My buddy uses NORD and connects to the “Double VPN” option which he claims makes him harder to track. I am stupid when it comes to computers, and subscribe to the theory that no matter what you do, someone out there, albeit some talented wiz kid, or a Law Enforcement agency will still be able to track you down if they want to.
Case in point, there are a few sites he tries to go on that won’t allow you connect with a VPN, but for all the talk about how good his “Double VPN” is, he still gets kicked from these sites because they all immediately detect he’s using a VPN. Sorta defeats the purpose of using a VPN in the first place, but then what the hell do I know.
Who is tracking you or your buddy? If it is law enforcement a VPN might make it harder to track but they still can. And the information is on the device used anyways. A double VPN does not really make sense.
I’m not an expert, but the info I’ve seen over the years is that it works till you’ve done something bad enough for a government to want to find you. Or maybe someone talented in the weird and mystical ways of computers.
When you’re using the internet there’s always going to be someone who will know what you’re doing. Normally that’s your internet provider. Using a VPN is a way to shift that trust to a different company. That might be useful if the VPN is located in a different country where you think your government doesn’t have influence, or if you think your internet provider might be logging access and you trust your VPN to not do that. But it only moves the vulnerability, it can’t remove it.
Absolute codswallop “Double VPN” … Use TOR if you are that paranoid.
It depends who you think is trying to track you and how much effort you think they’re willing to put in.
A VPN will encrypt all of your traffic between you and the VPN server. It will prevent your ISP or employer from seeing what websites you are visiting, and it will prevent the website you are visiting from seeing your real IP address. They certainly can tell that you’re using a VPN, that doesn’t mean they know who you are.
You have to trust the VPN company because all your traffic passes through them and they can see both what you are doing and your real IP. Many VPN companies advertise that they do not keep any record of your activity but you have to take their word for it.
A VPN will not protect you if you disclose personally identifying info, directly or indirectly. The guy who ran the original Silk Road was caught not through any technical means but because he used his real email address on a forum where he had posted about his activities. There was a famous case of a child rapist who was caught because he posted a photo of himself that he had blurred out but the filter he used was reversible. If you are doing anything that would attract serious law enforcement attention then you need to be very careful, because it’s easy to accidentally post something that can be traced back to you. Anyone that digs deep enough into this account will uncover my real name without too much difficulty, and if I used a VPN it would make no difference if I then log into this account.
If you are paranoid enough to be using two VPNs then you’re probably better off using TOR.