Advice VPNs - who's using one?

[old.user4556]

Who's using one (paid or unpaid) and who do you recommend going with?

 

[dysfunction]

Anonymous VPN Service From The Leaders | Private Internet Access

Plus you can use Tor Browser to be extra safe.

 

[Deebs]

AirVPN - The air to breathe the real Internet 54 euros a year, allows port forwarding, lots of servers around the world, and can have 3 concurrent connections open to different servers.

 

[TdC]

Wow, expensive. Can someone explain to a novice what the difference is between the services mentioned above?

 

[old.user4556]

Think deebs meant €54 a year.

Would also like to know the diff in services.

 

[Deebs]

Yes, sorry, meant a year, edited my post to reflect.

So basically, port forwarding allows the servers you are connected to to forward ports (much like an inbound NAT), so it can be used for eg torrenting, hosting a webserver, mail server etc.

Three concurrent connections allows say my PC, my phone and something else to connect to the VPN service at the same time. However I do not use it for that, my firewall connects to 3 different servers and sends traffic out over all three depending on my rules I have.

 

[Hawkwind]

Pingzapper for gaming and ExpressVPN for other shiz

 

[old.user4556]

Pingzapper for gaming and ExpressVPN for other shiz

ExpressVPN was one that seems to be getting the thumbs up - how long have you been with them? Any issues?

 

[Scouse]

Or just not pay and torrent anyway.

 

[old.user4556]

Or just not pay and torrent anyway.

Possibly, I've reached a point in life where I want to get away from this 'digital tattoo' culture and thus want to increase privacy and anonymity.

 

[Raven]

There are more and more reasons for using a VPN, especially with a Tory government.

 

[Scouse]

Meh. You hand over control of logging what you're doing to private companies that are setup in <whereever> and could very well be doing <whatever> with your data, and paying for the privilege.

 

[old.user4556]

Meh. You hand over control of logging what you're doing to private companies that are setup in <whereever> and could very well be doing <whatever> with your data, and paying for the privilege.

It's a very, very good and important point. You just shift the "logging" elsewhere. Express VPN state that they have absolutely no logging and privacy is their first thing on their agenda. That is until cyber snackbars starting using VPNs in droves, then we'll see how private they really are.

I've got mixed opinions.

 

[Scouse]

It's a very, very good and important point. You just shift the "logging" elsewhere. Express VPN state that they have absolutely no logging and privacy is their first thing on their agenda. That is until cyber snackbars starting using VPNs in droves, then we'll see how private they really are..

Do you trust a private individual who's in it for profit is what I'm saying...

...I know I don't. For lots of reasons.

 

[old.user4556]

Do you trust

I'll stop you there, the answer is 'no' to pretty much everything.

 

[Raven]

I don't think @Moriath has heard about the snoopers charter, or at least he supports it.

Its also not about hiding my tracks personally but not giving people authority to use my user data for anything. There is no way to opt out but to use a VPN. I opt out of ads and I will be opting out of geographical data collection too (When I get around to sorting a VPN out)

I see no reason that anyone should track my web use, it is absolutely nobodies business and I opt out.

 

[Moriath]

When you grow up you understand that freedoms in this life are mostly illusions and in fact if the government was tory, labour, snp or any of them. The abilities and laws to search and control the public would be similar.

 

[Raven]

Nonsense, I literally do whatever I like, my moral compass pretty much matches the law of the land and the only crime I commit is a bit of weed now and again, and I doubt po-po would give a shit about a couple of 8ths a month these days.

This isn't about keeping tabs on me as an individual, I am not egotistical enough to think anyone cares what I do day-to-day but I choose to opt out of mass data collection, there is no need for it. However. I do think it is the thin end of the wedge, today it is keeping a record of every email and electronic message I send, tomorrow it is the contents and frankly, fuck that, thanks.

Its not just government either, I don't participate in advertising or marketing and I see no reason for them to monitor me, anonymously or not so the only way is to politely say, no ta, VPN.

 

[Moriath]

You are free to drive to work as long as you dont speed. You are free to work as long as you pay tax. Your free to say anything as long as you dont offend any one.

Your free within a prescribed boundary. Which is the law. The snoopers charter is an extension of the law to take into account the way people can exchange ideas and information that may be used to break the law.

From what i understand they can keep the information but only really look at individuals patterns or use if they become a suspect for doing something against the law.

So if you arnt worried about the law then you have nothing to worry about by the information they can retain.

 

[Raven]

You aren't a student of history then, got it.

 

[old.user4556]

You are free to drive to work as long as you dont speed. You are free to work as long as you pay tax. Your free to say anything as long as you dont offend any one.

Your free within a prescribed boundary. Which is the law. The snoopers charter is an extension of the law to take into account the way people can exchange ideas and information that may be used to break the law.

From what i understand they can keep the information but only really look at individuals patterns or use if they become a suspect for doing something against the law.

So if you arnt worried about the law then you have nothing to worry about by the information they can retain.

Let me put it a particular way: would you be happy for an anonymous government person to track your every physical move? Where you go, what you do, who with, what you say, what you wear, how you feel, what you spend, what you spend it on, where you're going next, flag if you go near someone with a criminal record (regardless of how small and petty) - all day, every day. That data profile of you is all stored somewhere indefinitely, possibly vulnerable to exploitation by advertising or indeed criminals. You're ok with that because you're not breaking any laws?

 

[Scouse]

*sigh* - he's autistic. He loves the rules.

 

[Moriath]

Let me put it a particular way: would you be happy for an anonymous government person to track your every physical move? Where you go, what you do, who with, what you say, what you wear, how you feel, what you spend, what you spend it on, where you're going next, flag if you go near someone with a criminal record (regardless of how small and petty) - all day, every day. That data profile of you is all stored somewhere indefinitely, possibly vulnerable to exploitation by advertising or indeed criminals. You're ok with that because you're not breaking any laws?

Its inevertable. If i like it or not i think it will happen either way. The fact that its stored doesnt mean any one is looking at it tho. Theres too much data for anyone to keep an eye on everyone.

 

[Raven]

There is now, but like I said, its the thin end of the wedge. May in particular is desperate to know what you are doing, when and who with.

I like to think we live in a pretty decent society where the vast majority of people behave, there is no need to know what people are doing or who they are in contact with.

Now, I have absolutely no problem with the police or government keeping tabs on suspects of a crime, so long as any information is disposed of (properly) if it is found that no crime has been committed.

 

[Scouse]

@Moriath - keeping databases on people is anti-democratic. It hands too much power to a state. If at some point in your life you do something interesting - like organise a peaceful demonstration march against something the state is doing that you don't like - i.e. exercise your normal democratic right of protest - then history proves states DO look you up and use anything they've got against you, no matter how flimsy, no matter how they have to twist it to use it.

The biggest danger to any democratic society isn't terrorism - it's the transformation of a state from one that is stable and representative to one that is authoritarian.

Ours has been on that slippery slope for a long time.

 

[Hawkwind]

ExpressVPN was one that seems to be getting the thumbs up - how long have you been with them? Any issues?

About 2 years, no issues at all. Some great tools and can even set their VPN tunnel up in my Asus Router.

 

[old.user4556]

feggets

Apple 'pulls 60 VPNs from China App Store' - BBC News

 

[Raven]

Apple in screwing its customers shocker.

 

[old.user4556]

Putin bans VPNs in web browsing crackdown - BBC News

 

[Lamp]

The Foods Standards Agency is one of the authorised bodies permitted to access our data.

It's not all national security