Because your phone and home wifi has a fixed address identifier, and if you only ever access the internet over a VPN those things are never linked together. It's as if you're browsing the internet from some other person's computer in Europe.
I mean if they want to tie your home internet IP address to your identity, they just have to subpoena (or ask nicely) your ISP. If they want to tie your VPN activity to your identity, they just have to subpoena (or ask nicely) your VPN provider. Your VPN might tell you they don't talk to the fuckin' cops but that's what they WOULD say, National Security Letters are a thing, PRISM is a thing, etc. Maybe being based in Europe is some protection but I don't know how much I'd bet on it. You could use TOR but it's been known for years that governments can de-anonymize TOR users. Really it's not whether they can unmask you or not, just how bad they want to.
Yeah I totally agree with this, the thing is, they won't badly want to unless you're involved with some incredibly serious stuff, a casual user and activist isn't at that level if they take proper procautions.
I've never quite gotten the VPN thing. Why should I assume a VPN is less likely to give my identity to the government than my ISP is?
Because your phone and home wifi has a fixed address identifier, and if you only ever access the internet over a VPN those things are never linked together. It's as if you're browsing the internet from some other person's computer in Europe.
I mean if they want to tie your home internet IP address to your identity, they just have to subpoena (or ask nicely) your ISP. If they want to tie your VPN activity to your identity, they just have to subpoena (or ask nicely) your VPN provider. Your VPN might tell you they don't talk to the fuckin' cops but that's what they WOULD say, National Security Letters are a thing, PRISM is a thing, etc. Maybe being based in Europe is some protection but I don't know how much I'd bet on it. You could use TOR but it's been known for years that governments can de-anonymize TOR users. Really it's not whether they can unmask you or not, just how bad they want to.
Yeah I totally agree with this, the thing is, they won't badly want to unless you're involved with some incredibly serious stuff, a casual user and activist isn't at that level if they take proper procautions.
That's why you use a VPN in a non-aligned country. Use a VPN hosted in China or Venezuela or Iran or something.