I need a new vpn and don't know which one I should get, any recs?

  • hello_hello [comrade/them]
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    edit-2
    1 day ago

    The only point of a commercial VPN is to do peer-to-peer without exposing your home IP address. If you are into Proton and their suite of services than you can get ProtonVPN but don't expect anything else since Proton is NATO-aligned, otherwise you can get AirVPN which does sales yearly (I got 6 months for only $15). The other use of VPNs is geo-spoofing (aka: using Netflix under a VPN to get access to other content), but I can't speak on that, Mullvad might be a good option since it sports a lot of server locations.

    Avoid any VPN that requires an email account/personal details up front, it's likely a Israeli shell company (no youtuber sponsored vpns, they all suck).

    If you want to use a VPN for home server stuff then you should look into Tailscale since they have a free tier for personal use (connecting to your home server while outside the network).

    Otherwise, there are more useful things you can do to improve your security instead of using a VPN:

    • Use a libre web browser: Firefox+Derivatives or vanilla chromium/ungoogled variant
    • Make sure you have HTTPS everywhere or equivalent on.
    • Use services like email aliases for online accounts.
    • Use an up-to-date GNU/Linux or any other free/communal operating system instead of US State Dept. ones like Windows and MacOS.
    • Use Ublock Origin.

    It bears mentioning that a VPN is not a magic bullet for privacy.

    • NewOldGuard [he/him, comrade/them]
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      edit-2
      1 day ago

      Also use a private DNS server even if not using a privacy VPN. I set Firefox to route through Mullvad always. It’s just another way your browsing activity gets fed back to your ISP or DNS provider company

      Edit: Also I think VPNs have a lot more utility than that. E.g. hiding your real IP from websites to prevent geolocation or tying back to your real ID, preventing your ISP (and thus the US govt through PRISM etc) from logging your traffic, etc. Yes the details of what you do are encrypted through HTTPS but the servers you connect to and the times you do it are not. The CIA says they kill people based off metadata so I would at least try to shift the trust away from known collaborators like my ISP and towards groups like Mullvad to protect myself

      • hello_hello [comrade/them]
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        1 day ago

        Yeah the web extension thankfully got merged with Firefox's graphical settings. It eliminates a whole class of vulnerabilities right from the get go.