VPNs

[capper]

I have heard a lot of good things about VPNs and how they can be a good way to protect yourself when using public or shared wifi.  They can also be helpful when trying to do certain things online using a different 'home location'.  I also like the idea of accessing Netflix USA from Canada.

I decided to do a trial with ExpressVPN.  I have tried it on 2 laptops and my android phone.  It seems to completely slow down all of my devices.  My browsing speed is so slow now that I don't want to continue to use the VPN.

Any suggestions?  Should I simply dump the ExpressVPN or should I try a different one?

[gorge441]

You may try CyberGhost VPN

[strollin]

A VPN will slow things down and how far away from your actual location you set your VPN location to will make a difference as to how much your speed is effected.

[MichaelNyby]

I am sure that I would like very much to better understand something I made very clear about (in another thread) that had me confused.  But that thread doesn't seem to set well with an important citizen of the Computer Hope Community and it does have an odd topic title, so I will continue my quest for clarification in this thread, if the OP doesn't mind; because this thread has exactly the correct thread title and came up very nicely in the search results I did before posting.

First, though, here is that other thread where I first posted about my confusion:

Computer Hope » Other » Other » Early Black Friday Deals
https://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,179021.0/topicseen.html

So all can read over there where I wrote about my confusion and then was kind of taken aback by the thoughts posted by BC_Programmer that this idea of privacy being enhanced by the use of a VPN was some sort of a joke --- and I am rather sure the vocabulary "joke" was used in that context.  The topic of security had been added to privacy in that aspect of the discussion of using a VPN, and I suppose those two have to go hand-in-hand.

I'd really like to ask for opinions on whether the use of a VPN can allow for better privacy?

Let me sort of clarify a point, please.

I am sure I could come up with some way to find a safe location to plug in a carry-around computer and would be able to do some work posting and that would not be my IP address here at this work station, but I am asking about a way to work from right here at this work station and in some way be able to hide where I am located.

You see, before I saw BC Programmer post those thoughts I was under the impression there were VPNs that were safe and afforded a fair bit of privacy.  And because I have a high opinion of BC Programmer's thinkings in this field of Net tech I --- well, I guess I already wrote I was surprised.

Then that thread got a little odd and I sort of skipped out for a little too long.

But I'm still curious about this question of whether a VPN truly can offer a high degree of privacy?

Thank you.

[MichaelNyby]

So one issue that was brought up in that thread I provided the link for was "browser fingerprinting" and that was also brought up by the same person in another thread the year before and then I checked to see what was on Computer Hope out beyond the forum and this is what shows below all those adverts:

< < < Copy Starts > > >
Early Black Friday Deals
www.computerhope.com › forum
Welcome guest. Before posting on our computer help forum, you must register. Click here it's easy and free. Computer Hope Forum. *. Main page ...

T - Computer Dictionary and Glossary
www.computerhope.com › jargon
31 Dec 2020 ... Tabbed browsing · Tabbing ... TCP fingerprinting · TCP/IP · TCP/IP layers ... TCP stack fingerprinting · TCPView ... Tor Browser · Tor network

Linux nmap command help and examples
www.computerhope.com › Help › Linux
30 Apr 2020 ... XML offers a stable format that is easily parsed by software. Free XML parsers are available for all major computer languages, including C/C++, ...
< < < Copy Ends > > >

So I provide that information so that I can justify going to those Google search results that was also on that Computer Hope page below the three entries noted above.

This one is at the top of the Google search results and it is a good one:

https://pixelprivacy.com/resources/browser-fingerprinting/

But one thing jumped out very quickly as I was scanning the information they were providing to decide if reading their page more closely was going to be worth the effort --- this jumped out --- they stated that maybe the fingerprint would be different in about 1 in every 280,000 other people on the Net.  That 280 thousand is a rough number for now, not exact quoting.

Wait, maybe an exact quote should be done:

Panopticlick found that only 1 in 286,777 other browsers will share the same fingerprint as another user.

So why does that stick in my brain?

How many folks do you people figure are using the Net at any given moment?

You reckon 100 million?  So that means we can be conservative and state by using those numbers up there 350 people at any given moment will have the same browser fingerprint.

Just sort of wondering about just how important that fingerprinting issue is, if I am not some really bad person the law enforcement folks will be looking for.  Just on this browser fingerprinting issue alone I seem to feel I could sneak past most Net detectives that don't work for the CIA, or the NSA, or one of those other hotshot spy organizations.

Just wondering.  And just starting the investigative process to understand the importance of that browser fingerprinting thing.

EDIT:  I am having some trouble with that figure:

1 in 286,777 is the same, right?  Doesn't that mean 2 are the same in that group of 286,777?  If there is a "same" then that means there are 2, no?

[Mr_Patton]

I use PureVPN. No complaints

[MichaelNyby]

Being into the studying phase at the moment, Mr_Patton, I am sure there are many fine VPN services available, but that idea that a VPN is a useless service for enhanced security and privacy is what I am trying to come to grips with and decided to ask some fellow members at the ISOC if they might have a good idea for material that can help me catch up on this topic and one of my colleagues offered this idea that might be a few years old, but he states it is one of the best he's seen in recent years to help those, like myself, that haven't yet properly studied this topic.

This was presented to the 2013 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy.

Cookieless Monster: Exploring the Ecosystem of Web-based Device Fingerprinting

With contributions by the following: Nick Nikiforakis, Alexandros Kapravelos, Wouter Joosen, Christopher Kruegel, Frank Piessens, Giovanni Vigna

Institutional references: iMinds-DistriNet, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

The pdf you can read or download are pages 541 thru 555 with an excellent list of references on page 555.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.686.2449&rep=rep1&type=pdf

[rjbinney]

I second PIA. It has all the features I wanted:
- Multiple locations in multiple countries
- Port forwarding ability
- Seems to be pretty fast and "light"
- Never drops
- Their service/help desk is great.
I recommended them to a colleague, who signed up for the free trial and was having trouble, and they must have spent hours getting him working. While he was still on the free trial! Obviously he converted, but still. That felt rare to me.

They have a new feature where you can have some apps go through the VPN and others not.

The one drawback is a lot of their addresses are blocked - I guess a lot of people use them? This is a problem if I'm trying to log onto  my bank or a few of my credit cards (I try to always use the VPN when doing that in hotels or on planes) (I mean, if I ever get to fly anywhere/stay anywhere again). So then you have to fish around to find a "city" that works.

It was super tricky to get my wireless printers to work when I was connected. I figured it out (probably with the help of this board), but can't remember how.

I pay one price and it's on all of my devices. I don't know that I've ever had more than two connected at once, I don't know if that's an issue.

I remember I tried ExpressVPN, too, but went with PIA. Don't remember why, though!