Norton offers a paid for VPN. Using then as a source for accurate information about how necessary a VPN is is like reading an article about Starfrit about how important an Apple Peeler is. It's going to be a biased source.
Point is, they sell a paid for VPN. They aren't going to write copy that basically goes "yeah you don't need it". the copy is going to do it's best to sell their product.
A VPN has ONE purpose- allow a system to connect securely over the internet and appear as part of a local area network. VPN = Virtual Private Network.
VPN Services misuse this technology in order to sell a product for a purpose to which I argue it is ill-suited.
1. Security
As stated, many VPN services will claim that using a VPN Service will make the customer's system more secure. But there is no real basis for that argument. The best argument for security on a home system would be that the VPN tunnel is typically encrypted up to the remote gateway (the VPN Server). But that doesn't actually improve your security- it just means trusting their ISP instead of yours. Alternatively, a real case could be made for say using a public wifi network, but I'd argue the real solution to making that more secure is to not using them in the first place. After all, VPN or not, your system is still connected to the open, untrusted network.
2. Privacy
Aside from the considerations at the end of my previous paragraph, VPNs don't help much for privacy. The usual angle that VPN providers argue is that they "mask" or "cloak" your IP address. That is true. But your IP address is not private information. Websites can and do still identify you via their typical browser fingerprinting, making that whole "privacy" argument moot, since they can still track your browsing using the fingerprint. VPN providers , curiously, don't really mention this rather important piece of information. Though they will often harp on about cloaking and hiding your IP address or how you can have an "IP Address leak". Sometimes the IP Address copy goes into it being somehow beneficial for security as well.
3. Malware
A compromised website isn't suddenly unable to exploit a browser flaw to perform a drive-by download because your VPN Provider worked tirelessly to prevent "IP leaks" or because you have their super "safeguard Deluxe Shields" plugin or whatever. it doesn't prevent the system from being compromised through trojan horse malware. It doesn't even prevent software from finding your "real" IP Address in that case either, since all it has to do is enumerate all the network adapters.
Whether the benefits are non-existent or negligible except in certain specific instances, they are advertised as 'general purpose" things that everybody (apparently) is supposed to have to "remain secure". But the fact of the matter is that a system will see a manyfold increase in Security, Privacy, and malware prevention beyond what any VPN provider could ever provide by simply disabling Javascript in the browser.
It is true that some companies people consider reputable are running VPN providers. But personally I feel that is like if an otherwise legitimate corporation started to send 419 scam E-mails. It doesn't legitimize the scam, it just damages their reputation for being involved.
It's not difficult to start a VPN Provider. It's almost a money-making scheme. Pay for a VPS, install the open source Open VPS software... Boom, you've got a VPN service. Now sell access to it and you are a VPN provider. Maybe choose some animal name. Like- ElephantVPN or TunnelRhino or KoalaNet or some other random crap. Now promise everybody you don't keep logs, that you are private and secure, pay for advertisements and sponsor some random youtubers to metaphorically suck you off to their audience and watch the money roll in. And when it is inevitably discovered that you keep logs or harvest private information, just shut down your first LLC, fire up a new one, and start over. Heck you could even just sponsor the same youtubers and they just see the cheque and don't care where it comes from. "Due to the massive security issues I dropped ElephantVPN. Now, I am sponsored by a completely different company with the same address, ModernHairlessWoollyMammothVPN. use my youtube channel name as an Affiliate code "BungholeDancer", to save 10% on your first subscription!"
