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Re: Mac VPN Recommendations

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On 5 Mar 2025 at 08:35:49 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

> On 4 Mar 2025 at 17:13:08 GMT, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
> 
>> On 3 Mar 2025 at 16:13:04 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> On 27 Feb 2025 at 09:48:18 GMT, Theo wrote:
>>> 
>>>> RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>> On 26 Feb 2025 at 10:00:36 GMT, Theo wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> What do you need a VPN *for*?
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hide my identity and/or location.
>>>> 
>>>> VPNs don't really hide your identity.  Everything is encrypted via TLS these
>>>> days - all your hotel/etc can see is your DNS.  They can see you connect to
>>>> google.com, facebook.com, youtube.com which doesn't tell them very much.
>>>> Maybe there's a tiny bit of profiling they can do if they see you are
>>>> connecting to bank.com, but not very much.
>>> 
>>> It's not so much my identity, as what I'm accessing/downloading.
>> 
>> Accessing/downloading will still be trackable at the server side.
> 
> Ah. Didn't know that. So the server knows my 'real' IP address and ISP even
> while using a VPN?

Possibly, but it's not what I mean. If you're interacting with a server,
it'll know what you've done. If you have an account there, they'll know
who did it (up to whatever limit of information you've provided them in
the account setup).

> And by extension my ISP knows which server I've accessed?

No, this is indeed prevented. Early 'domestic' use of VPNs was to
prevent other people's local wifi from being able to tell what you're
doing on them, or indeed from being bad actors redirecting you via DNS
faking and such - eg cafes, hotels.

> 
> I'd always thought that information was concealed - the 'private' in virtual
> network. And checking Nord, they say that the ISP 'loses access to':
> 
> "The websites you visit
> The specific web pages you browse and the time you spend there
> Your browsing and search history
> The files you download from or upload to unencrypted websites
> The info you type on unencrypted websites"
> 
> That's incorrect?

It's correct, but not what I was talking about as elucidated above.

>> As an alternative I tend to bypass such region limitations by just
>> torrenting media. If they chose to make it unavailable they clearly
>> don't want my money anyway.
>> 
> 
> Which may well be illegal?

Meh. It's harmless and I have no ethical qualms about it.

> Of course, I know my ISP knows I use a VPN. I'd always thought that's as far
> as it goes, and not what went on 'inside' the VPN. Seems I've got that wrong .

No, you're fine there. Unless you do stuff you'd usually do in a vpn
accidentally through the ISP directly.

At which point the far end server knows more about you too.

    Cheers - Jaimie
-- 
"Everyone generalizes from one example.  At least, I do."
 -- Steven Brust

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Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-02-26 06:44 +0000
  Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2025-02-26 10:00 +0000
    Re: Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-02-27 00:06 +0000
      Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2025-02-27 09:48 +0000
        Re: Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-03-03 16:13 +0000
          Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> - 2025-03-04 17:13 +0000
            Re: Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-03-05 08:35 +0000
              Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@usually.sessile.org> - 2025-03-05 16:14 +0000
                Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Graham J <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> - 2025-03-05 16:54 +0000
                Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2025-03-05 21:28 +0000
                Re: Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-03-06 09:02 +0000
  Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> - 2025-02-26 19:35 +0000
    Re: Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-02-27 00:06 +0000
    Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> - 2025-02-27 09:42 +0000
  Re: Mac VPN Recommendations snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) - 2025-02-27 00:20 +0000
    Re: Mac VPN Recommendations RJH <patchmoney@gmx.com> - 2025-08-28 07:38 +0000
      Re: Mac VPN Recommendations "David B." <BD@hotmail.co.uk> - 2025-08-28 09:01 +0100
      Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> - 2025-08-28 08:17 +0000
        Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Hans S <john.doe@myemail.invalid> - 2025-08-28 16:33 +0000
          Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Alan B <alanrichardbarker@gmail.com.invalid> - 2025-08-30 08:13 +0000
        Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Mark <captain.black@gmail.com> - 2025-09-01 10:26 +0000
  Re: Mac VPN Recommendations Martin S Taylor <hogwash@mRaErMtOiVnEstaylor.TcHoImS> - 2025-03-01 11:25 +0000
  Re: Mac VPN Recommendations jbrennand <brennand@ntlworld.com> - 2025-03-01 17:43 +0000

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