Headline is a bit misleading. While there are other factors and concerns in choosing and using a VPN, using one will absolutely save you from your ISP snooping on your web activity.
This article is about rescinding a set of rules that hasn't even taken effect yet. Almost nothing will have changed as a matter of practice. Some fence sitting providers may decide it's okay to sell your information now, and it may be harder to get these rules in place in the future.
I'm looking to drop a pfsense router in front of my network so I don't have to deal with VPN on a per-device level. Other than that, selecting a top tier VPN is also on my to-do list. HN recommendations for VPNs would be helpful here!
Anyone have any experience with flashrouters - https://www.flashrouters.com? While I think you still need a VPN like PIA, IPVanish, ExpressVPN etc, it appears they offer help with device by device VPN connectivity and some plug and play pre-configuration for VPN router?
I recently purchased a subscription to NordVPN in light of this new legislation. They claim not to keep any logs, and I've found their servers to be quick with low latency. A speed-test right now shows 41mb/sec down and 15ms ping. They also don't throttle specific kinds of traffic, like torrents.
My privacy setup for a while (which I have relaxed somewhat) included:
- Ubuntu on my desktop and laptop
- CyanogenMod on Android [0]
- VPN to a non-14 eyes country [1]
- uBlock Origin, PrivacyBadger, Disconnect
- Null-routed most CDNs (e.g. Google APIs)
- Gaff tape over device's cameras if I couldn't physically disable them
Now obviously those measures go far beyond protecting you from just ISPs, but it was designed to take into consideration every method ISPs, big tech (Google, Facebook), and governments could track you.
One way to access the article without getting blocked by their adblock blocker is to wait for the page to load, press <F12>, go to the debugger (in Chromium, it's the tab called "Sources") and stop JavaScript (a pause button). Then you can scroll down safely and read it.
Flagged for inaccurate headline. In fact, VPNs CAN save your online privacy. But so can DNSCurve and HTTPS.
But what can't save your online privacy is non-ISPs like Amazon/Netflix/Google from selling your data, which was out of scope of the FCC ruling anyway. So a lot of the excitement over this ruling is overblown, when in fact, your information is likely or could be for sale elsewhere.
> a lot of the excitement over this ruling is overblown, when in fact, your information is likely or could be for sale elsewhere.
That does not mean it is overblown. Sure particular websites sell your traffic. That is only traffic with that particular website. This ruling is about three traffic with your ISP, which is literally all of your traffic.
[+] [-] then00b|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] falcolas|9 years ago|reply
Oh, not to mention the possibility of them blocking well known VPNs "to prevent piracy." Many open WiFi providers already do this.
[+] [-] marklawrutgers|9 years ago|reply
Detailed, up-to-date comparison chart of hundreds of VPN services: https://thatoneprivacysite.net/vpn-comparison-chart/
Detailed list of mostly open source, private/secure replacements for popular products and services: https://privacytoolsio.github.io/privacytools.io/
[+] [-] whobutsb|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sidlls|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] covercash|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] safetyfirst080|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hellcow|9 years ago|reply
No affiliation, just a happy customer.
[+] [-] notwhoyouthink|9 years ago|reply
- Ubuntu on my desktop and laptop
- CyanogenMod on Android [0]
- VPN to a non-14 eyes country [1]
- uBlock Origin, PrivacyBadger, Disconnect
- Null-routed most CDNs (e.g. Google APIs)
- Gaff tape over device's cameras if I couldn't physically disable them
Now obviously those measures go far beyond protecting you from just ISPs, but it was designed to take into consideration every method ISPs, big tech (Google, Facebook), and governments could track you.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanogenMod [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement
[+] [-] xkxx|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] edlucas|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] MrWizard42|9 years ago|reply
https://torproject.org/ for the Tor browser https://top10vpns.com/compare for a good VPN
[+] [-] exabrial|9 years ago|reply
But what can't save your online privacy is non-ISPs like Amazon/Netflix/Google from selling your data, which was out of scope of the FCC ruling anyway. So a lot of the excitement over this ruling is overblown, when in fact, your information is likely or could be for sale elsewhere.
[+] [-] thomastjeffery|9 years ago|reply
That does not mean it is overblown. Sure particular websites sell your traffic. That is only traffic with that particular website. This ruling is about three traffic with your ISP, which is literally all of your traffic.