Latest info on free vpn

[jimmydash]

I've never had a VPN but keep hearing they're important for security reasons. Is that still correct? Qhat's the best free VPN?

[thebraketester]

What are your security concerns?

[jimmydash]

I don't know what I don't know about security. Just hear VPN's are important.

[extraT]

VPNs are normally used to hide your activity, which obviously depends on what you’re doing and which country you’re in e.g if you’re in a country that isn’t so open minded to government criticism, or you’re actively doing something illegal. If you’re asking what a VPN is, I doubt you fall into either category.

They should also used if you connect to free wifis e.g in hotels, but again if all you’re doing is looking at YouTube… there are lots of reasons why people use them. I suppose it depends on if using one is right for you, and only you can decide that

In any case don’t use a free one, they are free for a reason. Go for something trusted and easy to use for a small fee per month, e.g Nord or Express VPN.

[jimmydash]

Thanks extraT. I don't need a VPN!

[thebraketester]

jimmydash said:

Thanks extraT. I don't need a VPN!

Hence my question. :-)

[Captain_Morgan]

The best free one is the one you built & maintain yourself, that takes you back to your own network.

[megaphone]

Captain_Morgan said:

The best free one is the one you built & maintain yourself, that takes you back to your own network.

That's a different type of VPN though.

[Captain_Morgan]

megaphone said:

Captain_Morgan said:

The best free one is the one you built & maintain yourself, that takes you back to your own network.

That's a different type of VPN though.

In what way?

[somouk]

megaphone said:

That's a different type of VPN though.

VPN is a term for a type of technology that creates a virtual network from one point to another. What the other location is doesn't really matter.

I think there are 2 distinct use cases for VPN that people see:

1. A commonly used VPN the breaks you out either in another country or even the same but encrypts the connection from your device to the break out point. May be useful for fooling geo location systems.

2. One that provides access to your home network or corporate network. This type may still allow internet access but it will come via your usual home network address.

The security from them both in the sense of the encrypted tunnel will be the same, just the use case is different.

[megaphone]

somouk said:

megaphone said:

That's a different type of VPN though.

VPN is a term for a type of technology that creates a virtual network from one point to another. What the other location is doesn't really matter.

I think there are 2 distinct use cases for VPN that people see:

1. A commonly used VPN the breaks you out either in another country or even the same but encrypts the connection from your device to the break out point. May be useful for fooling geo location systems.

2. One that provides access to your home network or corporate network. This type may still allow internet access but it will come via your usual home network address.

The security from them both in the sense of the encrypted tunnel will be the same, just the use case is different.

This, saved me typing

[aponting389]

My ‘mate’ uses one cos he can’t look at mucky sites on his work phone

[Captain_Morgan]

megaphone said:

somouk said:

megaphone said:

That's a different type of VPN though.

VPN is a term for a type of technology that creates a virtual network from one point to another. What the other location is doesn't really matter.

I think there are 2 distinct use cases for VPN that people see:

1. A commonly used VPN the breaks you out either in another country or even the same but encrypts the connection from your device to the break out point. May be useful for fooling geo location systems.

2. One that provides access to your home network or corporate network. This type may still allow internet access but it will come via your usual home network address.

The security from them both in the sense of the encrypted tunnel will be the same, just the use case is different.

This, saved me typing

They are both the same, I’d suggest you are confusing the ability to choose the location of the vpn exit point for geo location purposes as some kind of different type of vpn but they are functionally the same, only the location differs.

[extraT]

aponting389 said:

My ‘mate’ uses one cos he can’t look at mucky sites on his work phone

Why would your mate risk that on his work phone, even with a VPN and / or privacy browser??

Why not just use your private phone?

[Greenmantle]

aponting389 said:

My ‘mate’ uses one cos he can’t look at mucky sites on his work phone

I hope his work doesn't food chain their phones!

[Mr Pointy]

Greenmantle said:

aponting389 said:

My ‘mate’ uses one cos he can’t look at mucky sites on his work phone

I hope his work doesn't food chain their phones!

And again in English this time?

[megaphone]

Captain_Morgan said:

megaphone said:

somouk said:

megaphone said:

That's a different type of VPN though.

VPN is a term for a type of technology that creates a virtual network from one point to another. What the other location is doesn't really matter.

I think there are 2 distinct use cases for VPN that people see:

1. A commonly used VPN the breaks you out either in another country or even the same but encrypts the connection from your device to the break out point. May be useful for fooling geo location systems.

2. One that provides access to your home network or corporate network. This type may still allow internet access but it will come via your usual home network address.

The security from them both in the sense of the encrypted tunnel will be the same, just the use case is different.

This, saved me typing

They are both the same, I’d suggest you are confusing the ability to choose the location of the vpn exit point for geo location purposes as some kind of different type of vpn but they are functionally the same, only the location differs.

No confusion here, yes they are functionally the same, BUT the use case is different.

In fact I would add a 3rd use case. Sit-to-site VPN, a private tunnel between to sites, say offices.

VPN is a generic term.

[eliot]

The endless advertising for VPN's is misleading. All a VPN does is move the data that leaves your phone or home router to another exit point in the same or a different country.

So everyone with something to hide - their data exits the same [relatively few] vpn servers - so if someone [the spooks] wanted a handy single point to monitor - all they need to do is tap into the datacentre where the VPN device is located, rather than trying to tap into millions of individual users, which can be done - but not as easy as a few vpn exit points which will be concentrated with the very people they probably want to monitor.

Using a VPN to access US netflix etc is a good use of one, but using one like it's some sort of invisibility cloak is misplaced confidence.

Furthermore it wouldn't surprise me it if comes to pass that one or two of these providers are gov funded via some sort of dark back channel - I guess we will need to wait for the next Snowden to find that one out.

[untakenname]

Last time I used a VPN was to use my phone as a hotspot as 3 network do a lot of traffic shaping if you tether then try and watch streaming such as Eurosport.

Geo restrictions used to be a good reason but companies have wised up now and so it's harder to circumvent, had DAZN for a while at $30 Canadian dollars per year and they had a lot of PPV fights and also FA cup at 3pm but now they make you use a Canadian card to sign up.

My friend uses a VPN to watch F1 live races on the official F1 app but his other half is from Portugal and used her address and card to sign up.

[eeLee]

VPNs simply require you to move trust from your connectivity provider to the VPN provider - assuming they also force DNS on you through the connection.

In the days of TLS, pinned certificates and so on they add little with regards to security for the normal user.

VPNs are useful for:
- appearing somewhere else (but you can simplify and use a smart DNS provider for that too)
- accessing intranet resources not available to the Internet (although I would promote Tailscale over a VPN for this for small use cases)

That's it.

If you're not happy with the connectivity being offered then don't connect (free wifi for example).