Hi, sorry if this question has been asked before. I’ve just been wondering about it and don’t really understand how these things work. If I use VPN but then surf via Chrome and logged into my Google account and go check Facebook, I essentially render VPN useless, don’t I? And do I give up my privacy in other applications, if I leave Chrome open while using those other applications?
Depends on why you want to use a VPN, this article from the sidebar kind of explains different reasons why: Why You Should Be Using a VPN (and How to Choose One) | Lifehacker
If you just don’t want your ISP to see what you’re doing then you’re probably fine.
If want to hide more from big companies or website then it might not be enough.
You could start using another web browser if you wanted to avoid the things you worry about? For example install Firefox and use it when you use the VPN and use chrome when you’re not? In general Firefox is probably a better choice when it comes to privacy, especially while using VPN’s.
This browser addon can be helpful, it shows how much info a site has on you based on the last 30 days: GitHub - gorhill/uBO-Scope: A tool to measure over time your own exposure to third parties on the web
I think you got it wrong, Privacy isn’t the same as Security.
A VPN is more a Security tool than a Privacy one, in a smartphone for example even with a VPN active, somebody can track you through your phone provider, GPS, celular triangulation.
Is not useless if you want bypass Geoblocked content in Netflix,Hulu etc, protect your device in a public WiFi from sniffing, if you live in a country restricting internet or to hide your IP to your ISP.
Facebook, Google, Twitter etc can track you even with a VPN active. How? Are you using the same mail? The same Browser with all your previous cookies? You pay your VPN with the same Card for all your purchases ? Google even has a particular Fingerprint for each chrome browser installation.
Is hard to get privacy in those big sites, use Tor for example instead a VPN, then create a new mail not linked to your previous ones, a new browser with privacy features, never link your actual phone number, get rid of all your cookies after each session… and so on.
My advice, is inconvenient , start from zero in other plataforms, check r/degoogle r/privacytoolsio r/privacy
If you use a VPN to access an account created and used in the past without VPN, then they can track you. For example, if you create a Facebook account without a VPN or the email associated with the Facebook account has been created without a VPN, your original IP address now can be linked to your VPN IP address because it is the same account.
Did you know the silkroad guy got caught because he posted his Gmail account address online? He also accessed his Gmail without the VPN.
This is exactly what I’ve wondered and I guess that by the comments, that is the case. My problem is getting out of the Google ecosystem. All my passwords are tied to my Google account and going through the effort of changing all my passwords sounds like a nightmare, but I don’t want to keep using Google
First off, if you’re concerned about privacy, stop using Chrome. Companies like Google and Facebook acquire information about us that don’t rely on IP addresses. You can read more about that here
You can look into using alternative browsers that don’t run on chromium, such as Firefox or Tor. Tor is based on Firefox ESR and is recommended to use without a VPN (read more on that at the first link and r/tor for more info). Or you can harden Firefox to be more privacy friendly. More on these options here.
Also, changing your search engine from Google to something like duckduckgo helps as well.
Check out r/privacy and r/degoogle if interested in more privacy related options.
It would make some sense to read up on browser fingerprinting:
A VPN is more of a privacy tool than a security tool. For example, if you are at a coffee shop and log into your bank account, your data is encrypted (HTTPS) after you authenticate to that account. Someone sniffing your traffic would still know you went to your bank, but wouldn’t be able to see your transactions after you log in. On the other hand, if you go through a VPN first, you are tunneling to some third site before you even do the DNS request to go to your bank. A sniffer in the coffee shop won’t even know what site you went to. Furthermore, you are now “double encrypted” when going to your bank. I always use VPN on public wifi, but usually don’t bother with it at home unless I want to hide something from my local ISP.
No, there are dozens or hundreds of other people using that VPN IP address at the same time as you, some of whom are connected to their Facebook and also surfing and doing other stuff. So everything blends in
Check out r/degoogle if you haven’t yet!
Exactly! I’ve been wanting to quit Google but I’m so lazy and it’s so convenient with passwords etc.
For passwords, you could always use a password wallet (Keepass, KeepassXC, KeepassDX and some of the ports) or a cloud service Bitwarden (self hosted), LastPass, 1Password among others. Personally I use KeepassXC on my computers and KeepassDX on my Android phone.