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VPN's do they live up to the hype

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  • 12-01-2018 7:21pm
    #1
    c.p.w.g.w
    Registered Users Posts: 4,994 ✭✭✭


    Hello

    Just looking for some information in relation to VPN's

    How safe are they at protecting the users location.

    Are they suitable to use with things like Netflix or iPlayer?


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    #2
    BoB_BoT
    Registered Users Posts: 1,835 ✭✭✭BoB_BoT


    VPN's aren't really designed to hide the users location.
    Their purpose is to connect you into another network securely and from there access the network/internet on that side. Virtual Private Network.

    The main thing with a VPN is the data being exchanged inside the VPN can't be snopped on (assuming it setup securely). However, it's easy to see where you're connecting from and where to, but not what's being transferred.

    You might be thinking more along the lines of Onion Routing/TOR.


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    #3
    BigEejit
    Registered Users Posts: 3,739 ✭✭✭BigEejit


    VPN's are most often used for allowing remote workers to access company resources over the internet. They can of course be used for other things such as bittorrent and viewing geo-locked media.
    The downside of VPN's is that they have an overhead (higher encryption level = more overhead = lower VPN speed), there is usually a high server load if you are using a free VPN and you are of course going to be some distance away from the VPN server. So if you were contacting for example boards.ie but had set up your VPN connection to an american server, then every byte of data goes via that transatlantic connection:
    https://www.cactusvpn.com/vpn/vpn-slow-down-internet/

    If you are only interested in Netflix/iPlayer then a proxy is probably what you want:
    https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7155529/how-does-http-proxy-work


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    #4
    c.p.w.g.w
    Registered Users Posts: 4,994 ✭✭✭c.p.w.g.w


    Sorry i meant as in hide/mask my actual location.

    In order to make it look like i'm in the UK for example for BBC iPlayer/Netflix.

    Basically myself and buddy where looking at them for different reasons. Just trying to protect our identity online.


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    #5
    mrtom
    Registered Users Posts: 683 ✭✭✭mrtom


    I used to get iplayer up to a few months ago with Windscribe VPN, not any more. Any solutions?


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    #6
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    c.p.w.g.w wrote: »
    Sorry i meant as in hide/mask my actual location.

    In order to make it look like i'm in the UK for example for BBC iPlayer/Netflix.

    A VPN will do this. For example, if you are in Dublin, you would connect to a VPN server in the UK. For all intensive purposes, you would appear to be in the UK. Just be sure to clear your cookies before connecting to iPlayer as it can store a flag there saying you are not in the UK. Also, remember that VPNs are not designed for speed, especially consumer grade ones. You're viewing experience might be mixed. I'd recommend ExpressVPN.
    Just trying to protect our identity online.

    VPN won't do this and it's a common misconception that it will. It's a very basic way of obscuring where you are, it doesn't disguise 'who' you are. If you use any social network, your online life is being tracked left, right and centre. For example, your on a social network right now here on Boards. If you want to go anonymous, you would be looking at the likes of Tor and radically change the way you browse online. Being perfectly honest, unless your whole set up and habits are flawless, it's not possible to truly disappear online.


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    #7
    c.p.w.g.w
    Registered Users Posts: 4,994 ✭✭✭c.p.w.g.w


    ironclaw wrote: »
    VPN won't do this and it's a common misconception that it will. It's a very basic way of obscuring where you are, it doesn't disguise 'who' you are. If you use any social network, your online life is being tracked left, right and centre. For example, your on a social network right now here on Boards. If you want to go anonymous, you would be looking at the likes of Tor and radically change the way you browse online. Being perfectly honest, unless your whole set up and habits are flawless, it's not possible to truly disappear online.

    In relation to the above, the idea of anonymity in relation to the actually location of the poster. I'm pretty much asking for a friend, who is pretty paranoid after a Facebook incident, so their off Facebook...kinda

    But likes Twitter and Runs a page on Facebook around some one of their interests but uses a pseudonym, so would like to mask their location...They won't post here, because...their paranoid, they only access the two above in Internet Cafe...or when their over at mine.

    Cheers for all the posts


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    #8
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    Discussing Hiding location is fine. Lets keep it away from anything illegal or examples re evading region restrictions etc


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    #9
    c.p.w.g.w
    Registered Users Posts: 4,994 ✭✭✭c.p.w.g.w


    KoolKid wrote: »
    Discussing Hiding location is fine. Lets keep it away from anything illegal or examples re evading region restrictions etc

    Oh sorry, the primary reason for the thread was hiding location, maybe should have made it clearer in the OP


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    #10
    KoolKid
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 24,789 Mod ✭✭✭✭KoolKid


    That's perfectly fine. Just felt it was drifting a bit.


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    #11
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

    But likes Twitter and Runs a page on Facebook around some one of their interests but uses a pseudonym, so would like to mask their location...They won't post here, because...their paranoid, they only access the two above in Internet Cafe...or when their over at mine.

    Cheers for all the posts

    Think your friends needs a sit down with someone who knows their stuff. Twitter, for example, tags your location in every tweet you send and it doesn't take a lot of API permission to read it. Twitter is actually great for companies who want to measurement engagement in certain areas or target Ads. Granted, it can be turned off, but everything you say and how you say it has a fingerprint. Takes longer, but you can work out, pretty accurately, who someone is based on their engagement. It's like Guess Who, only you can see a lot more info.

    A pseudonym isn't worth much either, sooner or later they'll trip up and someone will work out who they are.

    Basically, your friend isn't looking for a VPN, they are looking for a chat with someone who can improve their privacy.


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    #12
    c.p.w.g.w
    Registered Users Posts: 4,994 ✭✭✭c.p.w.g.w


    ironclaw wrote: »
    Think your friends needs a sit down with someone who knows their stuff. Twitter, for example, tags your location in every tweet you send and it doesn't take a lot of API permission to read it. Twitter is actually great for companies who want to measurement engagement in certain areas or target Ads. Granted, it can be turned off, but everything you say and how you say it has a fingerprint. Takes longer, but you can work out, pretty accurately, who someone is based on their engagement. It's like Guess Who, only you can see a lot more info.

    A pseudonym isn't worth much either, sooner or later they'll trip up and someone will work out who they are.

    Basically, your friend isn't looking for a VPN, they are looking for a chat with someone who can improve their privacy.

    Cheers for that.

    But let's just say if you use Twitter while a VPN is active, on a device where a VPN is always active. Wouldn't the location data suggest the location of the VPN ?


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    #13
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    c.p.w.g.w wrote: »
    Cheers for that.

    But let's just say if you use Twitter while a VPN is active, on a device where a VPN is always active. Wouldn't the location data suggest the location of the VPN ?

    Depends on the device. For mobile devices, its pulled in by the GPS and location services, not the IP. For laptops and other devices, its becoming more common for Wifi and similar to give location data. Now, you could turn that off. But, if you used the same Twitter account, on different VPNs, and then used it at your home base, or somewhere close to you, then your location could be leaked by triangulation or simply by your commenting. For example, if you comment on Irish news stories, chances are you are in Ireland. Follow a regional paper in Dundalk? You're likely from that neck of the woods. Comment on a local team or restaurant? You're narrowed down even more. Follow a niche activity or sport? You see where this is going.

    Like I said, your whole approach to the digital world would have to be flawless for you to truly remain anonymous. Without sounding like a cliche cop show, you would only have to slip up once to be caught out.


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