02-05-2017, 03:50 AM
A VPN raises fewer red flags than using the Tor browser. If you’ve used Tor, you’re already on a government list. Sorry. Probably true if you use a VPN, too, but at least we know that the NSA has put people on their watchlist for using Tor.
I use PIA. It’s very well maintained, works flawlessly on my computer and our iOS devices. There’s no way to know if it’s run or has been infiltrated by any government. I use it primarily because I travel, and I tend to be a little wary of wifi in rural India or southern Ethiopia or even “FREE AIRPORT WIFI” at LAX. At home, when I think of it, I use it, just on general principle. Then I turn it off because Netflix insists and I forget to turn it back on again.
It’s not just Netflix. Other sites can be a pain, at least if you’re using a well known VPN like PIA.
You won’t need to re-log-in to most of your customary sites. They use cookies, so a change in your IP address doesn’t matter. Unless, that is, they care for security reasons -- your bank, Google, Steam, etc. Those places may want to check that you are who you say you are.
Most sites, and most advertisers, just use cookies, though. This means that they know you’re you, and they also know you’re using the VPN. Even if you turn on private browsing, they could still query your browser and the font set and whatnot and know it’s you.
I should think it would be child’s play to prove you’re using a VPN, so I wouldn’t go out of my way using bitcoin or a gift card or some other anonymizing method to pay for a VPN.
I use PIA. It’s very well maintained, works flawlessly on my computer and our iOS devices. There’s no way to know if it’s run or has been infiltrated by any government. I use it primarily because I travel, and I tend to be a little wary of wifi in rural India or southern Ethiopia or even “FREE AIRPORT WIFI” at LAX. At home, when I think of it, I use it, just on general principle. Then I turn it off because Netflix insists and I forget to turn it back on again.
It’s not just Netflix. Other sites can be a pain, at least if you’re using a well known VPN like PIA.
You won’t need to re-log-in to most of your customary sites. They use cookies, so a change in your IP address doesn’t matter. Unless, that is, they care for security reasons -- your bank, Google, Steam, etc. Those places may want to check that you are who you say you are.
Most sites, and most advertisers, just use cookies, though. This means that they know you’re you, and they also know you’re using the VPN. Even if you turn on private browsing, they could still query your browser and the font set and whatnot and know it’s you.
I should think it would be child’s play to prove you’re using a VPN, so I wouldn’t go out of my way using bitcoin or a gift card or some other anonymizing method to pay for a VPN.