently delete them? I noticed when I flashed my rom, after doing the complete wipe that is still contains files from before the wipe.
(I know this isn't a pc forum, I only included the pc because it's relevant.)
Thank you all in advance.

There are no data retention laws in the United States. Meaning, if a data center does not want to hold any logs to their users' activity, they're not required by law to do so. Multiple countries are similar, which is why I recommend using Private Internet Access for your VPN. They have a client for PC and Android and they're really great. I've been using them for many years and have had no issues. And, if you're really wanting to remain "anonymous", you can pay for your VPN subscription using gift cards from popular outlets like Walmart, Starbucks, etc. And for search engines, I'd recommend DuckDuckGo, which doesn't log anything you search. For PC, I'd recommend disabling your IPv6 protocol in your router settings and getting uBlock Origin, HTTPS Everywhere, and PrivacyBadger. They're wonderful add-ons for Firefox or Chrome. uBlock Origin and PrivacyBadger can block WebRTC leaks which would leak your IP address and can be used to identify you. If you want more information, feel free to reply to my post and I'll help you out as much as I can.

Hoxic said:
There are no data retention laws in the United States. Meaning, if a data center does not want to hold any logs to their users' activity, they're not required by law to do so. Multiple countries are similar, which is why I recommend using Private Internet Access for your VPN. They have a client for PC and Android and they're really great. I've been using them for many years and have had no issues. And, if you're really wanting to remain "anonymous", you can pay for your VPN subscription using gift cards from popular outlets like Walmart, Starbucks, etc. And for search engines, I'd recommend DuckDuckGo, which doesn't log anything you search. For PC, I'd recommend disabling your IPv6 protocol in your router settings and getting uBlock Origin, HTTPS Everywhere, and PrivacyBadger. They're wonderful add-ons for Firefox or Chrome. uBlock Origin and PrivacyBadger can block WebRTC leaks which would leak your IP address and can be used to identify you. If you want more information, feel free to reply to my post and I'll help you out as much as I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hoxic,
Thank you for all of the information. With the private internet access VPN on my PC and android, will that slow down anything like web surfing, uploads or downloads? I am limited to using Verizon's high speed DSL connection as they refer to it, (I refer to it as slowest speed connection lol) in my neighborhood and this is the only provider for me so it's already pretty slow compared to Fios and other broadband connections. I would hate to slow it down any more.
You mention to pay for these services using gift cards and such. Well as I mentioned, I do not have anything that I am actually worried about anyone seeing, this is simply my way of trying to protect my privacy so I wouldn't go that far but I am curious about that statement. Do you mean that using a VPN truly isn't private or is this just to remove any paper trail linking me to the use of a VPN provider? I have been using DuckDuckGo for several years already just to stop google from taking and selling my info. Weather it truly works or not I dont know but its a great search engine anyway so I figured why not use it.
Your advice to disabling IPv6 protocol in my router settings: I do not see anywhere in my router settings to do this so I googled it, and it looks like there's a way o do this in windows. Is that different that what you're advising? Also I read a windows blog on this and windows 10 says IPv6 is a mandatory part of Windows that they do not advise on disabling. Can you give me some more detail on this, and how to disable it, assuming the windows warning is bull.
Thanks for all of your help.

VPN Do you use one, do you notice ?

VPN Do you use one, do you notice ?
Yes I know why using a VPN is a good idea, hides you location.
Have thought about using one but a few concerns.
Price .... something like Express VPN is not free
Does a VPN slow your device ?

VPNs are great for privacy and bypassing location locked content. Recommend them for everyone especially if you are on public wifi networks a lot.
Does it slow your phone? No
Does it slow your connection? Slightly - depends on the vpn service and server you are connected to.
ExpressVPN is not the only VPN service out there. You can also look into Nord, PIA, CyberGhost, Tunnelbear.
FYI - Free VPNs aren't really free. They limit your bandwidth, show ads on connection and possibly do store some of that data being transferred. Best option is to go with a well known paid one. It is worth the $5-$15 per month for the privacy.

Hunter3U said:
VPNs are great for privacy and bypassing location locked content. Recommend them for everyone especially if you are on public wifi networks a lot.
Does it slow your phone? No
Does it slow your connection? Slightly - depends on the vpn service and server you are connected to.
ExpressVPN is not the only VPN service out there. You can also look into Nord, PIA, CyberGhost, Tunnelbear.
FYI - Free VPNs aren't really free. They limit your bandwidth, show ads on connection and possibly do store some of that data being transferred. Best option is to go with a well known paid one. It is worth the $5-$15 per month for the privacy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

I have been using VPN for years.
Performance impact hasn't been an issue since three or four phone generations ago.
It does have a small impact on battery usage.
Free VPN sucks. They rarely work when you need it, and when it does work the speed is all over the place.
Commercial VPN service quality varies depending on your ISP and how you plan on using it. The reputable VPN usually offers some kind of trial period so you can try them out and decide for yourself.

AstroDigital said:
VPN Do you use one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I concur with the above statements.

Phishing, have a lot of attacks yesterday for example "iTunes" sent a receipt for an expensive pack, they wanted me to get mad and click on the link..... I am not that stupid.
Netflix, if they trace a VPN well they can simply block access. They know I am Canadian from my login I am not sure how VPNs can get around Netflix content block.
Torrents, never done them
China I never plan on going
Tell me even still, money no object want do you recommend
Thanks guys, I do not think I will bother.
Reasons for VPN
You can not be traced, do not do torrents.
Hacking my security guy says sure in theory on open WiFi but he has not seen the happen
Get international websites Netflix, well some claim this is possible
If you ever visit a place like China
Not sure it is worth the money.

AstroDigital said:
Thanks guys, I do not think I will bother.
Reasons for VPN
You can not be traced, do not do torrents.
Hacking my security guy says sure in theory on open WiFi but he has not seen the happen
Get international websites Netflix, well some claim this is possible
If you ever visit a place like China
Not sure it is worth the money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Some VPN services offer torrent protection.
2. My parents got phished using wifi at the library. I rather go offline than use public wifi.
3. Only some VPN can do Netflix. It's not trivial but mine does.
4. VPN is absolutely necessary for visiting China. It's the ultimate testing ground of VPN's technical ability. There are rumors that the reason some VPN can work flawlessly in China is because they are phishing agencies of Chinese government.

I am trying Express VPN, seven day trial.
So far no big deal.

Yep, I use IPVanish. Very fast, hardly notice a speed difference on downloads (but it is slightly slower, to be expected) and web traffic. It does nothing to the speed of my phone.
I use it when I use my banking apps, downloads and location blocking.

I have an Asus router with a VPN Server so free for me. I can connect to it when I'm out or even overseas. The IP isn't identified as a VPN service to any streaming service. I can use it along with some other trickery to prevent my cell carrier from throttling certain content including video or tethering. My way of taking back net neutrality.

Testing Express VPN, first day it sucked 10% battery life.
Slightly slower downloads is ok, but the battery life on the One Plus 7 Pro is not great.

larsdennert said:
I have an Asus router with a VPN Server so free for me. I can connect to it when I'm out or even overseas. The IP isn't identified as a VPN service to any streaming service. I can use it along with some other trickery to prevent my cell carrier from throttling certain content including video or tethering. My way of taking back net neutrality.
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Are you connecting using open vpn client?

Yes but PPTP with the built in Android VPN also works. I think OpenVPN can use custom ports so someone can't block VPN so easily.
Asus makes amazing Routers! Not quite as customizable as DDWRT but more reliable and they get regular updates.

VPN's are great for internet privacy!
I use VPN apps to protect my internet privacy from espionage. And I think you should too.
I've tried several FREE VPNs but to tell you the truth - they suck and they're slow!
Paid VPNs are much faster. It's better that you first go for a trial version and if you are satisfied with their performance then buy their services.
You shouldn't compromise on your internet safety especially if you make purchases.
I understand a lot of people in this forum buy phones online, and you definitely need protection when you are in the transaction process.
I would round off by suggesting that you should learn more about cybersecurity and internet privacy. I personally use PureVPN, they've been pretty good but everything has their downside, but overall they make you safe and that's what matters the most.

Today vpns are not as useful for privacy as all communication is generally already encrypted at the app level anyway. They are more useful for being able to route connections that are otherwise blocked.

larsdennert said:
Today vpns are not as useful for privacy as all communication is generally already encrypted at the app level anyway. They are more useful for being able to route connections that are otherwise blocked.
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Still they make it quite a lot harder for your provider to track your usage and for websites and e.g. Facebook trackers to track usage back to you.

You are correct. Your browsing history is obscured. You also need to make sure you are not still using your cell carriers DNS server with the VPN or you'll be just calling them back again.

the vpn provider can see what you are doing so you have to ask yourself if you can trust them, what country are them based in and what are the laws there, and if the risk is acceptable.
if not set up a vpn on you router if it supports it, or on your home pc, i trust my local ISP with local laws more than a random company in another country.

I use and recommend PIA. They have an abundance of servers around the world. I don't notice a big difference in loading speed for average web browsing. One account covers all my computers and devices. They do not log user activity which is the biggest advantage for me. The cost is quite reasonable if you subscribe for 1 or 2 years.

tperki said:
I use and recommend PIA. They have an abundance of servers around the world. I don't notice a big difference in loading speed for average web browsing. One account covers all my computers and devices. They do not log user activity which is the biggest advantage for me. The cost is quite reasonable if you subscribe for 1 or 2 years.
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Have you heard? PIA was bought out recently. Apparently the company that bought them are questionable at best. I still have some time left on my subscription but I am considering changing VPNs. I just love how easy PIA is.