Not really well up in these things. So if one uses a VPN app then wherever you surf is hidden from outsiders? Do you still use your usual browser? How do you know you are going through their secure servers?

Paul

You should be surfing anonymously with a VPN. However, if you are signing into sites you are identifiable, If you are keeping cookies you will be identifiable. Basically you are hiding your IP Address with the VPN.

I'm sure there is more expertise than me present, but I use a reasonably secure browser (Bravo), I clean out cookies on browser close and/or don't accept them, and I'm currently running through Proton VPN, because I was an early adopter of ProtonMail and I support their aims. I used AIRvpn previously. Seems OK to me so far.

An everyday user joins the VPNs through the providers app and a click.

Best of luck.

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“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in."

So there is a particular website (which amazingly is not porn) that I wish to visit but want my visits there to be anonymous and not easily traceable back to me. If I use a browser with cleared out cookies and other info purely to visit that site and use another browser for all other browsing I will be virtually anonymous. I'm saying virtually as I'm sure if enough government clout really wanted to know there would probably be a way and no it's not a subversive anti government site either!

Would it also mean that if me here in the UK ran a VPN app and connected via a US server in the VPN app options then sites would think I was in the US? Only wondering on that as sometimes people link to websites here which when I click I get 'Not available in your area'.

I still have a lot to learn and less time to do it.

Paul

For the first question, the potential to identify you without the VPN is probably fairly high, despite not taking cookies different browser, etc. . The issue is identifying your IP Address. Again, I'm not expert in this, but my first guess would be that your IP address remains fixed over periods of time before it changes. For example, you get a "lease" of a dynamic IP address from your ISP, then you visit several sites, then you sign off. A couple hours later you are doing the same thing, who knows visiting the same sites, signing into online accounts, etc. During both surfing episodes your IP is tracked. Eventually you will be identified through that tracking, and if someone wants to know if yo are on their site, they look at IP traffic.

VPN should be reading as an IP that is traceable back to an anonymized server that is not revealing you and your path through websites. Each time you sign into it you should have a different, not traceable to you IP address.


For the second part, with most VPNs, you can choose the country your server resides in. That will spoof the location.

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“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in."

Yes, a VPN will fool sites into believing you are surfing to them from the country the VPN server you're connected to is located in.

I would recommend getting one (I like SurfShark), but you could also just download Brave and use the Private Browsing with Tor option. It's the next-best thing.

This article may help explain a few things and get you started;

[restoreprivacy.com]

what already been said. And I 2nd Proton.
Avoid PIA as their policies have become suspect under new ownership.'


[www.vpnuniversity.com]

[www.safetydetectives.com]

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!#$@@$#!

proofraed by OwEn the c@t.



Nobody remembers their first download, but everyone remembers their 1st LP.

Quote
Will Collier
but you could also just download Brave and use the Private Browsing with Tor option. It's the next-best thing.

Ive used this, seem to work fine.

I don't normally lock anything down -- so my browser is full of ads with things I just clicked here, or what not... but I just ignore them

But I've used Brave to search for things like B-day gifts, or hunt amazon so the family doesn't know Im looking, and the images arent in my browser if they come in my office.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2021 06:25PM by jdc.

Thank you for all the responses.

Paul

This is great info, we are sorting out issues with our local sports team owners and streaming services. We are hoping to watch via VPN and buy the sports packet directly. Any special issues with m l b.tv? I don’t see it listed much on the links, so thought I’d ask.

PS the alternative, if they ask, is we will stop watching the local team and watch the teams we grew up on. We will not be paying $85/month for the only and terrible streaming service that offers our team’s special channel or going back to cable. So it’s either a VPN solution where they get our advertising eyeballs or nothing.

EDIT: google was my friend. [vpn-services.bestreviews.net]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2021 03:13PM by sekker.

Fritz, you said "Avoid PIA as their policies have become suspect under new ownership."

What's PIA? Can't be pay in advance, can it?

Will, what would be the advantage of using Brave browser and Private Browsing with Tor? Could private browsing be done directly with Tor?

Private Internet Access.
I suppose it could also mean pay in advance as that is how most VPNs get paid.

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!#$@@$#!

proofraed by OwEn the c@t.



Nobody remembers their first download, but everyone remembers their 1st LP.