{"id":"de8be3f6e35e10c586437e27d20d0aabf56a120ec6483b89aa5802061c26f6cc","pubkey":"77cd57032410a0175628b5357fa655b1faceab4afe574733bbdcced938de91a2","created_at":1727966924,"kind":1,"tags":[],"content":"Do you really need a VPN? \nBasics recap for consumer VPNs:\n\n1. Not everyone needs a VPN. It depends on your threat model / jurisdiction you live in / expectations around privacy. You need to understand the extent of protection they provide to assess that.\n\n2. Despite what most VPN providers will tell you in their marketing speak, using a VPN alone will be ineffective or useless for:\n- Achieving anonymity or \"perfect privacy\"\n- Preventing tech corporations from profiling you\n- Protecting your passwords \n- Hiding your mobile phone location\n- Providing better security when working from home\n\n3. Trustworthy VPNs can be effective at:\n- Encrypting your data and DNS requests so your ISP or mobile network operator cannot monitor or log your online activity \n- Masking your IP address from websites and servers you connect to\n- Circumventing censorship or geo blocks\n- Increasing your security on untrusted public networks by preventing MITM attacks (not common)\n\nIf you see claims from a VPN provider contrary to any of the points above, they are either lying to you or are incompetent. 95% of them won't pass this test. ","sig":"1ff0d8899bb53878f36a0224ac4e85926ed07bbe0204dd145e8fc92a7c64755b082a98c68458c58b66d0975916722881a1f3d2695c4404b62088a213a5ff8eb5"}